Strong turnout at the 2020 Fair and Rodeo

A large crowd gathered in Panaca as the town hosted the 2020 Lincoln County Fair and Rodeo Aug. 11-15. 

This decision, while criticized by some for being held during the current COVID-19 pandemic, reportedly had amazing participation, with Kathy Cook, President of the Lincoln County Fair and Rodeo committee, saying the turnout was “three times as many as the past few years.”

It started on Wednesday the 11th with the queen contestants being judged, with Trinity Brackenbury securing the honor of rodeo queen and Faith Griffin coming in as runner-up. The princess for this year’s fair was Macy Bundy, attended by Kylie Cox and Emma Cole, and the tiny princess was Adlee Robinson, attended by Payton Young.

The next day saw the general public exhibit hall entries coming in, followed by the 4-H entries. There was some concern leading up to the rodeo that there wouldn’t be as much support for the exhibit hall activities due to the fact that many of the exhibits come from the 4-H Club, and they had not had many opportunities to meet up due the pandemic. However, Cook said she had never seen so many entries before.

The vendors came out in force as well, with food trucks coming from as far as Las Vegas and as close as the edge of Panaca. All of them kept the food flowing and the crowds satisfied. Joining this group was the recently opened Tacos Sonora, which brought Mexican cuisine to the roaring crowds of the fair. 

The rodeo started at the end of the day 12th with the cowdog trials that showed off some of the best canine contestants in the county. Thursday saw the public exhibits being judged, as well as the third annual Don Brackenbury Memorial Ranch Horse Challenge, followed by the ranch rodeo. The jackpot barrel racing finished off the night, following a junior livestock clinic.

Friday was full of fun, from team roping to mutton busting. As evening rolled around, the community was welcomed to a dinner courtesy of the FFA and the Lincoln County Farm Bureau, along with some live entertainment from the band Muddy Boots. Finally, the first night of the rodeo proper began with everything from bull riding to bucking broncos, followed by an open dance outside of the exhibit hall.

The last day of the festivities started early with the Just for Kicks 10K and 5K runs just outside of the fairgrounds, put on by Krystal Romans. Not too long after that, the 4-H trap shoot commenced, and while there seemed to be less participants this year, the shooters still had a great time breaking clays. The rest of the day was filled with kids’ crafts and peewee rodeos, and after another concert and dinner, the second night of the rodeo commenced. Finally, one last dance ended the night, bringing the fair and rodeo to a close.