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By Mike Gervais
Register Staff
6-23-2009 Bishop loves the California High School Rodeo Finals, and the California High School Rodeo Finals loves Bishop.
The California High School Rodeo Association has shown its love by once again choosing to award the small town a two-year contract for the lucrative annual event.
The CHSRA issues a request for proposals every two years for the rodeo finals, awarding two-year contracts. The Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce and the Eastern Sierra Tri-County Fairgrounds have teamed up to bid on the rodeo since 2005, and have yet to be turned down.
According to Fairgrounds Executive Director Jim Tatum, Bishop has competed against the Northern California city of Red Bluff (population 13,000) every bid cycle and this year, Red Bluff came up with a much more financially lucrative offer, but Bishop’s charm, its residents, businesses and facilities proved just too good to turn down.
When a city bids on the rodeo finals contract, it is required to propose a price for facilities, such as the Mike Boothe Memorial Arena, and discuss what the community offers to participants and their families.
The Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce has traditionally hosted an opening night supper for contestants, and offered complimentary goody bags full of donations from local merchants.
“We were significantly out-bid by Red Bluff, they came back with a lot more money than we did,” Tatum said. “It’s a huge testament to our community that (the CHSRA) decided to come back here despite that. My understanding is that the difference between their bid and ours amounts to about $4,000 or $5,000.”
Tatum said that the CHSRA’s decision to come back to Bishop in 2010 and 2011 has everything to do with the community itself, from residents to businesses, who welcome contestants and spectators with open arms every year.
“They chose Bishop again because of the safety of our community and the welcome they receive from residents and because of our facility’s proximity to town so the contestants can ride their bikes in town,” Tatum said.
“It’s the folks in the community and it’s the hospitality – it’s Jimmy Tatum and our fairgrounds, he busts his butt to have such a beautiful facility – it’s the proximity to town, it’s just a wonderful event to have in town,” said Chuck Kilpatrick, a volunteer with the Chamber of Commerce who has helped organize the opening night supper and queen’s luncheon for the rodeo for several years.
This year, Kilpatrick helped organize a new event for the rodeo royalty, the Queen’s Tea, held at the Joseph House Inn in Bishop and catered by Schat’s Bakkery and other community sponsors.
“All the girls expressed how appreciative they were to be coming back to Bishop next year,” Kilpatrick said.
It’s not just the rodeo contestants who benefit from the state finals; the City of Bishop also sees an increase in visitors, advertising and revenue.
“We’re delighted to have the rodeo coming back into town because it’s a huge boon to our community and these kids are just fantastic,” said Kilpatrick.
The rodeo finals bring more than 300 contestants who bring with them friends, family and fans.
“It brings a large number of people to the area for an extended period of time,” Tatum said. “It’s a big influx in revenue for the community. It’s really a good deal. There’s probably in the neighborhood of 1,500 to 2,000 people here for a week or more between the contestants and their families.”
In addition to the visitors Bishop sees during the week of the rodeo, Tatum said the event showcases what Bishop has to offer and gives many contestants and their families a preview of the activities available in the Eastern Sierra.
“What we found is that we had a significant number of people here that had never been here and subsequently came back at another time of the year,” Tatum said. “And it’s great, because the contestants change because they’re kids” in their junior or senior year of school. When a contestant graduates, they are replaced by a younger contestant who brings his or her own family, friends and fans to Bishop the following year.
And don’t forget the rodeo itself. Though Bishop offers a slew of recreational opportunities in close proximity to the rodeo finals, and the contestants bring a much needed boost to the local economy, there is also much to be said of the young cowboys and cowgirls who compete each year.
“These kids can get it done,” Tatum said. “It’s a quality rodeo with quality contestants. This year we had some incredible times on the timed events.”
Tatum added that the rodeo is well organized with each of California’s nine districts taking on management and organization of one or two of the 13 events.
“It’s just an incredible event,” Tatum said.
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