With the Fair and Rodeo over for 2022, here is what you missed.
If you live anywhere in the Eagle County area, you’re probably familiar with the annual Eagle County Fair and Rodeo. In the following article, we’ll take a look at the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo history and why this is such a popular event drawing thousands of people from all parts of Eagle County and Summit County.
The History of the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo
In 2014, the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo celebrated its 75th birthday. It was first held in 1939, drawing hundreds of people from the surrounding Eagle County area. Included in the original rodeo were exhibits by local ranchers and farmers, community exhibitions of canned goods and needlework, a football game, concerts, and a big dance at the finale of the event.
However, the outbreak of WW2 put a dampener on the fair and rodeo, and it wasn’t mentioned in any of the local papers for several years. That all changed after the end of the war, and by the 1950s, the fair was growing so big a new site was found at the Gypsum school. After a land sale in 1960, the fair was again moved to a new home.
In the ‘80s, the organizers of the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo sought professional help, taking the event to the next level with assistance from the Colorado State Rodeo Cowboys Association. Then, when Eagle County experienced a significant building boom in the ‘90s, new grandstands were added to seat up to 2,650 people.
In 2006, the local government decided to build the 45,000-square-foot Eagle River Center just west of the fairgrounds. It was a massive success on its debut and is also used for community events, equestrian events, fairs, tournaments, and trade shows.
Eagle County Fair and Rodeo General Information
The Eagle County Fair and Rodeo are usually held in July each year.
Here are some examples of events held at the Fair & Rodeo:
- Western, Ranch, and English Horse Shows
- Fashion Show
- Dog Show and Rabbit Show
- Perishable Show
- Livestock Show
- Lil’ Buckaroo Night
- Western Heritage
- Pink Night
- Patriotic
- Rodeo Events
- Displays and much more!
If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo for yourself yet, then why not? It runs over a long period of time, so there are a bunch of different parts to the fair that you can check out.