In the midst of a down economy, ticket sales at this year's Pendleton Round-Up saw a slight decline from 2008.
Over the course of all four days of the rodeo, attendance averaged to about 60 percent of capacity, according to publicity director Carl Culham. That's down from the usual 64 percent, he said, a difference of a little more than 1,000 tickets.
Culham expressed optimism over those counts, noting organizers weren't sure what to expect as the country continues to feel the effects of a lingering recession.
"I think it's great,"?Culham said. "Especially in these economic times, that's a good thing."
Elsewhere, results were mixed, Culham said. The Saturday concert in the Happy Canyon arena before Round-Up drew more attendees than 2008. And while the crowd size at the first night of Professional Bull Riders in the same arena dropped slightly from last year, turnout for the second night surpassed 2008 levels, he said. But that event is typically a near-sellout most years, Culham said.
As for souvenir sales, Culham said those numbers were markedly up from last year - feeling no apparent effect of a tough economy.
Round-Up directors have characterized this year's event as a success. But at least one mishap occurred on Wednesday of Round-Up week, when a sewage backup - and subsequent overflow - forced an early closure of the Let 'er Buck Room. Round-Up President Randy Severe said last week the bar closed about an hour earlier than usual that day, resulting in a "considerable"?loss of revenue. The blockage may have been caused by a cell phone in the sewer line, he said.
Ticket sales for the 2010 Round-Up are already on pace to smash this year's totals. As of Tuesday afternoon, both the Friday and Saturday rodeo performances for next year are sold out.
Culham called this year's event a "good lead-in to the 100th,"?referring to next year's centennial celebration.
Sign up for our Daily Headlines newsletter
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.