Halstead eager to entertain enthusiastic crowds that energize rodeo
GOODING, Idaho – The first time Dennis Halstead arrived in Gooding County, he quickly realized there was something magical with the community’s marquee event.
His second venture five years ago solidified it. There’s just something special about the community tucked in southern Idaho just a few miles from the Snake River, about the people and about the Gooding Pro Rodeo presented by Idaho Ford Dealers, set for Thursday, Aug. 14-Saturday, Aug. 16, with a special “Beauty and the Beast” performance set for Wednesday, Aug. 13. All performances take place at 8 p.m. at Andy James Arena.
“Every rodeo has its uniqueness, but there’s something about Gooding that is so unique,” said Halstead, a rodeo clown and entertainer from De Witton, Alberta. “It is definitely one of the top PRCA rodeos, and the crowd is so unique; that crowd can enthuse just about anybody.”
Anyone who has ever been to the spectacle at the Gooding County Fairgrounds surely understands that. From the “Beer Worthy” section to the wild antics across the stadium, contestants arrive in this hamlet of nearly 4,000 souls as much for the audience’s rowdiness as they do for the opportunity to battle for big money.
“If you work in the entertainment business like I do, it’s special to be able to work with crowds that are so energetic and fun,” said Halstead, a 65-year-old comedian who has been named the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association’s Entertainer of the Year 10 times. “I like doing stuff with the crowds like that, and, in Gooding, you have the ‘Beer Worthy’ section, which adds a whole different element to their show.”
A man with credentials like that is the perfect fit for the environment at the Gooding Pro Rodeo. He’s been at this game for more than 30 years and brings a diversified background to the game. Like a lot of Canadians, he played hockey through his youth – and did so at a high level, just short of competing professionally – then became a first responder with the Calgary Fire Department.
He also dabbled in rodeo. Originally from Okotoks, Alberta – a town of 33,000 people south of Calgary – it came naturally. While still fighting fires and saving lives, he traded shifts so he could compete on weekends.
“I was a calf roper, but I wasn’t very good at it, so all I was just doing was paying my entry fees,” he said. “The fire department had a charity rodeo for kids, and I just happened to be at the meeting a week before the rodeo. They needed a clown and a bullfighter because their guy backed out, and I said I’d do it.
“After that, this guy came up to me and wanted to hire me, and then it just kept going. I decided to advertise, and I never looked back. I’ve been very lucky. I’ve been honored as the Canadian Entertainer of the Year, and I’ve been to the Canadian Finals (Rodeo) six times.”
He doesn’t need to advertise anymore, because rodeo organizers across North America – and around the world – just keep hiring him.
“I thought I was going to be a professional hockey player, and I turned out to be a professional rodeo clown,” Halstead said with a laugh.
His wit comes naturally, and he’s taken it to a new level. Nobody earns that much praise without that gift, but Halstead has also worked for everything he’s received. He followed his passion into the firehouses of Calgary, then lit a blaze in rodeo as one of the most successful entertainers in Canada; he’s also built a reputation south of the 49th parallel.
“I’ve never looked at either of those things as a job,” he said. “There hasn’t been a day I didn’t enjoy going to work. I didn’t work a day in my life. I have enjoyed every day of it.”
So have rodeo fans who love his brand of entertainment.