20th annual Silver City rodeo kicks off

Here come the cowboys. They're from New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Wyoming and California. Professional rodeo riders from all over the West will ride into Silver City today to take part in Silver City's 20th annual Southwest Horseman's Association PRCA Rodeo. "Rodeo is a major part of Silver City's heritage," said organizer Pat Bearup. "It's also a cultural thing all over the West. There's been a rodeo in Grant County for the past 100 years." Bearup is chairman of the rodeo for the Southwest Horseman's Association and vice president of the association, and has been organizing the rodeo for the past five years. It takes a year of planning, a core group of about 10, and about 100 volunteers to plan and pull off each year's rodeo, he said. "We couldn't do it without them.". About 10,000 people will come to the rodeo over the next four days. They'll come from all over the Southwest - and from further - with about half being from the Southwest region. Money raised goes to putting on next year's rodeo, making capital improvements to the arena and to charitable donations...more