Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo
ABILENE - Several new faces will make an appearance at this year’s Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo in Abilene.
Cody Emerson will join Colt Carlisle as one of the bullfighters at this year’s rodeo. Miss Rodeo America Callie Mueller will be on hand, as will Miss Rodeo Kansas State University Madeline Meyer, and rodeo clown Allan Dessel will make his first trip to the rodeo.
Cody Emerson, Marble Falls, Texas will join Carlisle during the bull riding. The Arkansas native has been a professional bullfighter since 2013 and works both PRCA and PBR events. He loves working rodeos with Sammy Andrews’ bulls. “They’re all going to buck,” he said. “When Sammy brings them to town, they’re the real deal.”
He is married to Sierra; the couple raises Spanish goats.
One of the traditions at the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo is having Miss Rodeo America at the event, and this year is no different.
Callie Mueller, the former Miss Rodeo South Dakota, will be in town for rodeo week.
A resident of Florence, S.D., she was crowned with the national title in December 2024.
She grew up competing in 4-H and FFA and graduated from Dakota State University (Madison, S.D.) in 2023 with a double major in elementary education and special education and a double minor in K-12 reading and K-12 technology.
She travels with her Pomeranian dog Zooey, whose nickname is “the rodeo queen puppy.”
If one rodeo queen is good, two is better.
Miss Rodeo K-State Madeline Meyer will join Miss Rodeo America in Abilene.
A native of Ellensburg, Wash., she will be a senior at Kansas State University this fall, majoring in pre-veterinary animal sciences with a certification in equine sciences. She hopes to attend veterinary school and receive her doctorate.
She loves K-State. “I’ve found a true community there,” she said. “I have a lot of amazing friends. Time spent with friends is time well-spent.” Her dad, Paul Meyer, is a K-State alumnus.
As for the laughs at the rodeo, it’ll be a tax preparer making the jokes.
Allan Dessel, Cherokee, Iowa, will be “clowning around.”
He owns a tax preparation business that keeps him busy in the winter, but in the summer, he makes time to rodeo.
Being a number cruncher and a rodeo clown may seem an odd juxtaposition, but the career choices complement each other.
“For me, it’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” he said. In the office, “you have to deal with the IRS and remember guidelines and rules, and there’s a lot of stress in that. When people owe taxes, they’re mad at you like it’s your fault.
“But at the rodeo it’s two hours where you can let it all go. I have a good time, and if I have a good time, the fans will relax and have a good time.”
Dessel and his wife Mandy have four children, ages 3-12. They often travel with him in the summers.
Other contract personnel include announcer Scott Grover, Camden Point, Mo., and Sammy Andrews, along with his wife Jacel and son James, of Andrews Rodeo Co., Bagwell, Texas.
Holm Automotive in Abilene will host an autograph signing with rodeo personnel on July 31 from 10:30 am -12 noon. It is free and open to the public. The queens will sign autographs at the Abilene Public Library July 29 at 9:30 am.
The Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo is July 29-August 1, with performances at 7:30 pm each night. Tickets are $12 for adults in advance and $15 at the gate. Children’s tickets, ages 4-10, are $8.
Tickets are available online at WildBillHickokRodeo.com, at West’s Country Mart, Lumber House, Pioneer Farm and Supply, and at the gate.
For more information, visit: WildBillHickokRodeo.com