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“The thing that comes to mind is it’s the only thing that I started that lasted. It went through three marriages.”
That’s Doug McLain’s humble, tongue-in-cheek reflection on the Snowmass Rodeo, which will celebrate the kickoff of its 50th season tonight and recognize some of its heritage.
McLain recalled founding the rodeo back in 1973, when he was running the Snowmass Stables. The town was skeptical, but he knew it could be successful with the strong ranching culture in the area. He put down $1,200 to build the arena — and quickly made his money back.
“I’m proud of it. I’m proud it’s still around, but I in no way take credit for its success,” McLain said. “It’s had a lot of good people help out. … (SWHA Board President) Jim Snyder and (SWHA Executive Director) Darce Vold and there’s some good volunteers. Some of the volunteers in Snowmass have been there for years and years.”
As the Snowmass Rodeo begins its 50th season tonight, the hope is McLain — who turns 85 at the end of June — will be able to participate, riding his 30-year-old horse Stoney. A recent back surgery may keep him from riding, but he plans to be there as the golden anniversary kicks off.
Vold said that he, Billie Cowden, Kent Edwards and Robb Van Pelt are set to take a lap as pioneers of the event. Another “founding father” of the Snowmass Rodeo, Twirp Anderson, would have been an honoree as well, but passed after a battle with cancer in November.
Van Pelt recalled that small towns across the country had rodeos at the time, but Snowmass had yet to hold one despite its much deeper agricultural culture.
“All of the sudden, we got a rodeo and everyone was into it. It was fantastic,” Van Pelt, a partner at Snowmass Creek Outfitters and attendee of the original Snowmass Rodeo, said. “Especially contestants, we had contestants come in from Grand Junction, Meeker, Craig. … (McLain) had it really organized, he’s not bragging enough about himself here. It really went off well.”
There will be other celebrations of 50 years throughout the 10-event season, including different contract acts throughout the season. The July 3 event is the big show for the season, Vold said.
McLain said he drew the inspiration for a rodeo in Snowmass from a trip to Cody, Wyoming. The town of Snowmass Village was missing something for the kids to do in the summer, he said.
This year, the rodeo grounds have been revamped — a new grandstand welcoming up to 2,000 spectators stands over a revamped arena.
“He’s been terrific,” Vold said of McLain. “He’s one of the founding fathers and over the course of years he’s been a contestant and that’s what his capacity is now. He got it started and things have just continued on very well.”
In 50 years of horseplay, McLain and Van Pelt have plenty of stories — most not appropriate for a newspaper, they said. They recalled a particularly vulgar guest visit to the announcer’s booth while McLain was emceeing; the times when bulls made their way over to the golf course or forced a tennis player to scale a fence to safety; when McLain enlisted his daughters to run concessions, selling out of product within a few minutes of the event starting; and when he was momentarily banned from competing and attending the event in the early 2000s after a spat with the then-organizer.
Even through bumpy years of harsh weather and political disputes between the owners and the town, the rodeo managed to run every year except for the pandemic-canceled 2020 season. That makes 2024 the 50th go-around, despite the inaugural season being 1973.
The 50th anniversary season runs every Wednesday through Aug. 21 — rain or shine. Tickets are available at SnowmassRodeo.org. Capacity is capped at 2,000, so purchasing tickets in advance is advised. Tickets are $10 for children and $25 for adults. Barbecues start at 5 p.m. and the rodeo kicks off at 7 p.m.
McLain said he hopes to ride — and even compete — again in the Snowmass Rodeo if he can recover from his back woes, but is also content with his career in the arena — and out of it.
“I think I accomplished about everything I wanted to in rodeo and about as much as I could expect from myself,” McLain said. “(The Snowmass Rodeo is) something the valley needed and it made its mark on the valley. I’m glad I did it.”