Dixie Roundup opening: ‘Nitro’ Circus, bulls and bikes; STGNews Videocast, Photo Gallery

79th annual Dixie Roundup Rodeo, Dixie Sunbowl, St. George, Utah, Sept. 12, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News

ST. GEORGE –The Dixie Sunbowl lived up to its tradition of full grandstands, good times and crowd pleasing last night with the grand opening of the ever-welcome hometown hoopla of the 79th Dixie Roundup Rodeo.

The Dixie Roundup began in 1935 as an event put on by the Lion’s club and the American Legion to commemorate Armistice Day, according to the Washington County Historical Society. It is still put on by the St. George Lion’s Club and has now long been the staple event for the second weekend in September every year.

And … the Roundup has come a ways since those first rodeos 70 years ago – besides being the only rodeo in Southern Utah approved by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the Dixie Roundup has found new ways to kick up that dirt and thrill audiences.  Last night’s finale was a fine example, bringing in Nitro Circus for a hard and high up-in-the sky demonstration that gave a little competition to the usual crowd-pleasers of munchkins on mutton, bucking broncos, bulls and  fierce turns around the barrels.

While  preparing the field for the motocross event, a part of a ramp being used bounced off the ground and hit Lion’s Club member Chris Larsen, breaking his arm. Larsen’s arm was put into a splint and he was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center. Fellow Lion’s club member Francis Rossbach said Larsen “is home and recovering comfortably.”

Please enjoy our videocast and photo gallery, then pull on your cowboy boots and get on down to the rodeo – you’ve got two nights left, gates open at 6 p.m., rodeo gets underway by 7:30 p.m.

 

(report continues below)

Videocast by Michael Flynn, St. George News

Gates open tonight and Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Dixie Sunbowl. The rodeo starts at 7:30 p.m. Dixie Roundup Rodeo Parade starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, at 200 West and Tabernacle Street, heading east on Tabernacle to 400 West.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery. 

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Twitter: @mflynnSTGN

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2013, all rights reserved.

79th annual Dixie Roundup Rodeo, Dixie Sunbowl, St. George, Utah, Sept. 12, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News
79th annual Dixie Roundup Rodeo, Dixie Sunbowl, St. George, Utah, Sept. 12, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News

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