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 / Modified feb 24, 2025 5:54 p.m.

100 years of Rodeo: La Fiesta de los Vaqueros marks a century in Tucson

Step into the arena: an audio postcard from the centennial celebration.
by Katya Mendoza

Rodeo Cowboy Slack-day team roping at the Tucson Rodeo on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
Katya Mendoza, AZPM News

This year, Tucson celebrated 100 years of La Fiesta de los Vaqueros.

Established in 1925, the event was imagined by Leighton Kramer, a man who had come out west for the dry climate. He aimed to attract his friends and tourists to the wild west and raise money for his polo club.

Events like steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding and calf roping have only grown in popularity and competitors from around the world– including Australia, Canada, and Brazil– who come to compete for a prize money.

Sam Merriman 2-18 VIEW LARGER Chairman of the Tucson Rodeo, Sam Merriman, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
Katya Mendoza, AZPM News

Sam Merriman, Chairman of the Rodeo says that this year’s centennial theme honors the cultures that shaped the region.

This feature story is presented as an audio postcard, capturing the sounds and voices during a Slack Day.

Rodeo Horse VIEW LARGER A horse at the Tucson Rodeo on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
Katya Mendoza, AZPM News
MORE: Animals, Arizona, Culture, News Feature, Tourism, Tucson
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