EAST HELENA — It’s a big weekend for the East Helena Rodeo. The rodeo kicks off Friday at its new rodeo grounds, and the East Helena Rodeo Association (EHRA), community businesses and volunteers have been day in and day out, working to get the ground ready for their debut weekend.
“We probably wouldn't be standing here. Yeah, absolutely… I bet you there's 100 people, maybe even more, throughout this process in two months. Got to be over 100 people in and out, different businesses, equipment,” said Kris Bakke, Chairman of the Board of the East Helena Rodeo.
The East Helena Rodeo will kick off this Friday, and this year, it's going to look a bit different then in years past.
Beeps from backing construction trucks, hammers clashing against metal and roaring electrical saws are familiar sounds heard everyday at the new East Helena Rodeo grounds, across from The Kleffner Barn, ever since May 1st.
“The first part of May is when we first started. So it's pretty phenomenal to have this much done in that short a time. There was a sense of some type things going on once in a while, but we got through all of it,” said Ray McGowan, Director of the East Helena Rodeo.
At their last location, it took them years to build the rodeo venue.
On Wednesday, two days before opening their gates for the rodeo weekend, it was their 58th and final day building on the new grounds.
“It took us six years to build the old one, and they did that, and we did that in this new amount of time is pretty phenomenal. Of all the volunteer people that came and gave us a hand,” said Bakke.
With just over two months of work, they reached their last day of preps before the rodeo on Friday, which Bakke mentioned, some said they couldn't do.
“We had some doubters. So that I think that's what got the snowball really going was to make it happen. We have to have the East Helena Rodeo,” said Bakke.
The EHRA and volunteers even celebrated their Fourth of July weekend at the new grounds creating fireworks of their own welding together gates, and building a temporary crows nest for the judges and announcers to set up camp in.
It was extra sacrifices like these from volunteers, as well as from businesses in the community, that were able to help push them over the finish line in time for their rodeo weekend.
“It was actually exciting. A little anxiety here and there, but pull right through it and. Yeah, yeah, it wasn't for community and volunteers. We wouldn't be here, period,” said Bakke.
According to plan, the East Helena Rodeo will open their gates at 3 p.m. On Friday for their pre rodeo at 4p.m. Followed by the NRA Rodeo at 5 to kick off the rodeo weekend. The East Helena Rodeo will be both on Saturday and Sunday starting at 5, with gates opening at 3 p.m. The In-County rodeo also is on Sunday, starting at 1 p.m.
The East Helena Rodeo will also have a parade which will begin at 1 p.m.
