PAGE 2 | APRIL 2013
Local rodeo is a cooperative effort BY EARL HELM, Tri-County Electric member and Pioneer Days Rodeo Committee Chairman I
f you want to see rodeo, come to Guymon, Oklahoma. Our local Pioneer Days Rodeo draws nearly
1,000 contestants each year, including 30 to 40 of the top cowboys in the nation in all eight events. This year marks the 81st rodeo, which will take place on May 3, 4 and 5.
When you consider that every dollar brought to a community is said to change hands seven times, the weeklong Pioneer Days celebration is a huge event for Guymon. The hotels and restaurants fill up during that time. It’s not just the rodeo itself. It’s the carnival, parade, 5k run/walk, rodeo queen, mercantile, trail riders and mutton bustin’ too. It’s a very busy time for our town.
Pioneer Days is organized by a Guymon Chamber of Commerce committee of about 20 volunteers who work year round to make the rodeo a success. During the week of the celebration itself, about 200 individuals will contribute their time to the various events, many of the cooperative employees.
Tri-County Electric Cooperative contributes $1,500 to sponsor the rodeo but the co-op’s support doesn’t stop there. Construction Manager Rick Wayman is a huge help before and during the rodeo. He brings a crew of five or six employees along with special equipment to put up the big screen television and scoreboard each year. We couldn’t do it without Rick’s crew and their equipment. During the rodeo, Wayman opens and closes the gates for the contestants coming in and out of the arena.
The cooperative’s Serviceman Eric Leisher is also helpful whenever we have a problem with lights or need help locating a pole, he’s right there ready
Pioneer Days April 27 - May 5
Tailgater
Rodeo Pageant Golf Tournament Carnival
5K Run/Walk Parade Rodeo
April 27 May 2 May 3
May 1 - 5 May 4 May 4
May 3, 4 & 5 580.338.3376
www.guymonrodeo.com www.guymonchamber.com
EARL HELM IS THE RODEO COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN WHO WORKS WITH A TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS TO MAKE THE PIONEER DAYS WEEK A SUCCESS.
to help. Gina Horner, a dispatcher at Tri-County Electric, also serves on the committee. This rodeo is truly a cooperative effort.
Another local cooperative whose employees contribute to the rodeo is Panhandle Telephone Cooperative, Inc., which is where I work. PTCI also sponsors the rodeo and has several employees who volunteer to serve on the committee. Without cooperatives, this rodeo would be hard to do.
It’s not only cooperatives who contribute to the rodeo though. Oklahoma Panhandle State University is a big supporter of our rodeo as we try to be for theirs. Corporations like Seaboard Foods are very helpful as they contribute more than $20,000 in sponsorships and labor. Hitch is another one. The list goes on and on. We average about 80 sponsors per year and every one of them help make this rodeo what it is.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of the biggest event in Texas County. Come
out and support the rodeo and its related events during Pioneer Days. I will see you there.
About Earl Helm
A lifelong area resident, Earl grew up on a ranch outside of Guymon where his dad was a foreman. Rodeo has always been important to him and he’s been going to the Pioneer Days Rodeo all his life. He got involved in a small way with the Pioneer Days Rodeo about seven years ago. He began by finding folks to donate hay then began hauling it in. He gradually got more involved until he became chairman of the rodeo committee two years ago. Next year, will be his third and final year as chairman.
Earl and his wife Lynette have been married 21 years. Their daughter Mackenzie has been singing the national anthem at the rodeo since she was eight years old. She is 15 now and enjoys being part of the rodeo.
Earl has been a lineman at PTCI for 29 years in 2013. He continues to rodeo and ranch in his spare time today. n
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