Stingy rental conditions and a lack of community support are the main reasons why there won’t be a rodeo this year in 100 Mile House, according to the president of the South Cariboo Rodeo Association.
Randy Brodoway says not enough sponsors are stepping up financially and he can’t continue to finance the event out of his own pockets. On top of that, the 100 Mile House & District Outriders Club, which lease the local rodeo and horse grounds from the Cariboo Regional District, don’t make it easy to host events there, Brodoway adds.
“The grounds belong to the Outriders and this has been a fight in this town forever. They will not work with anybody. It’s not fair to anybody else. It’s supposed to be a community grounds.”
Brodoway points to a $250 daily fee for users as being too high, and the fact outside groups can’t raise funds with concession sales as another challenging condition.
Rain put a big damper on last year’s attendance numbers and the rodeo association, and Brodoway himself, he says, lost money on the event.
“This year, I’m just throwing my hands up. We had some great sponsors, just not enough.”
Speaking on behalf of the Outriders Club, Denise Little admits there has been some friction between the two groups. But she adds the Outriders have tried their best to accommodate the rodeo. The Outriders waived the $250 fee in the past knowing the rodeo association was struggling financially, she says. But as for the concession agreement, she says the policy of the Outriders is similar to most venues – it’s a part of their club and it’s theirs to utilize.
“If you try to book at Canlan Ice Sports [for instance], you’re not going to bring your own concession stand in. That’s one of the first things they’ll tell you.”
Throughout the summer the Outriders host a number of horse-related events at the grounds, located behind the South Cariboo Rec. Centre on Airport Road in 100 Mile House, starting next month with the Lil Britches Rodeo, May 16-17.
Little says in general the club does like to have the grounds being used.
“We like to see events in town that bring people in and help out with the community. In that sense, it’s sad to not see [the rodeo this year].”
Brodoway doesn’t rule out trying to bring the event back in the future. However, it’s not a cheap thing to put on, he reiterates.
“The people in the community need to step up and start coming to these things and supporting it.”
