Camp Verde takes pride in its Western aesthetic. From the fort that predates the founding of the town to the decor that still adorns several buildings on Main Street to, of course, the Cowboy moniker that graces the town’s athletes, Camp Verde is never far off from its pioneer origins or its Wild West feel.
The town of Camp Verde moved a little closer to its Western roots this past weekend when Jackpot Ranch held its first ever Camp Verde Roundup, bringing in rodeo performers from the Grand Canyon Professional Rodeo Association to treat the town to two nights of bareback riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, barrel racing, team roping, bull riding and other performances set to entertain the sea of children in cowboy hats watching from the stands.
“We want to bring the Western, rural heritage to the kids,” Amy Finley of Jackpot Ranch said about the decision to organize this event along with her husband. “We have this beautiful facility so we might as well use it.”
“It made me really happy to have the first horse burst out of the shoot,” Finley said. “We’ve always wanted to have this in our back yard.”
Watching the rodeo during the roundup became a game of intense anticipation and sudden release, as the whole crowd turned towards the gate before cows, horses and riders shot out to the sound of hard-charging rock from the loud- speakers, and watching the drama play out in under fifteen seconds, as a steer was roped or escaped or bucked its rider.
“It’s awesome. It allows people to see what all of this is because this is our life,” Kaylee Barker, a 16-year-old rodeo queen who has been riding for 10 years, said. “This community is pretty much rodeo people. They’re really supportive.”
The enthusiastic turnout at the weekend’s event presaged a possible future for Camp Verde, which has been facing decisions about a new public rodeo arena in town. With the rapturous reception at the Roundup this year, it seems that there is an appetite for the rodeo events that would come with a public arena.
“I’m tickled to death about it,” Homer Sanders, a rodeo athlete with the GCPRA who was performing at the roundup, said of the potential for a Camp Verde arena. “I enjoy coming over here and I love the people here. When I heard they were making a rodeo, I immediately said, ‘Yes!’”
“It’s so nice to see the support for this event, knowing that we’re working with the Camp Verde Arena Association,” Camp Verde Town Council Member Jessie Murdock said. “I’m really glad about how many people turned out and how much it can grow.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 282-7795 or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
