(Cheyenne) – The Hell on Wheels Rodeo and Chuck Wagon Dinner kicks off its third season Friday night at the Laramie County Fair Complex in Archer. The Chuck Wagon Dinner will begin at 5:30 and the rodeo kicks off with the Grand Entry at 7pm.
The event began during the summer of 2020 after Cheyenne Frontier Days was cancelled. Visit Cheyenne partnered with the DeLancey family to produce three socially distanced rodeo events. The summer of 2021 brought seven rodeos in the series and more than $36,000 in prize money and buckles won by athletes. The event attracted 1,800 attendees over the seven dates, and more than 650 chuck wagon dinners were served to local community members and guests from across the county.
This year’s series features six rodeos, two each in June, July and August. Rodeo athletes from across the west will participate in timed roping events and rough stock events. Each Friday will also feature a Chuck Wagon Dinner from award winning cook Fred Wood and his family.
Visit Cheyenne Vice President Jim Walter says Visit Cheyenne is happy to help produce the events again this year. “We started Hell on Wheels out of necessity in 2020 when there was going to be no rodeo at all. The success of that year and the growth we saw last year is exciting. Our partners in the DeLancey family, Laramie County Fairground and the athletes all contribute to the excitement and success of our series. We expect to see great growth again this year”, Walter said.
The Hell on Wheels Rodeo provided an estimated direct economic impact to Laramie County from visitors to the community of $150,000 in 2021. In the history of the rodeo series visitors have attended from all 50 states, Canada and tickets have been sold to visitors from France this year. “The Hell on Wheels Rodeo is pure Wyoming. It is an honor to partner with Visit Cheyenne, Laramie County Events and the Fred Wood family again this year. We are looking forward to another summer of fun” said, Cindy DeLancey , Hell on Wheels Rodeo Company, LLC.
Tickets can be purchased for this year’s chuck wagon dinner and rodeo at www.hellonwheelsrodeo.com. Tickets still cost only $50 for the dinner and rodeo or $25 for just the rodeo.
Visit Cheyenne is the official destination marketing organization for Cheyenne and Laramie County Wyoming and is the leader in developing, promoting, and protecting the Cheyenne area tourism industry. The Hell on Wheels Rodeo is a partnership between DeLancey Enterprises, LLC and Visit Cheyenne.