The production team was shooting footage for a feature picture, “Running Wild”, staring Phillips County locals. According to the Phillips County Review, Septemissue, “Groom has combed the hills of Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado for wild broncos, cattle and mules and has succeeded in gathering the best herd of rodeo stock this side of Cheyenne.” And, remarkably, a motion picture production team was also engaged to take photographs of the rodeo action and celebration as well as shoot moving film footage of the event. Jay Groom, who was recorded as being a well-known figure throughout Western Kansas, was appointed arena director. Stryker who also was affiliated with the nation’s largest rodeos including Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Accommodating a total of 3,600, new bleacher seats were constructed at Morse Park. The rodeo was set to represent the feature for the remaining three days. The feature attractions planned for the first day were the Isis Temple Shrine Band from Salina, regional town ball teams facing off against each other and the pavement dance. A picture in a 1952 Phillips County Review historic publication states that the first rodeo parade was actually held in 1930.
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However, reports conflict regarding what was actually considered the “first” rodeo parade. A $5.00 payment was given to anyone who rode a horse or drove and “old-time” rig into the parade. Buchner was the contact person for the parade and requested all and any “old-time conveyance” to participate. The first “rodeo” parade was planned for that Thursday, September 19th at noon “to include all available riding horses and riders possible.” Dr. 21, and the final performance of the rodeo will be staged that day as the last big feature.”
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As the preparations continued and interest grew, the September 12th copy of the Phillips County Review reported, “The Fall festival has been enlarged to include Saturday Sept. This event was billed as “the biggest celebration that Phillips County has ever planned”. Touting attractions such as baseball games, a Shrine Band and “chanters”, the Tri-City Band, a carnival company with rides, concessions, a pavement dance, airplane stunts and, yes, a rodeo. In 1929, Phillips County began plans for a big Fall Festival which was to be held over a three-day period, September 18-20. Young Glen thought he might get a ride, but if he didn’t the rodeo had been worth the long walk–even if it took him until midnight. He was, as reported in the Augissue of the Phillips County Review, seen around five, that evening, heading home. Glen started out early in the morning and walked to the rodeo.
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His folks were busy in the fields that morning and were not a position they could just, as we do these days, run their son into the neighboring town. He wanted to see the rodeo a good 30 miles away in Phillipsburg.
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But, that certainly didn’t stop young Glen Lambson of Alma, Nebraska. The ground was dry, the summers often hot. In 1930 Phillips County, the rodeo was assuming an important place in the program lineup of the much celebrated Fall Festival. The very thought of seeing real trick riders in action, ropers, bronco busters and bull doggers are the things of which dreams are made. To a twelve-year-old boy, the excitement of attending a rodeo is often more than a young man bear. This original story first appeared in edited form in a 2009 edition of the Phillips County Review The Story of the First Phillips County Rodeo ( boy, Bull, Cheyenne, cowboy, Goodland, Kansas, Kansas Biggest Rodeo, Kansas City, parade, Phillips County, Phillipsburg, Pony Express, Railroad, Rock Island, Rocky Mountains, Rodeo, Sam Garrett, trick roper, Wyoming) The Story of the First Phillips County Rodeo