Monday, July 31, 2017

The results of the Cheyenne Frontier Days PRCA Rode, July 30, 2017

We've just published a report on the final results of the Cheyenne Frontier Days PRCA Rodeo, which ended on July 30, 2017.

http://wyominginmotion.com/results-cheyenne-frontier-days-prca-rodeo/

The 121st Cheyenne Frontier Days is in the books, and the volunteer committee has already started planning for the 122 Cheyenne Frontier Days, which will take place over the last full week in July, as usual.

Attendance seemed a bit down this year - or more people were taking advantage of the Park-n-ride, leaving plenty of parking spots on adjacent residential streets and in the parking lots of Lions Park.

However, for Saturday and Sunday that wasn't the case - every parking lot was chock full, so the Park and Ride was probably the way to go.

I attended every event of Cheyenne Frontier Days except the Thunderbirds at Laramie County Community College - unfortunately on the Wednesday that they were to perform the ceiling was too low.

Reports on every aspect of the Cheyenne Frontier Days will be forthcoming to help people plan for next year!

Meantime, if you're interested in more rodeo, there's plenty going on in Montana, Utah, Texas...as well as such states as Louisiana!

http://wyominginmotion.com/prca-rodeo-schedule-montana-august-2017/
http://wyominginmotion.com/prca-rodeo-schedule-utah-august-2017/
http://wyominginmotion.com/prca-rodeo-schedule-south-dakota-august-2017/
http://wyominginmotion.com/prca-rodeo-schedule-idaho-august-2017/
http://wyominginmotion.com/prca-rodeo-schedule-nebraska-august-2017/
http://wyominginmotion.com/prca-rodeo-schedule-wyoming-august-2017/
http://wyominginmotion.com/prca-rodeo-schedule-colorado-august-2017/








Sunday, July 23, 2017

3rd day of Cheyenne Frontier Days report (Sunday, 23 July)

Actually, nothing to report today. I have tickets for Cinderella: The Slipper and the Rose in Johnstown, Colorado, about a 90 minute drive from Cheyenne at the Candlelight Dinner Theater.

When I get back home I have to write up some articles on the last three days!

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Day 2 Report for Cheyenne Frontier Days (22 July 2017)

Today, Saturday, was the 2nd day of Cheyenne Frontier Days.

I spent the day taking part in free activities - first I attended the downtown parade which took about 90 minutes and was a lot of fun, and then at noon I went over to Warren Air Force base for Fort DA Russell Days.

I had never seen re-enactments before, so these were interesting. First, a World War II minor skirmish, and then the Buffalo Soldiers.

I had wanted to stay for the Revolutionary War reenactment, but the WWII event had run long, so the Buffalo Soldiers ran long, and I had to go.

Will be adding photos and more text tomorrow.

Day 1 Report from Cheyenne Frontier Days

Friday, 21 July, 2017. The opening day of the 10-day-long Cheyenne Frontier Days. 


Early Friday, until about 10:30 am or so, was overcast and cool. Lovely! It started to heat up as the day went on and for a while even the clouds went away, but by 7 pm the clouds were back, and it was a lovely 75 degrees. Unfortunately, by 8 pm it had started to drizzle and by 8:30 pm it was raining quite hard.

I'm not sure if the Brantley Gilbert concert, scheduled for the opening night of Frontier Days, was cancelled. When I left at 8:15 pm - I was in Lions Park checking out the acoustics from the adjacent Frontier Park - I could hear the singing. I live 8 miles out of town and the rain was torrential when I got home - but sometimes it can rain in town and we don't get a drop at our house, and vice versa.

There was no lightning last night - which I think is the only thing that will stop a concert.

According to today's weather forecast, it's cloudy but shouldn't rain. Temps aren't expected to get higher than 83 degrees.

The concert tonight is Little Big Town with special guest David Nall.

Park n' Ride at Cheyenne Frontier Days

The directions for the Park n' Ride say simply that it is at the corner of I-25 and Happy Jack. That isn't true.

If you're on I-25, take the exit for Happy Jack. But then, you need to stay in the left hand lane, and follow Happy Jack to the west for a mile or so. You will then see the vast parking lot on your left.

It is a secure facility - they have security guards there, as well as over 20 school buses to make sure that there is a constant stream of buses to and from the Park and Ride to Frontier Park and back.

The Park n' Ride lot doesn't open until 10 am.

That means that you can get in line to get *into* the lot, but they actually wont' let you pay and go through until 10 am.

I didn't realize this. I was about the 30th car in line - stacked up to almost the turn-in entrance and by the time 10 am rolled around there were about 10 cars behind me.  (A bus of 48 people left, I was on the second bus, when we finally got underway at 10:15 am).

I would have thought they'd let people park and get in line for the buses before 10 to prevent a long build up of cars prior to that time, but that was not the case.

Once we were allowed to park, it did go pretty fast.

The line at 9:40 am. 

Two lines of cars waiting to get down to one line, to pay for parking. It's necessary to be polite and let in one car at a time 

48 people allowed on each bus
Plenty of buses in reserve - and drivers have radios to communicate with each other

$7 to park, $3 admission fee

There is a $3 admission fee to get into the Carnival Midway at Cheyenne Frontier Days. If you go to the Park 'n Ride, therefore, you are only paying $7 to park. You receive an admission ticket also, which is that additional $3.

Ten Minute Drive

Once the bus finally got under way, it was about a 10 minute drive from the Park 'n Ride to Cheyenne Frontier Park. It's not all that far away - without traffic probably no more than a 5 minute drive.

