The Carbondale Wild West Rodeo is always a great family outing. You can bring your picnic meal and enjoy it in the picnic pavillion, graciously donated by the Turnbull family in 2017. Or if you need a break from cooking there are wonderful bbq concessions. From the kids hot dogs at the Slow Groovin BBQ and new in 2021 sister restaurant in Redstone, Propaganda Pie offered Detroit style cheese or pepperoni pizza, (*Don’t worry there’s mouth watering barbecue for the adults too!), to the popcorn skillfully popped and hawked through out the stands and arena side parking by Black Sheep 4-H Club and Roaring Fork High School Volleyball, to the snocones artfully created by Senior Matters; kids and kids at heart can find something to soothe their grumbly tummies. Don’t worry adults are allowed snocones too!! It isn’t a true rodeo in the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo fashion unless you leave with a rainbow, cherry or blue raspberry colored tongue and mouth. Senior Matters offers nachos and baked goods too!

Kids snacks and munchies will provide the needed extra energy as they participate in the Calf Scramble and Mutton Bustin’. There are requirements to participate in the Calf Scramble and Mutton Bustin’ and they are listed below. Time to Ride TBA, featuring horseback rides from our friends and sponsors at Alpine Equine Hospital. The Independence Day/4th of July celebrations at the rodeo will be JUNE 30TH. Tough Enough to Wear Pink night is JULY 14. Hawaiian Night is AUGUST 11TH. Finals night at the rodeo is AUGUST 18TH.

Hawaiian Night on AUGUST 11TH is a great time for kids and adults alike to don the grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts and watch our cowboys, cowgirls and horses rock their Hawaiian attire. Our full schedule isn’t set yet, but we offer specialty acts at several of the rodeos. We will be updating this as soon as these are confirmed. Check back often.

You can also bring your picnic basket and barbecue grill. There are parking spaces against the arena fence and we see many birthdays and family reunions held at the rodeo. If you want to park along the arena fence you need to bring a vehicle and park early Thursday mornings starting at 6:00 a.m. The spaces fill up quite often before mid-afternoon. It is first come first serve and there is an extra $30 charge. There are envelopes at the yellow box located on the white building at the east end of the arena. Fill out your license plate number and place your money in the envelope and drop in the box.

Kids Calf Scramble starts with participants performing warm-up exercises before the race is on. Arena push ups are just the beginning. Not for those afraid to get dirty! Watch as kids 3-10 years old chase a group of calves around the arena to snatch ribbons from their tails! Kids must snatch the ribbons from the calves tail and return to the finish line in the fastest three times. Pre-registration by phone is not required, but parents or guardians must sign a release form starting at 5:30 and kids are given a wristband. Only kids with wristbands are allowed to enter the arena and participate. So don’t disappoint the kids and get to the secretary shed between 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Depending on how fast the rodeo is running it might be best to not wait til the last minute to get signed up.

Calf Scramble Rules

• Children must be 3-10 years old.
• No parents will be allowed to enter the arena.
• Sign-up will start at 5:30pm and end at 8:00pm at the rodeo secretary shed/registration booth.
• The parents of children that are signing up must be present when registering.
• All parents must sign the Entry Application and Release Form along with the Consent of Parent or Legal Guardian.
• Only children that have been given a wristband at the registration booth will be allowed to enter the arena.

In this rodeo event lil’ buckaroos get a turn in the spotlight as they grab wool and ride a sheep! Cheer them on as they try to hang on for as long as they can! Helmets and vests provided.

Mutton Bustin’ Rules– IMPORTANT UPDATE — Effective June 27, 2019, see *** below:

• Children MUST be ***older than 3 years of age and under 50 pounds.
• Change July 29, 2021 — Due to the high demand for kiddos to participate in Mutton Bustin’, it will now be a First Come First Entered by making your way to the Secretary Shed at the rodeo on rodeo night beginning at 5. There is a limit to participants each rodeo night. Please do not call in any longer as the phones are so busy with the other events. We hope this will make it more accommodating for more of our eager kiddos to get to participate.
• Mutton busters will not be allowed to ride on consecutive weeks unless we do not have enough participants signed up.
• Only the first ten plus three alternates will be allowed to participate each week.
• All parents must sign the Entry Application and Release Form along with the Consent of Parent or Legal Guardian.