Rodeo is back, rain or shine

MANAWA – After the historic flooding and dam breach last summer, the Manawa Mid-Western Rodeo was forced to cancel their events, only holding one show on Thursday night.
The cancellation was a devastating loss for the Manawa Lions Club, as well as to the city as a whole as the iconic rodeo would have to wait another year to host it.
Instead of rodeo goers, the Mid-Western Rodeo grounds opened to first responders that were in the city helping to assist with the disaster relief, providing food and water, as well as providing water to Manawa residents.
After a year, the rodeo is buzzing and ready to open their doors and bring back this historic tradition in Manawa.
Annette Ziebell, co-chairman of the Mid-Western Rodeo, is ready for the rodeo to return.

“It’s our comeback year,” Ziebell said. “Get your tickets early.”
Rachael Holzschuh, another co-chairman of the Mid-Western Rodeo, is also excited to get the rodeo underway.
“Yes, it’s our comeback year, because last year was quite literally a dam bust,” Holzschuh said.
The rodeo had what Ziebell calls a “rainy day fund,” which she said was completely wiped out and then some.
Last year the Friday and Saturday shows were completely sold out, with the cancellation Ziebell said the rodeo refunded all tickets and made good on all contracts that were in place to ensure everyone was happy and would return the following year.
The first night will be July 3 with the family night rodeo starting at 7:30 p.m. There will also be live music after the performance with the band DAM Country.
Friday night, July 4, is military appreciation night, with active military and veterans receiving free admission to the military reserved seating area, a military identification or American Legion membership card is required at the point of purchase.
The Friday night show will begin at 7:30 p.m. and guests are encouraged to wear red, white and blue, with live music from the 308s to follow.
Saturday starts with the Stampede, followed by the parade, then two rodeo performances at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The stampede is an annual fund raiser for the Little Wolf River Trail Organization in Manawa and money raised goes for the upkeep of the trails throughout the city.
To sign up go to www.active.com, as this is a timed and chipped race.
The race begins at 7:30 a.m. and people can run either a 5K or 10K.
Call 920-596-3397 for more information or visit their Facebook at Manawa Trails.
The rodeo parade begins at 10 a.m. where parade participants leave from the high school and go through downtown.
The vender and food stands will open at 11:30 a.m. as well as the start of Sizzling Sonny’s Rocking Road Show DJ service.
The first show Saturday will be the Family Day show starting at 2 p.m. and the 7:30 p.m. show is themed “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” with rodeo guests encouraged to wear pink.
Following the night performance will be music entertainment from Blame it on Waylon.
One thing that will change for this year is that the rodeo will not be having a fireworks show, Ziebel said, due to not only the expense, but for the welfare of the animals at the show.
“We have the bucking horses and the bulls, we don’t want them getting out,” Holzschuh said. “Nobody wants them running through town.”
There are some livestock that will stand in their trailers and tremble, and some that are not bothered at all, Ziebell said, citing the safety of the livestock is of the utmost importance.
Pete Ziebell, who passed away in July 2024, will also be honored at this year’s rodeo with a memorial saddle that will be given to the top winner in two events that win the most money.
Pete was a chairman at the rodeo for over 20 years and a huge presence during the event, which made honoring him an easy decision for rodeo staff.
Tickets are all being sold online at www.rodeotickets.com. It is the best place to buy them as that is the true ticket price as other sites will hike the price up.
The link to the ticket site is a direct link from their website, www.manawarodeo.org.
Ziebell encourages rodeo guests to come at least an hour early.
With the rain this summer being so plentiful the rodeo is ready for whatever the weather has to throw at them.
With the drain tile that was put in the arena ahead of the 2024 rodeo it meant that the arena held during the historic rain falls and flooding, Ziebell said, had the city not been shut down they would have been able to hold a show that Friday night.
Holzschuh said they are also ready with ponchos to sell, but hope they won’t need to.