What does a rodeo cost?

Representing the Palouse Empire Rodeo Association, Stan Riebold Jan. 22 presented an eight-year breakout of rodeo operations to the Palouse Empire Fair Board at the Jan. 22 meeting. Riebold's report said September's rodeo at the fair earned $1,269 with revenue of $23,675 and expenses of $22,406.

The rodeo does not charge admission over its three-day run at the fair, but the fair makes a support payment from its proceeds to the rodeo. Last year, 2017, the sum was bumped to $8,000.

Other rodeo revenue includes sponsorships, box seat sales and other sources.

Largest expense of the rodeo is the payment to the livestock contractor and to ProWest, the organization which keeps the records for entries and payment of prizes to the event winners.

Payment to the rodeo announcer, clown and royalty expenses are also part of the operation.

The lone deficit year for rodeo operation was in 2014, when a $3,980 expense of rebuilding the announcer's stand was added to the expense column.

Riebold said one gain for the rodeo last year was a rule change which allowed wranglers to make two entries in their events. Under the change, entrants could get two chances at the prize money without having to travel to another rodeo.

Riebold explained one of the problems with the fair's event is that it happens late in the rodeo season. During the summer, the rodeo circuit loses competitors who are injured or become discouraged because they have not won after a string of entries on the earlier part of the circuit.