The Black Hills Stock Show, January 27 - February 5

In 1959, the Black Hills Winter Show premiered at the Pennington County, South Dakota Fairgrounds, featuring area beef producers showcasing three popular cattle breeds.  It ran for three days and had all of 16 vendors.  53 years later, it has evolved into the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo.  Produced by the Central States Fair, it has grown into Rapid City’s largest event and one of America’s largest winter shows for horsemen and cattle producers.  With over 300 vendors, the show attracts over 300,000 attendees each year.  The Stock Show hosts cattle producers from all over North America. 

It is also the 15th stop in this year’s PRCA Rodeo tour, before moving on to Lake Charles, LA.  It is produced by Sutton Rodeos of Onida, SD, as it has been since 1978.  According to Kim Sutton, there will be over 600 of the world’s top PRCA contestants competing for their share of over $200,000 in prize money.  That’s three times more contestants in 2012 than there were spectators in 1978!  Competing will be six 2011 WNFR Champions and 59 2011 WNFR contestants and Badland’s Circuit champions.  Among them will be 16-time World Champion and 9-time World Champion All-Around Cowboy Trevor Brazile as well as Bareback Champion Kaycee Fields, Saddle Bronc Champion Taos Muncy, Bull Riding Champion Shane Proctor, Team Roping Heeler Champion Jett Johnson, and Calf Roping Champion Tuf Cooper. 

“This rodeo has always been one of the top rodeos in the country no matter who you talk to,” says Jim Sutton, the rodeo event creator.  “We have always tried to have the best people and have always worked off the top of the list of stock contract people and have again this year, maybe better than we’ve ever had, and have always been able to get good cowboys because of it.”

The Ranch Rodeo will be a widely attended event again this year, with a record 60 four-man teams competing for a total of over $20,000.00 in cash and prizes.  Don’t miss The World’s Smallest Rodeo, sponsored by RCC Western Stores.  Contestants ranging in age from three to five compete in events including barrel racing and pole bending, all on a stick horse!  And for dog lovers, there’s the North American Sheepdog Trials.

RCC Western Stores is happy to be one of the vendors appearing at The Black Hills Stock Show again this year.  We hope you’ll stop by our booth, located in LaCroix Hall in the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, and see our wide selection of cowboy boots, cowboy hats, and western accessories.  On display will be new styles from Ariat, Corral, Roper, and Tony Lama, among others.

The Stock Show runs from January 27 through February 5 this year.   

http://www.centralstatesfair.com/stock-show/schedule/

SDSU Extension Service Will Host Kids' Program During Black Hills Stock Show

BROOKINGS, S.D. - SDSU Extension and South Dakota Ag in the Classroom will host a "Kids Take Stock in Science and Agriculture" program at the Black Hills Stock Show. This program received the National Teamwork Award from the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, and it promises to come back even better this year.

The program is two-fold; the first part is primarily scheduled for schools. Interested classes can attend the program from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. MST Jan. 31-Feb. 1. The second part is geared toward walk-through traffic, and parents can bring their kids through the event from 2-5 p.m. both days. Kids Take 'Stock' takes place in the Rodeo Zone at the Rapid City Civic Center.

The event is done in conjunction with SDSU Extension and South Dakota Ag in the Classroom. Both organizations bring hands-on learning opportunities to youth who may not be familiar with South Dakota's largest industry - agriculture.

"This program is designed to teach youth about both science and agriculture - two areas that are everywhere in the state, but sometimes are far too intangible to youth," said Jessica Eikmeier, a co-coordinator of the event and an Extension Community Development Field Specialist.

She adds: 

"The program is geared towards elementary-aged kids from schools as well as home-schoolers, and we hope to bring these hands-on activities to students who might not get the experiences otherwise," Eikmeier said. "We take what they have learned in the classroom and build on it and put a new twist on it so that they can see it in a different light."

Attendees will have the opportunity to see a balance of agricultural and science-based stations. Each station will take 8-10 minutes and will range in topics from egg experiments to water quality to branding. Teachers will receive a packet of lesson plans to take back to their classrooms to further build on what the youth see in the short stations.

For more information about the program or to sign up for a walk-through time, call Jessica Eikmeier at 605.455.1299 or email her at Jessica.eikmeier@sdstate.edu. You can also contact Ann Price, Executive Director of SD Ag in the Classroom at sdagclassroom@yahoo.com.