Preparing for the Gerry Rodeo is an annual project | News, Sports, Jobs

Rodeo Chairman Tom Atwell and his wife Sharon help stack the maple lumber that will be used to cook beef for the approximately 3,000 rodeo diners. Sharon also serves as the year-round secretary of the Rodeo Planning Committee. Photo by Paul Cooley

GERRY — As hundreds of rodeo fans file into parking lots for the 79th annual Gerry Rodeo, which begins Wednesday and runs four nights through Saturday, most will think of bucking broncs and bulls, daring cowboys and cowgirls, good food and lots of fun. Few will think about the enormous amount of preparation by small-town volunteers that makes this unique event possible.

Planning for next year begins immediately after the current rodeo ends, as rodeo chairman Tom Atwell and his committee of about a dozen members meet monthly. Atwell, who has been involved with the rodeo since he was 5 and has been chairman for the past 20 years, says he loves his job, even though it requires a year of hard work. One of his first tasks each year is to get approval from the Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, a task that requires filling out multipage forms. He then sends out about 140 information packets to potential sponsors whose support is so vital to the rodeo’s finances.

Atwell’s duties also include signing the special act, the announcer, a veterinarian for each performance and 24-hour security personnel. He gives much credit to a subcommittee that oversees all advertising, including radio and newspaper ads, roadside signs, along with posters and brochures and the production of the daily program sheets.

Also supervising the maintenance of the grounds is part of his duties. He mows the grounds, repairs fences, paints buildings, repairs the electricity, maintains the water system, repairs the grandstand and turns the arena over so that the participants and animals have a good surface.

Chef Kyle VanAkin and his wife Britta are in their third year of overseeing the responsibility of producing the approximately 3,000 dinners served during the four-day event. He orders all the food for both the dining room and the concession stands, including 4,500 pounds of beef, nearly a ton of potatoes, 120 gallons of corn, 150 quarts of cottage cheese, nearly 6,000 sandwiches and more than 8,000 soft drinks.

One of Kyle’s big jobs is securing well-seasoned maple wood for the fires to cook the beef. He starts his day at about 5 a.m. by letting the beef cook for about eight hours. Then he makes about 50 gallons of gravy and 20 gallons of barbecue sauce. Together, they oversee the volunteers who come in each morning to “check” and quarter the potatoes and prepare the salads. They are assisted by about 35 volunteers who cut the meat, fry the potatoes, work the serving line, and man the dining room. They see very little of the rodeo, as their day doesn’t end until about 10 p.m.

The rodeo, which began 79 years ago in 1945 as a fundraiser for the newly formed Gerry Volunteer Fire Department, is now the longest-running rodeo east of the Mississippi. Both Atwell and the Gustafsons agree that the success of the event is largely due to the 150 or so nameless and often unseen volunteers who give of their time and effort for the love of rodeo and their city.

This year’s celebration will feature more than 220 professional cowboys and cowgirls from across the country competing for $50,000 in prize money. The rodeo itself begins at 8 p.m. each night, Wednesday through Saturday, with dinner starting at 5 p.m. The carnival, featuring more than 20 vendors, also opens at 5 p.m. More information is available on the rodeo website at www.gerryrodeo.org or by calling (7126) 985-4847 or 1-888-985-4847.