This summer I am planning an Independence Day date with a 94-year-old and a few after dinner rendezvous with a 75-year-old. And I truly am excited about them.

You see, I am not just some opportunist hoping to weasel her way into an inheritance a la Anna Nicole Smith. Nope, the old timers I am referring to are the Cody Stampede and the Cody Nite Rodeo.

The Cody Stampede dates back to 1919. It has twice been named the “Best Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year” by PRCA. This four-day event attracts the top cowboys in the world as they compete in all of the disciplines like bull riding, roping and buying fine Western jewelry for their favorite bloggers. Okay, I made that last one up, but I will say that I am partial to turquoise and anyone who wants to know my ring size can send me a private e-mail.

In addition to the rodeo events, my favorite Fourth of July activity is watching the parade. In Cody, it is not just any parade. Our grand marshals have included a few people you might have heard of. How about John Wayne, Chuck Yeager and Steven Seagal?

The Cody Nite Rodeo is celebrating its 75^th anniversary this year. Every night from June 1 to September 1 – except during the Cody Stampede –visitors fill the stands as they watch up-and-coming cowboys and cowgirls compete for real prize money in riding, roping and racing.

The Nite Rodeo is the only rodeo in the country operating seven nights a week in the summer. The rodeo grounds are located east of town and feature views of the Shoshone River, Heart Mountain and Buffalo Bill’s secret grave. There are also some thermal features nearby that inspired the term “Colter’s Hell.”

This summer is shaping up to be another season of great rodeo. I hope to see you at the rodeo in Buffalo Bill’s Cody/Yellowstone Country!

                                                                                              Corrie N. Cody

Blog post – Week of May 6

 Over the weekend I sat down at my kitchen table with my dry erase board and magic markers and began filling in my calendar. Yes, I know there are all of these high-tech methods of setting up programs with reminders and priority flags and color coding, but I just prefer my white board on the front of the refrigerator.

 Anyway, summer is almost here, and several of my favorite acts and attractions in Cody/Yellowstone Country are opening for the season in the next month or so.

 This weekend the town will host our Annual Buffalo Bill Top Notch Horse Sale. On Saturday we will close down the street at the Irma Hotel and set up a corral as close to 100 horses are bought and sold.

 From May 15-19 is our first Spring Into Yellowstone festival. This will be a great opportunity for folks to learn about and observe some the local wildlife, especially the birds of the area. I am planning on spending equal time in the seminars listening to some of our wildlife experts and out in the field putting some of that newfound knowledge to use.

 On May 17 Dan Miller’s Cowboy Music Revue opens for the season. Led by the handsome Dan Miller (don’t tell Dan’s wife I said that, but he is a bit of a hottie), the Empty Saddles Band performs every night starting at 8 p.m. except for Sundays through September. Every summer he puts together a different show and I always enjoy listening to the cowboy music, poetry, jokes and stories. I love watching this show in the neat art deco Cody Theatre on mainstreet.

 On June 1, things really shift into gear as three popular attractions get going.

 The Cody Nite Rodeo kicks off the season and will feature cowboys and cowgirls competing for prize money in riding, roping and racing each night until August 31 – except during the Cody Stampede. Ours is the only rodeo in the country operating seven nights a week in the summer, and it’s been in business for 75 years making it the longest-operating rodeo in the world!

 The Cody Gunfighters will begin their nightly – except for Sundays – performances in the street next to the Irma Hotel June 1 as well. This group of not-so-scary outlaws and lawmen put on a lighthearted skit featuring inept crooks who try to pull a fast one on some unsuspecting yahoo – often an Easterner – but the sheriff saves the day. My favorite part of the show is the message beforehand stressing gun safety to the kids in the audience. One other thing I want to say – nobody really gets hurt in these skits.

 At the Cody Cattle Company, the Triple C Cowboys Band will begin its nightly performances as people enjoy the Western buffet. The buffet is served from 5:30-8 p.m., and the music starts at 6:30 p.m. The Cody Cattle Company is open to mid-September.

 And those are just the attractions opening in the next four weeks. I’ll let you know about more later.

 I might need a bigger white board.

 Until next time, I’m loving life in Buffalo Bill’s Cody/Yellowstone Country!

Corrie N. Cody

The things that happen in the back yard of Buffalo Bill’s Cody/Yellowstone Country that you didn’t even know are astounding.

 The other day I came across a book called Dude Ranching, a Complete History by Lawrence R. Borne. While I have not received the book yet (an online company named after either a South American river or a society of strong women is supposed to send it my way), I did learn a few things.

 The term “dude” did not come from California to describe surfers. Rather, it was coined back in the 1870s by rangers from our own Yellowstone National Park to describe any visitor from the East. Over the course of the next few decades that term was applied specifically to people who hired guides in the West.

