BIG SPRING, Texas – Over the past few years, organizers of this community’s annual rodeo have done things to make it a better experience for everyone involved.

They want contestants to choose to be town for the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19-Saturday, June 21, at the Surge Energy Rodeo Bowl. From increasing the local dollars invested in the purse to creating a great hospitality area, there are plenty of incentives for more cowboys and cowgirls to make their way to Howard County.

The more contestants, the better the rodeo. The better the rodeo, the better experience for fans and sponsors alike. Nothing happens without community effort, and members of the volunteer committee that set up the annual event are continually making the necessary updates.

“We’re doing things we need to do to draw the cowboys and cowgirls to town,” said Zach Herrin, a key volunteer in the organization. “I think a lot of us realize that this is a special event to our area, and we want to make it the best it can be. The first thing is we need to make it a great competition in each event. By having that, we can continue to build our attendance, which will help sponsors understand their investment in our rodeo is worth it.”

It’s all about providing the right incentives. Full-time rodeo contestants battle for big bucks across North America, so dollars are valuable at every stop. The purse is just one stimulus; there are others, and that’s where committee members are stepping up in another way for this year’s event.

“To my knowledge, we’ve never given buckles to our winners, so this is just another thing we’re trying to do,” said Scot Herrin, Zach’s dad and a longtime member of the organization. “We’re just trying to do as many things as possible to make it the best rodeo we can for our size.

“Zach was the main driver on this, because he went to college to rodeo and is a really good team roper. He knows a lot of the professionals. He went to school with them and ran with them. Giving buckles away is just another perk that we can do, and it’s not just any buckle; these are really nice.”

Rodeo is unique in that there are no guaranteed salaries. Only the upper-echelon of competitors at each stop collect money, and the contestants must pay a fee in order to compete. Add in the cost of traveling across the country, and every penny earned is vital. With rodeo, dollars equal championship points, so money won counts toward the world standings. Only the top 15 on the money list in each event at the end of the regular season advance to the National Finals Rodeo.

But there’s also a bit of pride that goes into the competition. Anything extra a rodeo can offer provides a greater incentive to cowboys and cowgirls. Long after the money’s been spent, the championship buckles will shine, whether they’re worn or stand in a trophy case.

“I know how big of a deal it is to win a buckle,” Zach Herrin said. “I think this is a great way to give something special to our winners in Big Spring.”