Pioneer Days plans underway

STAFF REPORT

Following a winter storm that will still impact local dairies months down the road, the upcoming Pioneer Days will include tributes to the industry and the livelihoods tied to it.

The chamber initially had decided on a parade theme of, “Party ‘Til the Cows Come Home,” for the late May celebration, both to honor the dairy industry and to repeat a theme that has been good to the chamber in the past.

The chamber won a national award when it used the same title for its running of The Great American Race nearly 10 years ago.

However, Chamber Executive Director Ernie Kos cited concerns that, despite the chamber’s best intentions, the theme might not be universally celebrated by dairymen who had thousands of dairy cows not come home due to Winter Storm Goliath.

“I think we’ll stick with our dairy specific theme,” Kos said. “We may change the ‘cows come home’ theme. We were innocently wanting to support the dairy industry after everything they’ve been through.”

Many of the staples remain, including a three-night rodeo, state rodeo queen competitions, the Duke of the Dutch Ovens Chuckwagon Cook-off and a Saturday morning parade. There are also plans to feature a “Running of the Cows” 5K prior to the parade.

Only one initial meeting has so far been held, with the Curry County Mounted Patrol and Wilma Fulgham, who runs the state rodeo queen competitions.

The chamber’s sole involvement with Pioneer Days comes in the Friday pioneer women’s breakfast and the Saturday parade. Kos is hopeful the chamber could showcase a pioneer dairy woman and name a local dairy person as grand marshal of the parade.

The Pioneer Days celebrations will kick off May 28 and last throughout the week and close with the June 4 parade.

Information: 575-763-3435.