GUYMON, Okla. – Dusty Myers was born to do this.
A second-generation rodeo clown from Jumpertown, Mississippi, Myers has had a lifelong passion for the sport. His years of experience will be on display as he works the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5.
“For as long as I can remember, this is what I’ve done,” he said. “From a small child, I have loved being in the trailer and on the road. I love going to new places. It’s exciting for me to go to new rodeos, so when I book some new places each year, it is very exciting.”
That’s certainly the case for him this year. He will embark on an adventure to be part of one of the greatest rodeos in the PRCA. Guymon’s marquee event has been named the PRCA’s rodeo of the year and is coming off another nomination for the award in 2023. Nine years ago, Pioneer Days Rodeo was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
Why?
Because the biggest names in the sport make their way to the Oklahoma Panhandle each spring. The slogan “Where the Champions Come to Play the First Weekend in May” is true in all aspects of the business. Inside Hitch Arena, Myers will work with announcers Andy Stewart and Ken Stonecipher. Stewart has been nominated multiple times for announcer of the year and has worked the National Finals Rodeo. Myers will also be part of the production team headed by Frontier Rodeo Co., the reigning nine-time PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year.
“I’ve always heard great things about Guymon, because all the top contestants come there,” said Myers, who has been nominated for Clown of the Year and Comedy Act of the Year and also has been a finalist to be the NFR’s barrelman. “It’s also a big treat for me because I get to work alongside Andy Stewart. Andy and I have worked together a lot, and we’re really good friends.”
That comradery will come in handy during the four performances of rodeo in the region once known as “No Man’s Land.” The folks in that part of the country understand the sport and live among the rugged terrain that defines the Panhandle. Myers brings a rustic approach to his style of entertaining.
“I call myself a traditionalist,” he said. “I’m really an old-school rodeo clown. I still wear the makeup and the baggy clothes. I still do big-prop acts, and I want to mix it with the dancing, getting up in the crowd and bringing out the laughter. I’m kind of a mixture between what we call an old-school clown and what they call an entertainer.”
He’s been doing it a long time and has quite the pedigree. Though he’s in just his sixth year in ProRodeo, Myers is accomplished. He was the NFR alternate in 2020 and is a nine-time IPRA Clown of the Year. He’s been selected to work the International Finals Rodeo 10 times and hosts a great body of honors in regional associations.
He also has had some incredible role models, like Mississippi men Lecile Harris and Rudy Burns.
“I grew up watching those two gentlemen, and that’s all I ever wanted to do,” Myers said. “Lecile Harris is the reason I’m a rodeo clown.”
For many years, Harris was the epitome of a rodeo entertainer. He was so good, he was cast in TV shows and, in 2007, he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. With that as a guiding light, Myers had a path to follow. He also was influenced by his own father, Cary, who served as a bull rider, a bullfighter and a rodeo clown.
“Back in the ’60s and ’70s when he was doing it, all clowns were bullfighters,” Myers said of his dad. “He was more of a regional cowboy and stayed in the Southeast. He didn’t get out as much as I do, but, yeah, I grew up around rodeo. He said he retired when I was born, but we always stayed in touch with the rodeos.”
He’s in tune with it more now than ever. He will make sure to have several acts with him when he arrives in Guymon for the first weekend in May. Most importantly, though, he’s excited to engage with the big crowds that pack into the storied stadium.
“I tell a lot of jokes, and I like to do a lot of stuff with the crowd,” Myers said. “I try to do a lot of my own material so that it’s new and not something they see all the time. I’ve studied the guys that did that really well, so I enjoy bringing that into my own work.”
Clowning greats like Harris, Barnes, Keith Isley, Quail Dobbs and Leon Coffee have all made an impact on what Myers does and says in the arena, but much of what happens comes with the keen understanding that he’s just part of a family-friendly show that includes big-time athletes and fierce competition.
“I’m excited to be there and help bring smiles to everybody’s faces,” Myers said.
That’s what’s enticing for the event’s organizers. The volunteer committee that produces the annual showcase works hard to provide the best rodeo action and entertainment possible.
“When you bring in someone like Dusty to be your clown and your barrelman, you’re bringing in someone who is professional and understands what works in rodeo,” said Stonecipher, who also is the organization’s chairman. “Dusty is funny, and he has a lifetime of experiences in rodeo that I think people in Guymon are really going to enjoy. Add that to his relationship with Andy, and we have a winning combination.”