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ENLARGE
Jeff Burtard rides in the team roping event at last year's Carbondale Wild West Rodeo. He and other rodeo participants will be honored at Saturday's Cowboy Up event in downtown Carbondale.
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ENLARGE
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Adam Ashley and the Gunslingers play Saturday night's western dance at Cowboy Up in Carbondale.
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CARBONDALE, Colorado — A self-described “semi rodeo fan” before he started regularly attending the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo, Tom Kilby felt last year's finale where the season's buckle winners were named didn't quite do the honor justice.
As the crowd filed out of the Gus Darien rodeo arena east of town, he recalled that the cowboys and cowgirls were all putting away their gear and horses without any real party to celebrate a successful season.
So he teamed up with some other local rodeo fans, including Erin Bassett, Cheryl Pitout, Scott Haycock and Skip Bell from the Pour House restaurant, to organize this Saturday's Cowboy Up western barbecue and dance in downtown Carbondale.
“We just thought it would be nice to have an event celebrating the rodeo and these athletes,” Kilby said.
“And I do view them as athletes,” he adds. “To me, the rodeo is Carbondale's sports franchise.
“This will be a chance to sit back on an off night and enjoy their success, and the success of the rodeo,” he said.
Cowboy Up will also serve as a fundraising benefit for Sopris Therapy Services, a Carbondale-based nonprofit organization that offers rehabilitation services through the use of equine-assisted (horse) therapy.
The event will take place on Fourth Street, between Main Street and Colorado Avenue. It will feature a variety of free kids and family activities, such as roping games, pony rides and fire truck rides, from 4-6 p.m.
The tent opens at 5 p.m. for cocktails and music by Anita Witt. From 6-8 p.m., a barbecue feast catered by Smoke Modern Barbecue will be served, followed by dancing to the music of Adam Ashley and the Gunslingers from 8-11 p.m.
Auctioneer Twirp Anderson will auction off western merchandise donated by local businesses and supporters. And there will be a special presentation and video tribute recognizing each of last season's Wild West Rodeo Champion Belt Buckle winners.
Tickets for the dinner and dance are $35 for adults and $15 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Alpine Bank locations in Carbondale, Aspen and Glenwood Springs, the Roaring Fork Valley Co-op and the Pour House. Tickets for the dance are only $10 and are available at the gate Saturday night.
“It's for a great cause,” Kilby said of Sopris Therapy. “And it will be a good community event that builds on something that's already a legacy. What fits Carbondale better than cowboys?”
Meanwhile, the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo series continues for its seventh season on Thursday nights through Aug. 20. Slack is at 6:30 p.m., and grand entry is at 7:30 p.m., at the Gus Darien Arena. Admission is $8 per person (children under 10 free), or $25 for a carload up to six people.
As the crowd filed out of the Gus Darien rodeo arena east of town, he recalled that the cowboys and cowgirls were all putting away their gear and horses without any real party to celebrate a successful season.
So he teamed up with some other local rodeo fans, including Erin Bassett, Cheryl Pitout, Scott Haycock and Skip Bell from the Pour House restaurant, to organize this Saturday's Cowboy Up western barbecue and dance in downtown Carbondale.
“We just thought it would be nice to have an event celebrating the rodeo and these athletes,” Kilby said.
“And I do view them as athletes,” he adds. “To me, the rodeo is Carbondale's sports franchise.
“This will be a chance to sit back on an off night and enjoy their success, and the success of the rodeo,” he said.
Cowboy Up will also serve as a fundraising benefit for Sopris Therapy Services, a Carbondale-based nonprofit organization that offers rehabilitation services through the use of equine-assisted (horse) therapy.
The event will take place on Fourth Street, between Main Street and Colorado Avenue. It will feature a variety of free kids and family activities, such as roping games, pony rides and fire truck rides, from 4-6 p.m.
The tent opens at 5 p.m. for cocktails and music by Anita Witt. From 6-8 p.m., a barbecue feast catered by Smoke Modern Barbecue will be served, followed by dancing to the music of Adam Ashley and the Gunslingers from 8-11 p.m.
Auctioneer Twirp Anderson will auction off western merchandise donated by local businesses and supporters. And there will be a special presentation and video tribute recognizing each of last season's Wild West Rodeo Champion Belt Buckle winners.
Tickets for the dinner and dance are $35 for adults and $15 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Alpine Bank locations in Carbondale, Aspen and Glenwood Springs, the Roaring Fork Valley Co-op and the Pour House. Tickets for the dance are only $10 and are available at the gate Saturday night.
“It's for a great cause,” Kilby said of Sopris Therapy. “And it will be a good community event that builds on something that's already a legacy. What fits Carbondale better than cowboys?”
Meanwhile, the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo series continues for its seventh season on Thursday nights through Aug. 20. Slack is at 6:30 p.m., and grand entry is at 7:30 p.m., at the Gus Darien Arena. Admission is $8 per person (children under 10 free), or $25 for a carload up to six people.
