Estes Park’s rodeo ups its financial incentive to improve its payout
ESTES PARK, Colo. – If the majestic Rocky Mountains weren’t enough to entice cowboys and cowgirls to this vibrant community, the Town of Estes Park is adding more incentives.
“We’ve opted to make an overall increase to our local investment into our portion of the purse to $10,000 per event,” said Cindy Schonholtz, the Rooftop Rodeo coordinator. “We understand the contestants are out here fighting to make a living, and this is just another way we can step up on our end of things.
“Our goal is to produce an event that is true entertainment for our fans, but this is also a competition and important stop for the contestants. We want them to come to Estes Park and be part of that competition, and increasing our ‘added money’ is just another way we can do that.”
The term “added money” reflects on the sponsorship dollars that are put into the pot, which is then mixed with the contestants’ entry fees to come up with the overall purse. Last year’s local investment was $69,000; this year’s is $90,000.
All that will be dished out during this year’s Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Saturday, July 5-Thursday, July 10, at Granny May Arena inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds.
“I’ve been going to Estes Park for about 10 years, and the committee has always been great to the contestants and to the contestants’ families,” said Kodie Jang, a steer wrestler from Townsville, Queensland, Australia. “They take care of everyone. They keep upping the added money, which is always a bonus. I’ll always support a rodeo that increases the added money.”
Cowboys and cowgirls have long recognized the community for how it supports the rodeo and how the contestants are treated.
“The hospitality at that rodeo is always fantastic,” said Jett Hillman, a team roping heeler originally from Sterling, Colorado, that won the intercollegiate title while attending Northeastern Junior College in his hometown. “Everybody’s always friendly. There are always stalls for your horses, and you can never park in the wrong place. They cook for us every day.
“The only thing for me is that I can’t think of anything to do to repay them for everything they do for us. It’s a special rodeo.”
The increased money is just another incentive for the cowboys and cowgirls to make sure Estes Park is on their schedules during the summer run.
“It’s actually going to make it tougher to win there, because they’ll have a lot more guys,” said Jang, the 2024 Rooftop Rodeo bulldogging champion who also won the title at the Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo in October at Loveland, Colorado. “It’s going to pay out so much more. I bet with all the entries, it’ll pay out almost twice as much as it was before.
“Even if you just win a check in a go-round, it’s going to help tremendously, whether you send the money home to pay bills or continue your ventures out on the rodeo trail. If you place in both rounds and the average, man, you’re going to have a pile of money. That’s always important.”
Gates for Rooftop Rodeo open at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 5-Thursday, July 10, with the preshow beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the rodeo beginning at 7 p.m. For more information about Rooftop Rodeo, which is a Town of Estes Park signature event, or to order tickets online, log on to www.RooftopRodeo.com. Other ticket inquiries may be made by contacting the Town of Estes Park Events office at events@estes.org or (970) 586-6104.