Competitors to round up for annual rodeo in Abbyville

ABBYVILLE, Kan. (AP) - Competitors will round up once again to participate in a rodeo held since the 1960s in a small central Kansas town.

The 53rd annual Abbyville Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo will open Friday night, The Hutchinson News (https://bit.ly/1e5c0f0 ) reported. Between 1,500 and 2,000 people are expected to attend the competition each night this weekend.

The demise of the rodeo and Abbyville, which has a population of around 80, has been predicted several times in the past.

Several years after the rodeo began, the town’s lone school disappeared due to consolidation. It could have made Abbyville a ghost town, said Jeff Welker, president of a local booster club.

“For the rodeo to be going 40 years after the grade school closed is a testament to the community wanting to continue to come together,” he said.

A new pavilion to be used in the rodeo was dedicated Thursday with an informal rope-cutting ceremony. Welker estimates event organizers have paid around $30,000 over the years to rent a large tent to hold rodeo activities.

The pavilion also will be available for use year-round for residents. Residents hope to eventually have a permanent stage installed and bathrooms constructed at the pavilion.

The Abbyville rodeo is a fully sanctioned competition under the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. It’s the town’s largest community event and a source of pride among organizers and residents.

“It’s all geared around family and that’s what keeps it going,” Welker said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun.”

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Information from: The Hutchinson (Kan.) News, https://www.hutchnews.com