This week folks in south-central Kansas will have the opportunity to experience a wonderful tradition: The Kansas Largest Night Rodeo.

It’s better known as the Pretty Prairie rodeo, and it’s nestled near bigger Kansas cities Wichita and Hutchinson. It’s a great event in small community, and I was blessed to be associated with it for more than a decade.

I covered the rodeo as a sportswriter with The Hutchinson News, then continued to return to the area every July for a number of years after I’d moved to Oklahoma in 1999 – I volunteered to be the event’s media person, helping promote and increase coverage of the rodeo every year.

Does that sound familiar? The work I did on my vacations is the foundation for my business, Rodeo Media Relations, and I still hold tight to those basics today.

It’s been four years since I’ve been to the Pretty Prairie rodeo. I had hoped to continue working the wonderful gem after I’d established Rodeo Media Relations and even offered to donate my time and talent in exchange for a little gas money to get me back and forth. Unfortunately, the committee didn’t like that idea, and I haven’t been back

But I miss my friends, and I miss a wonderful little event that remains a big part of what I do today.