WYO Winter Rodeo moving to fairgrounds for 2023

SHERIDAN (WNE) — The WYO Winter Rodeo will move to the Sheridan County Fairgrounds for the 2023 event set for Feb. 18.
Sheridan County Travel and Tourism Executive Director Shawn Parker said the event has proven extremely popular, bringing more than 10,000 people to the downtown area for the competition that has taken place on Broadway Street in years past.
Parker said those 10,000 people moved freely throughout downtown and patronized the breweries, restaurants, shops and other businesses throughout the day. Even when the actual skijoring competition was canceled due to not enough snow or warm weather, thousands of visitors came to Sheridan to partake in the surrounding events, he added.
Now, the WYO Winter Rodeo crew will see if the event has the same community impact when based at the fairgrounds.
Beyond the weather challenges organizers face in planning a snow-based event, Parker said the fairgrounds seats around 4,500 people and past years have shown higher demand than that for attendees. While demand to attend the event may be high, Parker said it will remain free for the public to attend.
Parker said organizers essentially break even on the event each year, and seek only to provide a fun winter activity that draws tourism to the area and therefore boosts businesses in an otherwise slower time of year.
 
This story was published on Nov. 22, 2022.