LAWTON – Lawton’s annual PRCA rodeo brings a high level of revenue, fun and excitement to the city over a four-day period as fans watch some of the top cowboys in the nation.
The 84th annual rodeo hosted by the Lawton Rangers will be held Aug. 10-13.
Cowboys and out-of-towners spend their money on hotels, gasoline, food and recreation, creating additional sales tax dollars that benefit the city’s general revenue budget, which is a major plus during tough economic times.
“The economic impact to the community has multiple layers,” said Krista Ratliff, the executive director and president of the Lawton-Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce. “Not only does it bring in room nights, sales tax and support of our local businesses, but it is also another fantastic and fun thing to do in our community.”
Ratliff said chamber officials work daily to provide the community “fun things to do, but to also secure and bring in outside conferences and events as well.”
The PRCA event has continually been one of the city’s highlights for decades, Lawton Mayor Stan Booker said.
“The Lawton Rangers’ PRCA Rodeo has brought a robust economic impact to our community for many years, and put our city in the spotlight within the rodeo community,” he said. “The Rangers certainly deserve recognition for all they have done over the long and storied history of the rodeo.”
City Manager Michael Cleghorn said he and other city officials are always glad to welcome the PRCA event to the community.
“The Lawton Rangers Rodeo not only brings the top cowboys and cowgirls to the City, but it also attracts thousands of fans who stay in our hotels, dine at our restaurants, and shop our local stores. We’re proud to support the Lawton Rangers and are excited for people to see the positive changes happening in our city.”
Kelly New, president of the Lawton Rangers, said the annual event brings cowboys and rodeo fans from all parts of the United States and Canada, which means local businesses and the city benefit.
“These guys have got to fill up their trucks with that $5 diesel somewhere. They’ll also eat at restaurants and stay at hotels,” he said. “It brings in a lot of revenue to the city. It gives us a lot of notoriety in the nation. When COVID hit, we kept going (with the rodeo) and a lot of these guys (cowboys) kept coming and supported us.”
The rodeo has had near sellout crowds the last few years on Friday and Saturday nights, New said. He expects the same this year as fans cheer on the estimated 300 competitors.
Already entered in the rodeo are several top cowboys, including some current and former world champions. Some of the contestants are Shad Mayfield, current world champ in calf roping; Tyler Waguestack, former world champion in steer wrestling; Tuff Cooper, calf roping world champion; Will Lowe, former world champ in bareback riding; Coleman Proctor, fifth in the world overall standings and Paul David Tierney, who ranks eighth in the world overall standings. Proctor is from Pryor and Tierney makes Oklahoma City his home.
“We’ve got several of the top 15 in the world and we’ve got quite a few from the area who are entered,” New said.
Contestants hail from several states, including Florida, South Dakota, Tennessee, Iowa, Mississippi, North Dakota and Oklahoma. This rodeo has $10,000 added money per event, New said.
The event, which is the longest running rodeo in Oklahoma and one of the top 50 in the United States, serves as a fundraiser for the Lawton Rangers who distribute scholarships to area 4-H and FFA students.
“They will be people here from all over with groups coming from Washington state and Canada,” New said.
On Aug. 10, the ticket prices will be $5 per carload at the gate. Prices will be $5 per person at the gate on Aug. 11 and $15 on Aug. 12, which also serves as Military Night. Prices on the final night will be $20 per person at the gate. Children 6 and under will be admitted free. Prices for children 7-12 will be $7 Thursday through Saturday.
Entertainment is also on tap after the rodeo action Thursday through Saturday. A disc jockey will spin some tunes Thursday night while The Dayne Ledford Band will perform Friday and Saturday nights after the rodeo action has concluded.