 Most of these guests came to hunt and to live the life of a Westerner, even if it only was for a few weeks at a time. They typically camped at night by a fire or pitched tents on the range.

 Not all of the dudes roughed it, however. Many of us here have heard the story of the time Buffalo Bill Cody guided a group of wealthy New Yorkers who weren’t the least bit interested in a dinner of beans by the campfire. No, these dudes brought their own French chefs as well as waiters who set up a dining tent each night, complete with tablecloths and fine china and silverware.

 Later, the dudes came out and were guests at cattle ranches where they often helped out or just enjoyed our famous Western hospitality. Many ranchers soon learned that there was good money charging Easterners to sleep in their bunkhouses and work their ranches.

 As the automobile became the preferred way to travel, dude ranches truly became popular. Today we tend to refer to them as guest ranches, and we certainly have our share in this area.

 In the East Yellowstone Valley on the road between Cody and the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park are 10 properties that make great bases for visiting Cody and Yellowstone National Park as well as destinations for enjoying fishing, horseback riding and simply getting away from the general public.

 Between Cody and the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park along the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway are three more ranches.

 These guest ranches (stay one or more nights) and dude ranches (minimum stay is a week) offer spectacular scenery and plenty of privacy. Most are focused on horseback riding, and some other fun, family activities such as fishing or tubing down a creek.

 If the tubing is too tame, you can always try bringing your surfboard, dude.

 Until next time, I’m living the dream in Buffalo Bill’s Cody/Yellowstone Country! 

Corrie N. Cody

Seems like all I hear these days is what’s happening on Game of Thrones. While I have nothing against television shows featuring dragons and nasty little kings, my favorite show is to watch the progress of the snow plows as they make their way into Yellowstone Park.

First, let’s back up a little. As I told you a couple of weeks ago, the National Park Service (NPS) announced that it would delay plowing roads by two weeks as part of a budget-cutting plan because of sequestration. Instead of just allowing that to happen, some folks around here decided to take action and contacted the state of Wyoming. In short time a deal was worked out where the state would supply plowing equipment and crews if the town could raise the money to cover expenses.

Under the leadership of our Chamber of Commerce, the town raised $100,000 in only five working days. The plows are now working their way from the East Gate up Sylvan Pass while NPS plows are heading from Lake Village toward our crews.

The fun part for me is that I like to watch their progress. From Monday through Thursday the crews work 10-hour shifts. From Tuesday through Friday, NPS updates their progress on its web site at http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/plowing.htm. The map shows the locations of the plows as well as which roads are already open and which still need to be cleared.

If you want to see the crews and equipment themselves, there are photos available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/yellowstonenps/sets/72157633095213729/.

Even with some recent snowfalls, the crews are making great progress. At this time of year there is always a chance of snow accumulating in the higher elevations like Sylvan Pass, but I am confident that the road inside the park will open on schedule May 3.

Thanks to the crews, our own knights in armor.

Until next time, I’ll be watching the progress of those snow plows here in Buffalo Bill’s Yellowstone Country!

 Corrie N. Cody

I have grown up around cowboys and rodeo my whole life.  My father made a living as a bull rider in his younger days.  There were always cowboys around our house.  I would wake up and mom would be fixing breakfast for dad and his rodeo buddies.

There’s still nothing I like better than to be in those rodeo stands, hotdog in one hand, cold drink in the other, and cheering on those tough cowboys and cowgirls.  When I say tough, I mean tough!  I can’t imagine climbing on to back of one of those bucking bulls or broncs.  I hold my breath, watching, hoping those cowboys stay on for eight seconds.  I get chills when those huge bulls come at them or those kicking horses hooves get close when the ride is done.

Then there’s the steer wrestling.  Cowboys jumping off their horse and grabbing the horns of a running steer to wrestle it to the ground.  I wonder how many pair of boots they go through in a season, digging their heels in to the dirt to bring them to a stop.

I watch in awe as steers, calves and even goats are roped from the back of a running horse.  I’ve never seen hands move so fast as they tie those animals for the quickest time.

And what about the cowgirls?  Galloping full speed on the back of a horse around three barrels in a figure eight pattern and bringing that horse home as fast as it can run!  I love cheering those girls on and imagining what it would be like if it were me down in that arena.

Lucky for me, I live in Cody, where I get to see rodeos all summer long.  Cody is the “Rodeo Capital of the World” with a nightly rodeo starting June 1st and going all summer through August 31st.  The Cody Nite Rodeo is the longest running nightly rodeo in the country!

If you haven’t had the chance yet, come to Cody and help me cheer on those cowboys and cowgirls at the Cody Nite Rodeo.  It’s a thrill you won’t want to miss!

Until next time, I’m shining up my new boots and gettin’ ready to cheer here in Buffalo Bill’s Cody/Yellowstone Country!

          Corrie N. Cody