BELLE FOURCHE—The anticipation leading up to the Black Hills Roundup Rodeo is exciting as the community waits for the PRCA rodeo, carnival, fireworks, parade and all of the other activities that go along with the Fourth of July celebration. But in the blink of an eye, it’s all over, everyone packs up and heads out just as fast as they came. But in that very short time period, some of the most amazing things happen.
The 107th Black Hills Roundup marked the first time ever that the PRCA performances on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of July were all sold out. All of the assigned seating was gone. This year, the committee tried something different: standing-room-only tickets. “We tried something new—kind of like the NFR does—they sell tickets that are standing room only. We advertised that we were sold out, but then we sold a few tickets that were standing room only. If people made the attempt to walk all the way down here, we went ahead and sold them a ticket to come in and stand,” explained Bill Eastman, Chairman Roundup Committee. “They were standing under the VIP area and we just told them if there’s an empty seat up in the crowd, you can go fill in, unless somebody shows up with a ticket. So I think we did very well.”
There was a new setup behind the grandstands that housed a big screen that played the rodeo performances live. There were chairs and tables for people to get comfortable at and enjoy the event. “We had a big screen TV over by the stage, so attendees could watch it from over there too,” said Brenda Whetham, Secretary Roundup Committee.
During the last performance on the afternoon of the Fourth of July, Jake Finlay set a new arena record in the saddle bronc riding with a score of 90.5 points on a Championship Pro Rodeo horse, Rebel Yell. The arena record had been 90 points and was tied last year by Waitley Sharon, Ordway, CO, and in both 2023 and 2024 by Sage Newman, who scored a 90-point ride each year.
In the barrel racing, another arena record was set. After the ground had been run on all week, Kim Squires turned in a record-breaking run of 17.03 on the last day. The ground held up. “The weather was unbelievably good. We got a little bit of rain during the week, but we didn’t get some of the big storms that the Fourth of July brings us, so we were very fortunate there, but we know the ground was actually good,” said Eastman. “We actually brought in Dave Brandt to work our ground, he’s very well loved by the barrel racing world because he’s so good at what he does. We’re very happy to have brought him, and we’d like to make sure that he knows he’s welcome back every year!”
After four rodeos and slack, the ground was still good enough to set the arena record on the last run of the rodeo. “It was perfect. I just talked to the guy that did the ground work, and he said he couldn’t ask for anything better than when the first barrel racer and the last barrel racer to go actually win—he said that’s a ground man’s dream,” said Whetham.
Having the crowd involved in the rodeo experience makes the performances fun. “The crowd participation was awesome throughout all performances including the ranch rodeo. . .I thought today was awesome because it was America’s 250th—what a wonderful day to spend at a rodeo, especially the Black Hills Roundup,” shared Eastman. “Troop 200 out of Kentucky came here, and they had a 30-foot by 50-foot American flag that we had them bring out in the middle of the arena and stretch it out with first responders and veterans…And then we did the Pledge of Allegiance—Steve Goedert, one of our fine announcers, is a veteran and so what a wonderful guy to start the Pledge of Allegiance. After he said a few words, he shut up, and the crowd took over—it was touching—emotional.”
As many people know, the Fourth of July run is called Cowboy Christmas and the cowboys and cowgirls try to get to as many rodeos as they can. The Black Hills Roundup Rodeo paid out a total of $182,885 in prize money as top contestants traveled through Belle Fourche during this busy rodeo week.
Even though the Black Hills Roundup is a big event, it is held in a rather small town where everyone is willing to help each other out. And on the Fourth of July, they did just that. “We had some great cowboys out today, and we had some cowboys that were in a hurry—like every Fourth of July—there are a lot of rodeos to get to,” explained Eastman. “So, the Sheriff’s Department brought down their paddy wagon, and we loaded up five cowboys in there as soon as they got off their saddle bronc horse, they all jumped in there, and the Sheriff’s Department gave them a ride to the airport, so they could get onto the next rodeo fast!”
Without a host of sponsors, the Black Hills Roundup couldn’t happen. “If it wasn’t for our sponsorship, we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing,” said Eastman. “It’s very expensive to put on this whole deal, from a carnival to a parade to fireworks to four nights of rodeo and then a ranch rodeo—it’s very expensive, and so our sponsorships pay for a great portion of that, and we are so very thankful for them—very, very thankful!”
The same thing is true for the large amount of volunteers it takes to put the Roundup together. “I would like to reiterate how appreciative I am of all of the people that come forward and help. The chairman’s duties are a tiny, little portion, but I’m so appreciative to know that we have so much support within the community and the surrounding area and beyond,” said Eastman. “Thank you to the City of Belle Fourche for their support and dedicated commitment to making this celebrated week so inviting, to all of our specialty acts, to all of our stock contractors with timed events and rough stock, to definitely all of the volunteers that did this for free, also the many Veterans and First Responders for their service to this community and this great country. We appreciated having such a great group available to be honored in the parade and Rodeo on the 4th of July. The BHR Team is very thankful for all the Queens that helped make this week so memorable…thank you!”
If anyone is still in the Black Hills Roundup Rodeo spirit, the 2026 Black Hills Roundup poster is still available. The profit from the poster funds the Black Hills Roundup Foundation, which raises money for various charitable organizations and also provides college scholarships. For $30, you can get a souvenir to remind you of all the fun memories of the 107th Black Hills Roundup Rodeo. You can purchase them on the Black Hills Roundup website.
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