LYMAN — Valley residents and visiting cowboys and their families traditionally strap on their chaps, don their western hats and boots and bring the ‘Wild West’ to life at the Bridger Valley Pioneer Ranch Rodeos each summer in late July.

An old cowboy once said, that ‘times sure do change whether you live in town or out on the range.’

The Bridger Valley Pioneer Days Rodeo Committee has decided, because of the restrictions that are in place and the safety of the community, we will cancel the rodeo events this year.

As a committee, we will again be meeting in January with our eyes on July 2021 and bringing back the Pioneer Days Rodeo celebration.

(Editor’s Note: As reported before – The rodeos for the Pioneer Days celebration must “undisputably be the oldest (rodeo) celebration” in Wyoming Hickey said.

For the Bridger Valley area, Hickey said rodeos have been around a long time. A rodeo was held in 1854 in Robertson at Fort Supply as the first Pioneer Day celebration. Lyman started hosting its rodeos in the early 1900s.)

Over all of these years, we have been honored to have such great community support for these western events. There is noting like this ranch rodeo where many of the teams are made up of three generations or just families. There have been many times we have had over 700 in the kids’ animal chases. This celebration brings our whole community together, just as old time celebrations did.

We have been so honored by the quality of young women who have tried out to be our queens. Their ages have ranged from four to 18.

The Town of Lyman has always been a great host and help with this rodeo event, and we thank them.

As a committee, we recommend everyone goes on a family trip, camp out or pack trip that we haven’t done because we were at the Pioneer celebration to honor our pioneers.

As a cowboy once said about a cattle drive from Texas to Wyoming, “Those were days never to be forgotten.” Everyone can make these days for their families as days never to be forgotten.