The 78th annual Nyssa Nite Rodeo rides into town on June 14 and 15 at the Oregon Trail Arena on Beck Road in Nyssa.
The Rodeo Board, consisting of president Nick DeLeon, vice president Bill Hardin, treasurer Amber DeLeon, secretary Liz Hardin, 1st trustee Tara Rodriguez, 2nd trustee TJ Speelman, 3rd trustee James Wilfong, queen advisor Maddie Hewitt, queen committee Kiersten Hooten and Amber DeLeon, and board members Kim Speelman, Bob Speelman and Josh Hewitt, have been hard at work getting everything in place for a great rodeo.
The pre-rodeo events include Junior Barrels, Junior Breakaway, Junior Steers and the always-fun Mutton Bustin’, giving the rodeo stars of the future a chance to show their grit. The main events include all your favorites including Calgary-style wild cow milking.
New to the rodeo this year is entertainment by Donnie Landis, described as one of America’s top western entertaining rodeo clown and barrel men.
On June 11, the Rodeo Banquet will be held at Snake River Produce, 810 Idaho St. in Nyssa. The banquet starts at 6:30 p.m. and features a tri-tip dinner catered by Brian Wolfe. The cost is $20. The banquet is an opportunity to meet and greet this year’s Grand Marshal Marvin Seuell. Congratulations, Marvin! Queen contestants will be introduced along with 2024 Nyssa Nite Rodeo Queen Ava Hokland.
The banquet is also an opportunity to acknowledge the many sponsors; without them, the rodeo just wouldn’t happen.
Rodeo action starts on Friday, June 14, which has been designated “Pink Night.” Everyone’s encouraged to wear pink hats, shirts, pants and other pink bling. For each paid admission, $1 will be donated to St. Alphonsus Breast Cancer Center.
The pre-rodeo starts at 6:30 p.m., with the main event at 8 p.m.
Advance tickets, which save $1 per ticket, are available at Nyssa Mercantile. Tickets bought at the rodeo cost $8 for general admission, $6 for ages 6-12, and kids under age 5 get in free.
Come to the rodeo grounds early and visit the many vendors on site. There will be food and beverages as well as western wear and décor. Vendors include, Angelica’s Frutas y Mas, Castle Creek Pizza, 75 Custom Leather, Furtado Jewelry, Holy Ols, Lazy S Coffee, Rainyday Homemade, Scotty’s Hot dogs, The Soda Shed, Tacos Papiringo, Wild Kiger Designs, Z Low and Slow BBQ, Nyssa Wrestling club and more!
Rodeo action continues Saturday night after the parade, which starts at 5 p.m. on Main Street. Lineup will be at South 1st and Good Avenue near the Hotel Western, starting at 4 p.m. To participate in the parade, contact the Nyssa Chamber at 541-372-3091 or just show up.
Plan to stay after Saturday’s rodeo and enjoy dancing in the arena to the tunes of Buckin’ Country.
One of the featured events at the rodeo is the Richard Meija Memorial Team Roping. Qualifications were held in May with 10 teams qualifying. This event was established in 2017 to honor Richard, a former rodeo board president and active member of the Nyssa community. According to the Rodeo Board, “Richard had a love for horses and was happy to show young kids the ropes. He taught many to rope and ride. He was also very involved in the Nyssa School District and retired after a long career at Amalgamated Sugar. Richard loved his family. He always had a smile on his face and we miss him dearly. We are grateful to see many of his family members come to support the memorial roping.”
The Nyssa Nite Rodeo Board is pleased to announce the 2024 NNR Scholarship recipient, Alycia VanMeter from Nyssa High School. Alycia plans to go to Montana State University to be a neonatal intensive care nurse.
For the latest rodeo information, visit Nyssa Nite Rodeo on Facebook.
Submit your Nyssa news to Susan Barton at 541-372-5455 or [email protected].
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