We just concluded another rodeo week this past week, but without the rodeo itself. It was a bit awkward. The Horsemen’s Association and the Rodeo Committee have had low grade grievances going on with each other for years that boiled over into litigation that led to the parting of the ways, a new home for the rodeo, a Solomon like splitting of property from the old rodeo grounds, bad feelings all around and no rodeo competition this year.
What to do? The Rodeo Committee was in a quandary. They didn’t have the time or the manpower to move the bleachers and other equipment/buildings granted to them by the court from the Horsemen’s Arena to the new rodeo grounds site near the Pepsi Soccer Complex for a July rodeo – not by the time the court had everything decided, said and done. Should they just bag everything for a year, like a Covid type of situation, or try to salvage something of the spirit and good times of the rodeo? The Rodeo Committee opted for the latter course of action.
The kickoff to the rodeo on Tuesday was disappointing. The Rodeo Committee was there with bells on, great food (and a lot of it), and the beer truck. The Municipal Band was in fine form and sounded wonderful. I especially enjoyed the Western series theme music (Magnificent Seven, The Lone Ranger etc.). However, the weather didn’t cooperate, and rain dampened attendance and the frivolity.
The parade was nice, a little smaller than previous years since many of the equestrian entries were absent due to the lack of an actual rodeo. Still, the kids had fun and those on Main Street were treated to enthusiastic entries of people doing what we do here in South Dakota in the face of adversity – grit our collective teeth, play the hand we’re dealt and make the best of things.
Those who participated in the chili cookoff, and the family fun days had a great time too. Some may scoff at the idea of a “Rodeo Week” without an actual rodeo but all in all, the Rodeo Committee made the best of a bad situation. They took the lemons that life gave them and turned them into lemonade.
I, for one, am grateful for those who carry on activities and traditions in this town that all of us take for granted. There were fantastic events and activities that have gone by the wayside because the original movers and shakers of those events died, moved on or got tired of running the whole show – so they quit, and those delightful happenings disappeared. Arts in the Park used to be a multi-day event in Hitchcock Park with craft fairs, free entertainment and food vendors. I still have and use a pair of summer lawn chairs that an elderly gentleman crafted with care and offered for sale at an Arts in the Park some thirty or so years ago. I also had the pleasure of his company and hearing his story. It was a time and an occasion for strolling, reflection, relaxation, retail and for pleasurable summer activity. That event doesn’t exist anymore and things that advertise themselves as “Arts in the Park” are a shadow of what the experience used to be.
The Tannenbaum Festival was held in the Masonic Hall around Christmas time. Various businesses would decorate or sponsor the decoration of Christmas trees. Christmas treats – fudge, cookies and the like – were available for purchase, along with seasonal beverages. There were gifts offered for sale, many at a price that a child could afford and have the pride of purchase for a loved one. Carols were sung, stories were told, poems were read, and instruments played all in a festive atmosphere amidst a dozen or so Christmas trees adorned in various ways and styles. It no longer exists either. The closest we come now is the Christmas tree display that Bonnie’s DeKor has around the holidays. It isn’t the same, but it is better than nothing.
When I first came to town, a big event was the Madrigal Feast. It was a banquet like King Henry the VIII would have put on. There were madrigal songs, renaissance tunes, people in period costume and a program. Daryl Patton was the Theater Professor and Director of Plays at Dakota Wesleyan then and the Master of the Feast. One year he was feeling poorly, and the organizers of the Madrigal Feast asked me to play his part. I was young, callow and not as talented as Daryl – plus I wasn’t nearly as confident, masterly or as an accomplished singer as he was – so I turned the opportunity down. With hindsight, I wish I had done it. The Madrigal is now ancient history as well.
Corn Palace Week, when I came to town in 1982, stretched from 12th to 1st up and down Main Street. The festival ran for ten days over two weekends. Corn Palace shows then were one entertainer doing multiple shows over several days. I saw Red Skeleton in 1982 and he sold out the Corn Palace for every show. There was one weekend of a Polka Fest along with an all community church service in the Corn Palace. The displays from 7th to 12th were agriculture related for the most part. When Dakota Fest got rolling, that portion of the festival went away. Eventually, no one entertainer could fill the Corn Palace for multiple shows anymore and even if they could, entertainers weren’t willing to spend that many days in Mitchell – not for the money we were offering anyway. So, the types of entertainment changed. Carnival rides got harder to book for ten days, and the festival got shorter. The Polka Fest portion of the festival was dropped because of the declining numbers of participants. Due to several factors, the Corn Palace shows are now in danger of disappearing altogether. For example, the Pentagon in Sioux Falls has taken away our ability to lure big names to Mitchell. We used to get entertainers who were in Minneapolis for a show and who were enroute to Denver. They would stop in Mitchell to break up their journey and to add a little bonus revenue to their concert tour. However, now that there is the Pentagon our puny budget and limited seating can’t bring in the top flight names it used to. Those who once would agree to come to the Corn Palace currently go to the Pentagon with their additional seating capacity or the State Fair with its larger entertainment budget to perform instead.
I’m concerned about the future of Corn Palace Week and worry that it may be the next thing to slowly peter out. The Rodeo Committee this year demonstrated a continued commitment to the sport, the community and to their cause. I applaud them for living up to the creed of President Theodore Roosevelt. He said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” The Rodeo Committee certainly did that and for that, I thank them. I’m looking forward to Rodeo Week 2024 when all will be back to normal. YEE HAW!