By Jackson Schneider
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — A packed rodeo arena greeted bronc riders and rodeo queens alike at night two of the Junction City Rodeo. The event brought in a near record crowd, with seldom an empty seat surrounding the arena.
With fans cheering and broncs bucking, Rodeo President Darryl Blocker said, "it feels great to be here because we've got a hell of a crowd."
The event, spanning two days brings cowboys and cowgirls from across the state and into the Geary County fairgrounds each year, but fans were more anxious for action than usual, coming off the COVID-19 pandemic. With that, coupled with near perfect weather, Saturday night was one for the ages.
The event saw a new Rodeo Queen coronated, in Natalee Bray, of Scandia, Kansas dawning the crown. Bray gained the crown thanks to several strong performances in horsemanship, speech, photogenics, and modeling, among other categories. She will maintain her title over the next year, until it is awarded to another local young lady.
A somber moment during the rodeo brought tears to even the toughest bull rider's eye, as a riderless horse rounded the fencing in memory of the late Ben Bennett, who was a co-founder of the Junction City Rodeo in 1993, as well as a highly respected public figure. There was also a photograph hung on the west end of the arena to further enshrine a Junction City Rodeo legend.
When asked what the last week has been like, leading up to the Rodeo, Blocker responded with a straightforward answer, "stressful," he said with a grin. ""It's just, getting everything in order, I mean we do the same things every year, but you get new people, and we just gotta keep making things roll."
The 2021 rodeo was an undisputed success and already has fans excited for more; however, the rodeo is just the beginning of a week long celebration of the Geary County Fair, so there's plenty more excitement on the horizon.