BIG SPRING, Texas – There are certain things about west Texas that will likely always be part of its lore.
The climate is dry, the terrain rugged. It takes a resilient soul to toil in it. It’s where the West was initially developed, the former Mexican Territory. From here, settlers expanded beyond and found their way to the shores of the Pacific. Those that stayed understood the challenges and the benefits before them.
They knew the importance of being hospitable, being there for neighbors and friends while caring for one another. Friends were like family, even if there were miles and time between visits. That mindset helped develop events like the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, now celebrating its 91st year.
The tradition continues with this year’s rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19-Saturday, June 21, at the Surge Energy Rodeo Bowl. Like the generations before them, organizers have placed a premium on being great hosts to their visitors. In this case, it will be the hundreds of contestants who make their way to Howard County for the three-day event.
“I think hospitality is very important, but it’s still a little new to us to some degree,” said Scot Herrin, the rodeo committee’s secretary and the man who leads the charge for the hospitality area. “This will be our fourth year doing it, and I think we get better and better every year. The feedback we’re getting is awesome.”
The redirection to creating a specific center came about while Herrin was working in the arena. He’d visit with contestants, who were asking if the rodeo committee offered hospitality, a place where contestants and personnel could congregate for a meal and fellowship. That sparked the idea to create the program.
“I always wanted to have it, and when we started it, we reached out to some businesspeople in the area to see if they would donate their time and expense cooking for our hospitality area,” Herrin said. “They jumped in. Not only have they done it, but they’ve done a good job. The fellowship they have with the contestants as they come through is priceless, too. They just love what they’re doing.”
Local businesses have stepped up in a big way to support the rodeo and the people that make it happen. The hospitality area for Thursday night’s performance will be presented by H&P Energy Services, while the Friday morning slack will be served by Iron Equipment Rentals. On Friday night, Endurance Lift Solutions will support the hospitality area, while R.C. Specialties will handle the load Saturday.
“Those businesses donate their time, donate their food, and it’s always something really, really good,” Herrin said. “It’s not just sandwiches. We try to start a couple of hours before the (performances), and we’ll really go after the performances. The bull riders are the last event, so they’ll come in and enjoy a meal. I sat down with (bull rider) Dustin Boquet last year while he was eating. It wasn’t his best night, but he was enjoying the food and said, ‘You bet, I’ll be back.’
“I think having a good hospitality makes a difference.”
That type of dedication has been noticed. Contestants travel great distances in order to compete. A five-hour drive from Big Spring to El Paso is nothing the men and women who rope and ride for a living. Howard County is also an easy stop for a shot at big cash as contestants from across the Lone Star State make their way to outposts like Reno, Nevada, which begins the same day but continues for another week after Big Spring’s rodeo concludes.
Being able to enjoy a home-cooked meal served by smiling faces is always nice, especially for cowgirls and cowboys who stare at highway pavement most of the time and compete for a spare few seconds when it’s time to make a ride or a run. Many contestants also love the history that comes with competing inside the rodeo bowl, which was built 75 years ago.
“It’s a very neat setting,” said steer wrestler Gary Gilbert, a South Dakota cowboy who attended West Texas A&M in Canyon before settling in Paradise, Texas. “Big Spring has a great rodeo committee, and they have great hospitality.
“I haven’t really used it a lot, but it’s nice to know they have breakfast for slack or still have dinner after the performance. I’m one of those guys that doesn’t like to eat before I bulldog, so it’s nice to get something after a performance at places like that where it’s still available. It sure makes it nice when we’re getting ready to head out again.”
Volunteers are pulling out all the stops. Shuttles are available to help contestants maneuver between their homes away from home – elaborate rigs outfitted with horse trailers that feature living quarters – to handle business and grab a bite to eat.
“We’ve just got good members of the committee,” Herrin said. “They saw a need, and it takes a little while to get from the contestant parking to the secretary’s office. Some of the members had buggies and realized they could give you a ride. That went over really well.
“This year we’re going to try to have even more buggies and try to be more hospitable.”
Just like their predecessors did nearly a century ago, organizers of the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo are always looking for ways to make the event better while being perfect hosts to the visitors that are so vital to the community.