2009 Old West Days To Be The Biggest Celebration Yet

By Linda Kor
   Holbrook is going to ‘Cowboy Up’ for this year’s Old West Days celebration. The city council approved a $37,650 budget for the event that promises to be the largest Old West Days celebration to date.
   Old West Days will be held on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 28-29, with activities taking place at both the Old County Courthouse and the Navajo County Fair Grounds.
   The slogan for the event is “Cowboy Up,” which will feature the Hashknife Stampede Rodeo with saddle broncs, bareback broncos, bull riding and team roping events. In addition to 14 buckles as prizes there is also a $1,400 cash prize that will be sought after by contestants.
   A committee of experienced volunteers are handling the arrangements on behalf of the city. Rusty DeSpain is heading up the rodeo, which begins on Friday night and concludes on Saturday. The rodeo will be sanctioned by the Grand Canyon Pro Rodeo Association and co-sanctioned by the New Mexico Rodeo Association, Colorado Professional Rodeo Association and All-Indian Cowboy Association with an anticipated 300 to 400 contestants expected to compete.
   Other events for the weekend include a Northern Arizona Barrel Racing event, a battle of the bands, Bucket of Blood races, pancake breakfast, parade, chili cook-off, kids games, vendors and fireworks.
   The battle of the bands is being directed by Tim Kelley and Max Gallegos and is planned to be a family-oriented rockin’ good time. There will be a 12-band limit with the music genre to be rock/country.
   “We want this to be a family-oriented event that everyone will enjoy,” stated Kelley.
   The entry fee for the event will be $150 per band and although the winning prize promises to be substantial, it is not finalized as of yet.
   “We will be advertising for bands all over the state and will request that the bands who want to participate provide a bio and a sample CD of their music,” explained Kelley.
   The rodeo and the battle of the bands will both take place at the fair grounds with a $5 entry fee for each night for anyone over five years old. On Saturday the entry fee will cover both of these events as well as the fireworks display scheduled that night.
   City Manager Carlo Pilgrim is planning to make the chili cook-off, which will take place at the courthouse, a sanctioned event in the coming years.
   “I would like to see the contestants be able to compete on a state and national level for this event. We won’t be able to do that this year but it would be wonderful to see Holbrook on the map for it’s chili,” stated Pilgrim.
   The Hashknife Posse will be making their traditional pancake breakfast after the races on Saturday and more events are in the making as the volunteers work to make a fun-filled event for both the community and visitors.
   “We need to clarify that the funds for this event are coming from the lodgers tax, not the general fund,” clarified Pilgrim. “The purpose for these funds is strictly to promote tourism in Holbrook and we want to make this a huge draw for the city every year.”
   The Old West Days has been held in August recently, but it is anticipated that the event will be scheduled in June in the future so that it will not compete for sponsorship or attendance with the Navajo County Fair held in September.