FORT SMITH, Ark. — Dust off your boots and grab your hat, the Old Fort Days Rodeo is set to return this Memorial Day.
The rodeo is scheduled from May 31 through June 5, 2021, at Kay Rodgers Park in Fort Smith.
This year marks the 88th year of operation for the rodeo organization and planning has begun with an extra emphasis on safety.
“We’re very excited to announce the return of the Old Fort Days Rodeo”, said Rodeo Chairman, Randy Mizell. “We’re glad to get back to work and carry on with Arkansas’ oldest rodeo.”
Due to COVID-19, there will be some restrictions in place. The rodeo committee is working with the Arkansas Department of Health to ensure a safe event and as additional plans are confirmed, more information will be released to the public.
The plan right now is to operate at 66% capacity due to the guidelines they received from the Arkansas Department of Health. There will be signs asking rodeo-goers to wear masks and there will be hand sanitizer stations.
Tickets will go on sale soon and rodeo fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance online.
Mizell says the decision to hold the rodeo came in part due to missing last year's event due to COVID-19 and having parts of the 2019 rodeo canceled due to historic flooding in Fort Smith.
He says sponsorship money is down this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He says they normally bring in about $100k but are down to about $60k right now. They are looking for more sponsors at this time.
The Old Fort Days Rodeo is a community project sponsored by the Arkansas-Oklahoma Regional Education and Promotion Association, Inc. The Association, which is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit corporation, was organized exclusively for the purpose of educating and informing the residents of Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma about agricultural matters.