By Ted Harbin//Photo Courtesy of Ted Harbin

The nationwide average price for a gallon of gas is above $4.

The same goes for a gallon of milk. On average, a dozen eggs will cost more than $2, and anyone who eats out will recognize a pinch to the pocketbook.

More dollars spent on daily living leave fewer dollars spent on entertainment. Some rodeos are seeing that; others are not. It depends on many circumstances, but even fans who tune in to television broadcasts have noticed more empty seats.

A PRCA board member asked last week about what I’ve seen regarding audiences at rodeos. All five since early June have seen either status quo or increases, which is a telling sign of how people in those communities are spending their entertainment dollars.

The Big Spring (Texas) Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo saw its biggest attendance in years, maybe ever. That included those brave souls who waded through a rainstorm one night and still had a great time. In Pecos, Texas, three weeks later, the numbers looked about average to slightly up. The remodeled VIP section was a hit.

The Dodge City (Kansas) Roundup Rodeo crowds to kick off August were about normal, thanks in large part to a standing-room-only audience on Saturday night and a near sellout for the Sunday night short round.

Marketing and media relations have been important factors in seeing more attendance, but so has proximity. At Cattlemen’s Days in Gunnison, Colorado, there were a few more people on opening night, and the final night was pretty typical, if not a little down. The turning point was the middle performance, which took place Friday, July 10. There was an after-party that featured a dance in the dirt and a drone show, and there were more bodies at the fairgrounds than they’d ever seen.

That same week, Rooftop Rodeo saw record crowds in Estes Park, Colorado. Rodeo manager Cindy Schonholz said it was a combination of strong marketing and inexpensive tickets. Of the six nights, there were four sellouts. Estes Park hosts 4 million visitors from Memorial Day to Labor Day, so she utilized a mix of old-school posters around town and new-school social media to brand the town with incentives to attend the rodeo.

The price of admission is a huge bonus for rodeos. While concerts and sporting events will range in triple digits per ticket, most rodeos offer seats closer to $20, if not less than $10 for children. In Lovington, New Mexico, last week, gate admission for the Lea County Fair and Rodeo was $10 for adults, $5 for children. Once they are on the grounds, they can enjoy every aspect of the fair, including the world-class rodeo.

When the economy is taking hit after hit, offering people an inexpensive alternative entertainment is good business.