09/21/2026
LONG READ:
~Mid-States Rodeo Association ~
 If you ever wondered what the greatest sport in the world is? There’s a real quick answer …RODEO
Have you ever wondered what amateur rodeo Association is the best in the country, has the best Board of directors , cares about its members, committees, volunteers, family, and friends? Well, there’s a real quick answer to that too!
MID-STATES RODEO ASSOCIATION
I can assure you this weekend at our year-end finals will be one that everyone will remember for the rest of our Rodeo careers.
Our Mid-States Rodeo Association year end finals was held in Hastings Nebraska at the Adams County Fairgrounds. This facility is fantastic! The committee and the board are wonderful people who graciously host our finals and work endlessly to try to make it the best weekend of our entire summer. I know I will miss someone so bare with me. HUGE SHOUT OUT AND THANK YOU to Patrick, Curtis, Seth, Will, Dwight, Molly, Jenny, Andrea, Grace, They are dedicated individuals and we’re thankful to have them in our corner. They work tirelessly to try and make a weekend for families to come and enjoy the pop-up shops, the meals that are prepped, activities for the kids, hosting a special Olympics event, and even a goat roping for our contestants, their kids & families to attend and finally relax, have fun, enjoy each other one last weekend as we get ready to kick off the end of our rodeo season. 
This weekend, was one that we will never soon forget. Our entire Rodeo congregation checked in on Friday afternoon, prepared for the weekend finals and we had a great evening to start off the Rodeo. During the middle of the Barrel racing mother nature decided to turn the table and test our dedication to this sport.
Monsoon rains that literally came in sheets from every direction and some wind behind it, made things difficult and seemingly unbearable . Our contestants, judges, volunteers, and everyone in between stayed hooked to finish the performance.
As everyone woke up the next morning, our first thought was we needed to check on arena conditions. After much talk, and I do mean hours and hours of talk, the board of directors, the Adams County Fairgrounds board and contestants gathering, we knew we had to make a decision and it wasn’t going to be an easy one.
For the safety of all contestants & their animals, we made the decision to cancel the Saturday performance and relocate to a new venue for the Sunday Performance.
To my knowledge, in the history of this association, this has never been done.
We made a few phone calls and were graciously met with the comment
“whatever you need” by the Webster County Fairboard in Bladen.
We made a flying trip to check the condition of the Rodeo grounds at Bladen and within minutes knew that this was an option.
We made a flying trip back to Hastings, gathered our Board of Directors,  made a few phone calls, made the decision to relocate and try to make this work for our final performance on Sunday.
Sunday morning, an elite group of our
M-SRA board, along with some friends & family loaded up just after daylight and headed to Bladen.
When we arrived at Bladen, the Webster County Fairgrounds committee had worked their tails off that night when we left to prepare that fairgrounds for the Sunday Performance.
They welcomed us with open arms, and they will never understand how truly grateful we are for them❤️
With a small army, we set up holding pens for the timed event Cattle, and massive back pens for all of the bucking stock.
Skid steer, trailer loads of panels, freestanding panels, and I’m guessing probably 30 of us knew we had a job to do, work as a team, divide and conquer! Everyone put their nose to the grindstone!!
Within four hours, we had absolutely everything ready to go and were ready for that Rodeo.
I have a long list of people I want to thank and I will never get them all listed because I know I’ll miss someone.
Thank you to Hastings board and the entire Adams County fairgrounds for being patient, for sitting down with us for hours of discussion trying to make the right decision. This Fairboard went above and beyond on Sunday because THEY WANTED TO SEE US SUCCEED ! Thank you Molly Johnson for helping put together a concession stand last minute for all of our contestants and spectators. Huge shout out to Seth Anderson, for the skid steer and use of panels. Thank you to Grace, who helped run the sorting pens, to Dwight, Will and everyone else who I knew was there from that Hastings board for lending a hand and pitching in in a tough situation. You all are one of a kind.💗
Thank you to the Webster County Fairgrounds in Bladen and part of their committee Troy, Darren & crew for taking us in! You will never ever understand how truly grateful I am for you all, our conversation that evening, the next morning, throughout the Rodeo, and afterwards getting to really visit with all of you. Something I will never ever take for granted and I’m so grateful for your help and support.
Thank you you to my friend Monte Williams, our Announcer of The Year and his wife Deann for picking up at a moments notice, after a very late night, phone call and making the trip to announce Sunday’s performance.
Thank you to Cooper and Wendell Brott for doing our Calcutta on Friday night and allowing us to use your speaker system on Sunday.
 Thank you to Jill Hudson, Kelsy Boots, Patty, Tiffany, Deb & Kaye, for being in the office, working diligently to help us prep, keep things flowing and helping Bailey.
THANK YOU to our association secretary Bailey Bender! I don’t think anyone fully understands the dynamic of being the secretary of an entire Association. Bailey has put her heart and soul into keeping books straight, standings updated , dealing with committees, contestants, board members and had to deal with more this year than any secretary has ever before.
She’s meticulous, steadfast, focused and she was tested, bent, and brought to her knees with many tears of frustration this year with situations she had to take head on and we are so lucky to have her.  she is fearless, Strong and I guarantee you I have seen it and she will stand up for what’s right and she did this weekend! Thank you, Bailey from the bottom of my heart, I love ya young lady!💕
Thank you to our ENTRY LINE, Tyson Larson for doing a fantastic job this year, your guidance during call-ins & call backs is second to none. 
EVERY SINGLE CONTESTANT, from nearly 10 different states picked up, loaded up and made the 30 minute trip to Bladen to compete on Sunday and I can’t thank all of you enough!
THANK YOU to our stock contractors!
THANK YOU to Boe Colman, Taylor Davis for keeping things rolling on the timed event, and at the bucking chutes.
THANK YOU - Buck Moon, Ira Spanel, Rick Buoy for judging our finals, and
withstanding torrential conditions Friday and sticking with it, you guys are wonderful individuals and I’m grateful for all of you.
THANK YOU to the entire board of directors, for being patient, understanding and giving us time to try and sort things out and make the right decision along with being steadfast and resilient when we were in limbo, trying to figure out our next move for the sake of over 100 contestants, stock and the well-being of all of it. I can honestly say I’ve never felt more confident with a group of people and their dedication and commitment to make the longevity of Rodeo and the contestants they’re number one priority.
THANK YOU a million times over & to the moon and back, to the one person who stood by me through all of it.
From the encouraging comments, the backlash and everything in between, Spencer Sinner, I am so grateful for you and our friendship. You are humble, hard-working, down to Buisiness and I will be eternally grateful.
Thank you to all of the families and people who gathered and made the trip to our finals. you all make it possible for us, the committees and your support and encouragement is unwavering.
When things got tough, WE pulled together, ALL OF US!
CONGRATULATIONS to all of our
“of-the-year” award winners.
Congratulations to all of our year-end champions in every event!
I’ve never been more proud to say that I am just a mere member of the best damn amateur Rodeo association in the world!
Thank you,
Pam Hollenbeck - M-SRA President


