By WESLIE STRATTON
Moapa Valley Progress
A new all-star rodeo event has the Clark County Fair adding a fifth day to its schedule for the first time ever. This year’s Fair is set to begin on Wednesday, April 8 and run through Sunday, April 12.
The additional day open will actually be just a half day for Fair attendees, according to Fair Manager Kevin Willard.
“We’re going to open up at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon so it won’t be a full day,” Fair Manager Kevin Willard said.
Willard said that the added day is to accommodate a pro rodeo championship challenge that will be held on Sunday, April 12.
“That pro rodeo challenge on Sunday is a separate event from our regular rodeo,” he said. “The regular rodeo goes four days (Wednesday through Saturday).”
“It’s really a great event for us to have at our venue,” he continued.
The Wrangler Champions Challenge will feature the best of the best PRCA rodeo cowboys and WPRA cowgirls. The challenge began in 2014 with six rodeos and has expanded to nine this year. Logandale is one of the three host location additions.
“We are thrilled to have more and more people interested in hosting the best cowboys and cowgirls at Wrangler Champions Challenge events,” PRCA Commissioner Karl Stressman said in a ProRodeo.com news release. “It’s a great event for the hosting committees- growing into new cities shows that the start power of the Wrangler Champions Challenge boosts rodeo attendance.
It’s also the future of ProRodeo on TV, because that same star power means the TV consumer can follow the same faces on TV each broadcast. Creating star power is one of the ways we parallel other mainstream sports and position ourselves for even more growth.”
Willard said that the rodeo will bring the top 11 PRCA contestants in the nation in each event to compete in the winner-take-all one day event.
“The NFR has the top 15,” Willard said. “At our event we’ll have the top 11. It’s a heck of a value to be able to come out here and see basically the top 10 in the world.”
Willard compared the Sunday event to the National Finals Rodeo at a much more reasonable admissions price.
Willard added that the opening day of the Fair is expected to be an unofficial locals day since it will be shorter than the following five days and taking place in the middle of the week. Although the gates don’t open until 4 p.m., Wednesday will feature all of the typical Fair fun including the carnival, entertainment on the Plaza Stage and mutton busting in the afternoon.
“Our goal is to put things in place, have it set up,” Willard said. “Those who come out on Wednesday will see a good fair, a good show and a good rodeo.”
