SALEM, Va. (WFXR) — The Salem Stampede Championship Rodeo has a rich tradition. The 56th edition gets underway Friday night at the Salem Civic Center. The birth of the Salem Stampede Championship Rodeo is credited with country music legend Loretta Lynn.
“A lot of people don’t realize that Loretta Lynn was involved with the inception of this rodeo or the fact that there was many of times she would come in on a trailer and perform right here in this arena during the rodeo itself but as it grew, and her career grew,” said rodeo spokesperson Kevin DeBusk.
When the Salem Civic Center came into existence in 1967, the Salem Stampede Championship Rodeo also was born. Over the more than 5 decades of the event, it is a special partnership.
“The Civic Center and the rodeo have really grown over the years together and that goes back to embracing each other and building those relationships this facility. This city has great leadership. They have people who are wanting to see the community grow and see community activities grow that they can bring in and continue to bring in and because of their passion for their community and the passion that we’ve developed for this community with the perfect team. Because we’re looking for the end product to be the same one that at the end of the day. Anyone that attends in here leaves feeling that they’ve got their monies worth they’ve had a great time and they just wanna know when they can come back and do it again,” said DeBusk.
Organizers say the rodeo will go on this weekend, no matter the weather conditions. On Friday and Saturday the event gets underway at 7:30pm. It starts at 2pm on Sunday. The gates open an hour before. You can get your tickets at the Salem Civic Center box office or online.
