(upbeat intense music) - Getting that much closer to showtime on a Thursday night, are you guys getting ready to ride?

(crowd cheering) (upbeat intense music) - Well, what I love about Western Fest is it's our annual town celebration.

This is our 34th year of the PRCA Western Fest Rodeo.

And we're really excited, we have 444 contestants.

I've been a rodeo committee member for over 20 years and we just love getting ready for this every year.

(upbeat country music) - We figure that we have about 2000 people a night.

So, 5000 to 6000 people will come over the three nights to the rodeo.

(upbeat country music) - [Producer] You having fun?

- Oh yeah, I gotta, gotta have fun.

Gotta packed house, how could ask for more?

(upbeat country music) - [Rodeo Announcer] We tell you this, we're moments away from pro Rodeo dreams, welcome!

- [John] Granite Falls had hosted rodeo for approximately 80 years, not quite, but we're approaching that real quick.

Granite Falls was the home of High School Rodeo, which went on till 1988.

The last year was the first year that I was the chairman of Western Fest.

The Lee-Mar Ranch, the Lee is Bud Lee Mooney and his wife Martha, so, the Lee-Mar Ranch.

Bud and Martha started this whole thing and Bud was real active with High School Rodeo.

He was on the board and they got it moved to Granite Falls and this was the home as long as Bud lived.

They were a great family, Bud and Martha, they loved rodeo and they said we could always have this site for high school rodeo, or pro rodeo, after we changed.

(poignant country music) - [Announcer] Well, sir, let me tell you, our little old cow town never had seen such goings on.

Billy's youngsters hit us with posters most everywhere we went.

Pretty soon, we were just as head up about the junior rodeo as Billy and the kids themselves.

Most everybody in towns turned out for the great day.

(upbeat funky country music) - On Thursday mornings is Slack.

That's all the extra contestants that we have that don't make performance in the evenings.

(upbeat epic music) - [John] Some don't want to be in the main performance because they might have a young horse that would get spooked by crowds.

So they try to go in Slack and so it's the same as the nighttime performances.

They do the same events and just try to get the best time.

(upbeat epic music) - And so we have a lot of local schools and daycare centers that come, tour the grounds, get to see the horses and get to see what a rodeo's like before the rodeo is actually started.

(upbeat polka music) - [Leader] Alright, welcome, kids.

(all cheering) - [Rodeo Announcer] Mutton busting time, as we get it on today.

They only gotta ride eight seconds in the bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding, that kid rode about double tonight.

What about the first mutton buster outta the gate, everybody?

(crowd cheering) - Most people, when they think of rodeo, it'd probably be bucking bulls or bucking horses.

Roughstock are the horse events, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and then the bull riding, so those are kind of the featured events.

Now, people that are in timed events, which are calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping, and the women's professional barrel race.

They would think their event is the best in the, so everybody's got their favorite event.

Bull riding is always the last event of the night.

People love bull riding and they all stay till the end.

(epic country music) Professional rodeo is really a family event.

There's something for everyone.

We have a rodeo clown, who's the funny guy joking with the crowd, doing things.

- Now I'm gonna catch the apple.

I'm gonna juggle it and eat the apple.

All right.

All right, Garret, throw the apple.

Throw it, throw it.

What the?

What was that?

For the Green Bay?

- [John] In between every event they have a walk and talk or something to keep the audience involved.

And then you have this featured act, which is called a Specialty Act.

- [Rodeo Announcer] Please welcome to the arena, the 2020 PRCA Pro Rodeo Dress Act of the Year.

It's Rider Kiesner and Bethany Iles.

Those with the fire whips, make some noise for Rider Kiesner.

And the beautiful Bethany Iles, she's a trick and fancy rider.

The more noise you make, the faster he'll go.

(frantic music) Rider Kiesner and Bethany Iles!

- Well, when I say it's the second largest rodeo in the state, the second largest added money rodeo in the state.

I certainly wouldn't claim we have more attendance than St. Paul, Minnesota, but we do have more added money, which attracts cowboys.

The more added money you have, the more appealing it is for cowboys and cowgirls to come.

It's a professional sport.

It's no different than professional baseball or football, contestants compete for a year with trying to get to the National Finals Rodeo, which is held in Las Vegas every year, starting the first Thursday in December.

So all the money won by cowboys at our rodeo is added to their bank rolls and the top 15 in the world compete for the National Final Rodeo.

(epic music) - Our hometown hero, Tanner Aus, which I babysat, I was his babysitter, is riding Thursday night of the rodeo.

- Tanner is definitely the highlight for me for the rodeo.

I mean, I follow him.

I have the Cowboy Channel, so when I know he is going to be on TV, I'm always watching Tanner and when he is home, I love to talk with him and I'll see him when, in Vegas.

And he won't be here long on Thursday night.

After he rides, he's gotta get in the car and take off for Clear Lake, South Dakota for the rodeo out there.

- [Rodeo Announcer] Make some noise to tell him who we are behind.

Are you ready for Tanner Aus!

(epic music) - So, in the course of my travel, I get asked often, what's your favorite rodeo?

And the obvious answers are the big ones.

We get to go to Cheyenne Frontier Days, we get to go to Calgary Stampede, we get to go to the Houston Livestock Show, I mean, just incredible places.

But my answer's always the same.

Granite Falls, Western Fest Stampede Rodeo, it's the hometown, nothing beats it.

I got such fond memories.

I was just floored by the whole thing.

It feels the same when I go there and I love it and I'm so glad to be back.

(epic music) - I think rodeo is American culture.

Everybody grew up watching John Wayne in the old Westerns.

- You sure got us out of a jam that time, stranger.

Nice riding.

You don't happen to be going to the Dalton Rodeo, do you?

- Yes, I am.

- Well, tie your horse on behind and ride in with us.

- Thanks, I'll do that.

(slow old time country music) - Western Fest is just a long time tradition.

I remember being in the kiddie parade, way back when I was a little girl and we had our little Shetland pony in the kiddie parade and I've just had a love for Granite Falls and the community, we're all are really close knit.

And it's just a great way to come out on a summer night and enjoy the rodeo.

(slow old time country music) - I never thought I'd be running Western Fest this long, but it is kind of a lifelong passion and so I do enjoy it.

My family always enjoyed it.

My kids have grown up with it.

And my wife, she runs the beer garden during Western Fest, so it is a family affair.

I'm not a cowboy, but for our week of rodeo and the week in Las Vegas, I wear a hat and boots and they don't know if you're a cowboy or not.

So, it's just community involvement and I grew up here, I love Granite Falls and just want to stay involved and our celebration is a great celebration, it's just a good get-together.

(slow old time country music) (upbeat music) - [Narrator] "Postcards" is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

Additional support provided by Margaret A Cargill Philanthropies, Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen on behalf of Shalom Hill Farms, a retreat and conference center in a prairie setting near Windom, Minnesota.

On the web at shalomhillfarm.org.

Alexandria, Minnesota, a year-round destination with hundreds of lakes, trails and attractions for memorable vacations and events.

More information at explorealex.com.

The Lake Region Arts Council's Arts Calendar, an arts and cultural heritage funded digital calendar showcasing upcoming art events and opportunities for artists in west central Minnesota.

On the web at lrac4calendar.org.

Playing today's new music plus your favorite hits, 96 7 KRAM, online at 967kram.com.

(upbeat music)