Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo
A new addition has been built at the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo arena in Abilene, Kansas.
Elevated seating, called the Lumber House Loft, has been constructed above the roping chutes at the north end of the arena.
Standing twelve feet high, the structure measures 20 feet wide by 75 feet long.
They have been made into five “boxes,” or suites, each 15x16 feet, in which fifteen people can sit to watch the rodeo.
They will be sold for seating, said DeLynn Farson, committee treasurer.
Matt Engle of Lumber House, Inc., has provided the labor, equipment and materials for building the boxes.
They are fully covered, he said, and are made of steel with metal end walls and roof.
Partition walls made of six-foot cedar pickets allow the air to flow between the boxes but give some privacy.
The face of the boxes has a three-foot cedar picket fence overlooking the arena.
They’re the best place to sit in the grandstand, Engle thinks.
“It’s the best view in the entire house,” he said. “It’s the only spot in the entire stadium that will be one hundred percent shaded all day long, with good air flow.”
He also noted that fans in the boxes can look down and see what’s happening with the ropers, steer wrestlers and barrel racers.
“You’re right over the top,” Engle said. “You get to see the barrel racers fly underneath you, and you get to see people’s faces as they come back. I think it’s going to be a neat experience, and a comfortable one, too.”
Engle, owner of the Lumber House True Value, has been a loyal rodeo sponsor since the early 2000s.
He was a PRCA bareback rider and bull rider for several years in the late 1990s and loved the sport.
Now he gives back to the sport he enjoyed so much.
“I love rodeo, and I love everything about it,” he said. “I wanted to be able to invest in something in my community that would have a lasting impression.
“We all give in different ways, and this was something I wanted to give to.”
Nick Weibert was a big part of the labor, Engle said, amongst other people.
The Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo kicks off July 30 and runs through August 2, with nightly shows at 7:30 pm.
The rodeo is held in conjunction with the Central Kansas Free Fair.
Tickets are $12 for adults in advance and $15 at the gate. Children’s tickets (ages 4-10) are $8.
Tickets can be purchased online at WildBillHickokRodeo.com, at West’s Country Mart and other area retailers, and at the gate.
For more information, visit the website or the rodeo’s Facebook page.