Cheyenne Frontier Days Old and New West Come Together for Wyoming’s Big Party

Welcome to Road Trip, a special series where we get to vicariously go Rockin' Down the Highway with antiMusic's Kevin Wierzbicki as he takes us along on his road trips to various rockin' locales that played an significant part in the history of rock n roll, highlight that history or music's heritage. (Unless noted all photos are also by Kevin - click on photos to enlarge). 
 

When Bill Jones rode into Cheyenne back in 1897, he had only one thing on his mind. No one was going to get the best of him. Anyone who tried was going to end up biting the dust. They were going to taste a big mouthful of Wyoming dirt, probably with a little cow pie mixed in. The gathered crowd held their breath---unlike Jones, they didn’t know how this thing would end. Children stared intently at the determined man while their mamas could barely stand to look. As for the men folk, Jones startled them so bad that they nearly swallowed their chewing tobacky. In a heartbeat it was over. He showed them all. Nothing to do now except move along. Somewhere there was another town, another challenge he couldn’t turn his back on.

Oh, Jones was one tough cowboy alright. But he didn’t need no six shooter, no Winchester to prove his worth. Jones gained his fame atop a horse and he was in fact the first ever Saddle Bronc Champion at Cheyenne Frontier Days, the annual rodeo that’s earned the nickname “Big Daddy of them all.” No doubt Jones would be the one staring in disbelief if he could see the huge event these days. Sure, the steer wrestling, bull riding and tie-down roping are still the same. But champions these days leave town with a little more than a reputation---the combined purse for all events usually is around $1,000,000 (yup, that’s a million). And if you’ve ever been to Wyoming, you know the friendly folks there sure now how to throw a party. So while there is some serious business going on in the rodeo arenas, Cheyenne’s Frontier Park is full of other things to do. There is a full carnival midway with games and rides of all sorts, and vendors hawking all sorts of wares for cowboys and city slickers alike. Want to adopt a wild horse or burro? You’ll find a few “demo models” on display here. The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is on the premises as is the Indian Village where you can see Native American dancers, musicians and story-tellers. There is food and snacks and goodies of every kind and of course plenty of beer for the grown ups. Ever wonder how cowboys cooked up their grub out on the trail? Watch the demonstration and maybe you’ll get lucky and get in on some juicy, sizzling steak. And you’ll definitely have a good time talking to the Old West characters who roam the festival. Say, was that Buffalo Bill?

Another Frontier Days tradition is the music, and each evening the rodeo grounds come alive with the best in rock or country music. Past years have seen some very big names appearing, stars like Willie Nelson, Styx, ZZ Top, Garth Brooks, George Strait, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Brad Paisley. A favorite performer who often appeared was the local boy made good, the late Chris LeDoux. This year (2005) the concert series kicked off with a show from Tesla and Ted Nugent. The concerts are all outdoors with bleacher seating or standing room only and the (usually!) clear Wyoming nights make it easy to check out the stars in the sky along with the ones on stage. Tim McGraw played two nights and some fortunate attendees got to meet wife Faith Hill who was enjoying the midway with the couple’s children. Sara Evans wowed the crowd and signed autographs at a meet-and-greet for her fan club members and Gary Allan put on a raucous show. Showing that they really know how to make an entrance, Big & Rich started their show by stepping out of a chamber that looked like a spaceship with fog rolling everywhere and fireworks going off. The pair and their band put on the rowdiest show this year, aided and abetted by a few songs from country rapper Cowboy Troy in the middle of the show. The biggest act was of course saved for the last day and what better way to say farewell than with a big blowout with Toby Keith. The nightly concerts have an admission fee that is separate from the Frontier Days admission but there is also plenty of music besides the concerts. Bands play nightly at the Buckin’ A Saloon where those of age can drink and dance to their heart’s content. Musicians from the Andes play relaxing “New Age” music on the midway and Hands in Harmony also performed. Hands in Harmony is a group of youngsters who dance to recorded music while “signing” the song’s words in American Sign Language. These kids obviously enjoy putting on their unique show which is very fun to watch.

A visit to Frontier Days will of course also allow you to spend some time in Cheyenne itself. Cheyenne Day falls each year sometime during the ten day event and this is a day when the town virtually shuts down to allow everyone to come out and play. The downtown area fills with artisans and the old-timey string bands are especially entertaining. You can take horse-drawn buggy rides around town and music fans should snoop around the local watering holes for live rock and country music when the sun goes down. In a bit bigger affair, up-and-comers Sugarland put on a show at Cheyenne’s IKON Center this year during Frontier Days. And I highly recommend taking a drive around the city just to explore. You won’t get lost and you’ll really taste the western flavor of this beautiful area.

Now, a few tips. This is a really big party! There are close to 2000 competitors in the rodeo alone and they come to Cheyenne along with their crews and families. Then there are all the folks who come to work at Frontier Days in one capacity or another---these are all on top of the tens of thousands who come for the fun. So if you’re planning on staying overnight, make your motel reservations as far in advance as you can. Frontier Days is held in July and while there are plenty of lodging options in the area, it is just not a good idea to wait until the last minute. Cheyenne is only about two hours away from Denver by car and without some advance planning you may find yourself having to lodge there. Don’t wear your best shoes to Frontier Days! If you go to the concerts in the evening and are in the standing room only area, you may be standing on dirt. If it rains, the show will go on and you will probably get your feet muddy. Then there are certain areas where you are allowed to get very close to the horses (this is amazing) and there are a lot of horses. So that means you also have lots of opportunities to step in something that you’d rather not. And last but certainly not least---don’t pet the buffalo! As you drive into Cheyenne you are very likely to see a herd of buffalo very close to the road. While these animals are not “wild” in the sense that they belong to ranchers, they are not pets. The scene makes for a great photo opportunity but just don’t get too close. 

So there you have it. All the fun of the Old West with all the conveniences of today! Frontier Days will be held July 21-30 in 2006 and July 20-29 in 2007. For more information visit www.cfdrodeo.com and www.wyomingtourism.org