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Sikeston Jaycee rodeo gives community economic boost
SIKESTON — While many people enjoy watching the events and entertainment at the 72nd Annual Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo, the rodeo’s importance to the community cannot also not be overstated.
According to Sikeston Jaycee Noah Curtis, who is the rodeo advertisement chairman, during rodeo week, Sikeston can directly trace back $8 million in economic impact to the regional area.
During rodeo week, attendees pack the town’s restaurants, hotels and shops.
“The Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo is a community institution that has grown alongside Sikeston over the last 70 years to become one of Southeast Missouri’s premier events,” Curtis said.
Every year, thousands of rodeo fans flock to Sikeston for four nights in August.
Taylor Deere, membership and program director for the Sikeston Regional Chamber, said she believes it is critical for the business community to understand the Sikeston rodeo’s tremendous economic impact on the town.
“People are filling up our hotels and eating in our restaurants, plus the rodeo itself utilizes local vendors and resources, all boosting our local economy,” Deere said. “Being aware of that is something I’ve really learned since working with the chamber.”
Curtis agreed.
“If you drive by Lambert’s Cafe any day this week, you will see that it is packed,” Curtis said. “If you drive by Walmart, you will see that it is packed. Every business in Sikeston profits during this time. That’s where a lot of that $8 million in economic impact goes back to all the shops here in town.”
Deere also added: “Yes, the rodeo is fun; and yes, we get to see top rodeo talent and amazing concerts—but it’s also an event that has shaped and continues to shape our community.”
The Sikeston Jaycees are a group of young community members who share the goal of making Sikeston and its surroundings a better place, according to Curtis.
As a volunteer organization, the Jaycees work on a variety of projects throughout the year to raise funds to support charities and non-profit organizations, he said.
The Sikeston Jaycees are notable for having one of the most significant economic impacts in the region, as well as hosting one of the region’s largest and most well-known events, the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo, Curtis pointed out.
“We alone bring in about $1 million over four days, in which case, we donate that out,” Curtis said. “We donate all the profit out; we don’t net a million; we gross it.
Curtis continued: “The money that we profit from the rodeo goes straight into donations. It cost about a million dollars to put a rodeo on, but we actually make about $1.2 million and then we donate that $200,000 out.”
The Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo began on Sept. 17-20, 1953, and has since grown into a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, or PRCA, event in the region.
“Not only do local residents and the community enjoy the rodeo, but the professional cowboys enjoy coming here,” Curtis said.