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    Northern Arapaho Tour Rodeo now second-largest in Wyoming, organizer says; event is June 9-11 this year

    Local organizers are getting ready for this year’s Northern Arapaho Tour Rodeo, which is scheduled to take place June 9-11 at the Fremont County Fairgrounds in Riverton.

    The Indian National Finals Rodeo qualifying event has grown to become the second-largest rodeo in Wyoming based on the number of contestants who participate and the fourth-largest based on payout, organizer Alan Sinner told the Riverton City Council on Tuesday.

    “We pay out over $120,000 in prize money, (and) we have over 600 people who show up … from 37 different states, five Canadian provinces and Mexico,” Sinner said. “We have no problem filling up with bull riders and bareback riders and saddle bronc riders.

    “And the cool thing is … about one-quarter of the National Finals Rodeo are members of the Indian tour rodeo, and so we get a lot of the top-15 hands down here.”

    NATR contestants tend to bring their families along for the trip and stay in the area for several days, Sinner added, making it the “busiest week of (the) summer” for many local businesses – 50 of which are event sponsors.

    “That’s why I just wanted to come and give you a heads up what’s going on,” Sinner said.

    He also received permission from the council to hang flags downtown in preparation for the rodeo.

    ‘Get the word out’

    Councilmember Kristy Salisbury said she attended the NATR last year, and it was “so much fun.”

    “Plus, the grand entry was wild,” Salisbury said. “I can’t believe the stands were not packed. … We really need to get the word out.”

    Sinner agreed that “it’s been a struggle” to attract local residents to the rodeo, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.

    The year before that, he recalled, “we had the stands pretty much full,” but now he estimated “we get them about three-quarters full.”

    “Hopefully it will keep growing,” Sinner said.

    h/t Northern Arapaho Tour Rodeo
    h/t Northern Arapaho Tour Rodeo
    h/t Northern Arapaho Tour Rodeo

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