By Brent Edmunds
Twenty thousand spectators gathered in a small town of 1,200 over Independence Day weekend to watch a rodeo.
The 65th annual Oakley Rodeo is the longest running continuous Fourth of July celebration in the state of Utah.
Located just 45 miles east of Salt Lake City, in the Kamas Valley, Oakley is one of Utah’s best kept secrets.
But that secret might not be safe for too much longer. And local residents are not too worried about the exposure.
“If it wasn’t for the people that come up from the city and ESPN, then the celebration wouldn’t be what it is,” said Phyllis Page, local resident and rodeo organizer.
“We put on a good show,” Page said. “We all have our differences in this little town, but we all come together to make the rodeo a great event,” she added.
The annual rodeo held on the Fourth of July attracted national attention from ESPN’s sister station ESPN2.
The rodeo wasn’t broadcast live, but will be replayed on August 6, to a national audience, in addition to the 20,000 people who saw the rodeo live during its four days of competition.
Twenty thousand spectators and a national audience are pretty impressive for a rodeo held in a town of 1,200 people.
“The rodeo was only a two-night event just five years ago,” said Coy Page, Oakley Rodeo organizer and former city council member.
“Since then we have extended to three and now four nights of competition,” he said.
It seems that the city of Oakley could decide to extend the rodeo for seven nights and make it a week long Independence Day celebration and still fill the 5,000 seat arena.
Prices have remained very reasonable, despite the high demand for tickets and the expansion of the event.
“We try to keep the price low to keep it a family event,” Coy Page said. “We want families to keep coming back and enjoying the celebration together.”
Those words have real meaning when you look at what the proceeds from the rodeo do for the town.
“The proceeds from the rodeo basically pay for all the extras in town like the baseball diamond and park equipment.
They have also been used to build a bridge and repair roads,” Coy Page said.
Oakley also enjoys one of the lowest property tax burdens in the entire state because of the money generated from the rodeo.
Ticket prices may go up a little next year, but organizers promise to keep the event accessible to large families who want to enjoy their Independence Day at the Oakley Rodeo.