Decanting from the bus and heading into another line to get into Frontier Park
Since the Midway didn't open until 11:00 am, everyone on the bus, except me, got into line to get into the Midway.

I decided to check out the parking on 8th Avenue and in the Lions Park lots. There were a handful of spots left on 8th avenue, and at least three empty lots inside Lions Park.  There's no fee to charge in the Lions Park lots.

8 pm in Lions Park

I returned to Lions Park at 8 pm to find that there were still three empty lots (admittedly the furthest from Frontier Park - but, not very far to walk at all). The Daylight Donuts shop on the corner of Warren and 8th Avenue was offering parking for $10. A good deal...except there was all that free parking in the Lions Park parking lots.

Since I didn't go inside Frontier Park I don't know how many people were at the Brantley Gilbert concert, but I suspect that the reason why there were so many parking spaces left was because people had checked the weather report and knew there was a storm coming in.  With 9 more days of Frontier Days to go, many people probably decided they'd just wait for an evening when there wasn't going to be torrential rain. (The concert may have gone on as scheduled but I doubt if the rides were still running. I'll have to check that today.)

STILL TO COME FOR TODAY'S REPORT
1. Indian Village setting up. No performances until Saturday.
2. Frontier Town open for business. Characters wandering around
3. Chick-Fil-A
4. Cheyenne Botanic Gardens open
5. Lions Park open
6. Hydrate, wear a hat and wear comfortable shoes!


Friday, July 21, 2017

Cheyenne Frontier Days, Day 1

It's 7:13 am on Friday, 21 July 2017.

In just 4 more hours, Cheyenne Frontier Days 2017 will officially open.

For the next 10 days, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle will be publishing a supplement called Frontier Daily, which will feature articles and interviews with CFD participants, as well as a calendar of events.

They also publish a poster each day (printed on regular newspaper paper). The first one, published today, features a woman barrel racer.

"Lassoed by the Lens," is the title of the poster, which features Fallon Taylor of Collinsville, Texas in a photo taken by Blaine McCartney of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

These posters make inexpensive souvenirs of the event.

What's happening on this first day of Cheyenne Frontier Days 2017?

7 am - Team roping slack (free)

8 am - 6 pm - Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show and Sale at CFD (admission fee)

9 am - 4 pm - Fort DA Russell Days living history demonstrations at FE Warren AFB. (Normally civilians can't get on the base, but for this weekend they are allowed on and shown a specific place to park near the front of the base.)   (free)

10 am - 4 pm - Food vendors at Fort DA Russell Days

10 am - 8 pm - Western Experience offers interactive Western experience at Frontier Park ($3 admission fee to Midway).

10:30 am - 8:30 pm. Old Frontier Town opens. Frontier Park.  (Free)

10 am - noon - "Michael Martin Murphy and friends" will perform at the Sidewinder Saloon at Old Frontier Town.

10:30 am - 9:30 pm - CFD exhibits open.  ($3 admission fee to Midway).

10:30 - 12:15 am - CFD Carnival/midway areas open  ($3 admission fee to Midway).

11 am - 4 pm - Various live entertainment at The Garden in Frontier Park.

11 am - 7: 30 am - Indian Village open. Frontier Park. (Free admission)

11 am - midnight - Buckin A Saloon opens. Sean Curtis plays from 5-7 pm and 10 pm - midnight

12:15 pm. Cinch Rodeo Shootout. Frontier Park Arena. Invitational style rodeo tournament of champions.

4 - 7 pm - Michael Martin Murphy and Friends will perform at Sidewinder Saloon at Old Frontier Town.

5:30 - 8 pm. Clara Rae at Frontier Nights Pre-Party in the Garden.

8 pm. Brantley Gilbert with special guest Tyler Farr. Grandstands open at 7 pm.







Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Cheyenne Frontier Days: "The Slack"

The 2017 Cheyenne Frontier Days begins on Friday, 21 July 2017. From Monday through Thursday, the Slack Rodeo is taking place which is free to all comers.  Entrance is through Portal 1.

You've missed it for the 2017 Frontier Days - but it happens every year in the four week days leading up to the Friday on which the CFD starts.

Before Cheyenne Frontier Days officially starts - which it does on the Friday before the last full week of July, several rodeo events are held and the public can attend these for free.

These events are called "The Slack."

They are held from Monday through Thursday, starting at 10 am,

The name comes from the fact that there are dozens of cowboys (and a few cowgirls doing barrel racing) and not always time for them during the afternoon rodeo. So to "take up the slack," many events are held in the morning. (Another origin for the name is that the week before the "main" rodeo begins is a "slack" time, with rodeo contestants arriving but not having anything to do, so this event was created.

If you'd like to see "The Slack," go to Frontier Park and park in the main parking lot. (The gates to the parking lot will be open).

You won't see a sign pointing you to "The Slack," but simply get to the sidewalk (weaving past any CFD volunteers putting up display stands) and head to your right until you get to Portal 1.

Entrance to CFD Carnival Midway.
From the parking lot, you'll see the building in the photo above on your LEFT. To the right of this building will be the Ticket Office.

CFD Ticket Office
Again, from the parking lot, these two buildings will be on your LEFT. You will walk to the right, following a brown fence, for a couple hundred yards, passing Portal 2, until you get to Portal 1, which you will follow down behind the grandstands for the rodeo.


Portal 1, with a volunteer seated there to answer people's questions
Rodeo participants awaiting their turn for the calf roping competition