By Robert Lang
When my kids were little back in the early 2000s, I was looking for interesting places to take my family, as we had already been to all of the local zoos and parks in the area. I picked up a Family Fun Guide at the local supermarket and saw a listing for a rodeo in southern New Jersey. I had never been to a rodeo before and thought it sounded fun but was apprehensive, since this was New Jersey, how good could this rodeo really be?
That summer my family and I drove two hours on a Saturday night to attend our very first rodeo. Once we exited the highway, I started to understand why New Jersey is called the Garden State as sod farms and ranches were more common than strip malls and highways. We pulled into the parking lot and were surprised at the size of the event complex. In addition to the rodeo arena, there was also a flea market and a farmers market, which is open a few times a week. Parking is free and tailgating is encouraged!
We bought our tickets and joined the crowd. At 7:30 after the grand entry, prayer, and Star Spangled Banner we watched bareback riding saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling (my favorite event), tie-down roping, team roping, barrel racing, and bull riding. It was amazing! The experience was complete with a wise-cracking clown, a professional announcer, and a trick roper who performed at halftime. People of all ages were in attendance from families with young children to senior citizens who were out for the evening. It seems this may have been a weekly ritual for some of the local families. After the Mutton Busting, the rodeo wrapped up by 10 pm, even though it seemed as if we just got started.
That was the beginning of a summer tradition for our family and we attended as many times as we could each year after this.
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Cowtown Rodeo
- It is the longest-running weekly rodeo in the United States, taking place in New Jersey, just 8 miles from the border of Delaware. The rodeo occurs every Saturday night from May to September, rain or shine. This year marks the 68th consecutive year and is the only professional weekly rodeo in all of New Jersey!
- Cowtown wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the Harris Family. Cowtown has been owned by the Harris family since 1929. It was started by Howard Harris Sr. as an event during the Salem County Fair. It ran until 1938 when it was suspended during World War II and started again in 1955. Grant Harris started entering the professional competition at the age of 14, getting his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association card at the age of 17. He was the Northeast Circuit Saddle Bronc Champion in 1975, 1977 & 1978. Over the years, Cowtown Rodeo has developed its own bucking and roping stock programs for the rodeo.
- Cowtown was first broadcasted on live television in 1957 and 1958 on a local ABC affiliate out of Philadelphia
- The rodeo is part of the First Frontier Circuit which includes most of the northeast United States. Cowboys and cowgirls competing at Cowtown have an opportunity to win money that counts toward advancing to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December.
- Visitors are greeted by a large fiberglass cow painted bright red, and a muffler man turned cowboy. The cow has been at Cowtown since the 1940s but was replaced in the1 980s. The Cowtown cowboy is a former muffler man from a local Dodge dealer outfitted as a cowboy and stands over 20ft tall.
It seems impossible that there should be a historic rodeo of this caliber equidistant between New York City and Washington DC. Most people that I have spoken to over the years have never even heard of it. If they have, many are not interested in attending a rodeo but if you are anything like us and are looking for good family fun and a true American sport, you will not be disappointed spending your Saturday night at Cowtown. Pack up your cooler, bring your chairs, and tailgate in the parking lot before stepping into an iconic part of cowboy history. Plan to cheer, laugh, and only think of looking at your phone to take some photos. All the details can be found at, Cowtownrodeo.com/ and come to “The Greatest Show on Dirt!”.
Captions
Image 1: Welcome to Cowtown Rodeo! A welcome sign as you pull into the parking lot of the Cowtown Event Complex.
Image 2: The iconic “Cowtown Cowboy”. Standing at over 20ft tall, this statue was used as an advertisement for a muffler shop before its new home at Cowtown Rodeo.
Image 3: Along with the Cowtown Cowboy, the Cowtown Cow also stands out in front of the Cowtown Event Complex.
Images 4 & 10: The grand entry of the event. This is where the sponsor flags come in along with a trail of contestants that plan to compete that day.
Image 6: Steer wrestling at Cowtown Rodeo.
Image 7: Team roping at Cowtown Rodeo. Credit to Keith J. Fisher Photography | www.keithjfisher.com
Image 8: The announcer stand at Cowtown Rodeo. Credit to Keith J. Fisher Photography | www.keithjfisher.com
Image 9: Saddle Bronc at Cowtown Rodeo. Credit to Keith J. Fisher Photography | www.keithjfisher.com
