- Video shows the Glennville Rodeo grounds that were originally built in 1949.
- Prepping for the annual rodeo is underway and it's usually a year long process.
- One Glennville resident, Sharon Stone, put together a book on the history, using old photos to showcase it.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Glennville resident Sharon Stone told me that for most people, Glennville is a place to drive through, not to.
“It’s about an hour away… from everything,” Stone said.
And that’s how many residents prefer it.
“It’s a beautiful community.”
Those people drive to Glennville, are typically residents, except for one weekend out of the year, when they hold their rodeo
“We are known as the largest one day rodeo in the nation”
And it has quite a rich history.
“We’ve been doing it for 75 years, you don't want to let that go, we are very proud.”
Last year Stone put a book together about the history of the rodeo in their small community, using many primary sources left by her husband’s grandfather, who helped organize the first rodeo in Glennville.
“The Veterans when they came back from the war, wanted to give back to the community”
In 1949, the recently formed Greenhorn Mountain Veterans Association decided with Glennville being primarily a ranching community, just as it is today, a rodeo would be a great event for the community.
The event was put together quickly, after surveying other rodeo grounds to learn what was needed, the veterans started building the infrastructure themselves.
“They built all this.”
And the Association now maintains it, much of the original infrastructure is still there.
“We work all year long, maintaining this, trying to upgrade and making changes.”
Since the first rodeo in 1949, the grounds have been maintained and updated by those in the GMVA.
The Rodeo has always been put on by the veteran’s association, which is now open even to those that are veterans .
“Today those of us that want to be a part of the community joining the Greenhorn Mountain Veterans Association”
The association serves as a uniting force for the citizens of Glennville, organizing many of the community's events. But the Rodeo is by far the largest, and requires…
“About 50 to 100 volunteers”
Stone said preparation for the rodeo happens almost the whole year leading up to it.
“They work this ground, for days, to get it just right for the cowboys.”
Though the world has changed much in the past 75 years, the sincere dedication of many Glennville residents to make the rodeo happen has stayed consistent.
“We’re proud of what we bring to this community…The rodeo is wonderful.”
The festivities start over Memorial Day weekend, with the parade on Saturday, along with other attractions, and then the rodeo on Sunday.
“Everyone is welcome. Come on by and have some fun.”
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