The 55th annual Winner Elks Rodeo will be held July 26, 27 and 28 at the Tripp County Fairgrounds at 7 p.m. each night.

The Winner Elks benefit rodeo won the prestigious South Dakota Rodeo Association reserve rodeo of the year award in 2020.

The rodeo is a benefit for children’s services at LifeScape which serves children statewide from centers in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

This year’s rodeo entertainer is Donnie Landis, PRCA rodeo clown and barrelman from Gooding, Idaho. Donnie turned professional when he was 18 years old. He has worked the NFR two times and also Pendleton, Houston, Reno, Salinas as well as the Calgary Stampede. His family oriented humor will leave the audience in stitches. His vaudeville type stand up walk and talk and timing are the best in the business.

Returning this year is the thrilling event called bull soccer that will be featured each night. A person gets inside a human soccer ball and entices a bucking bull to play soccer.

The rodeo competition begins at 7 p.m. each night with over $30,000 in prize money in all standard events. To add to the excitement is a $1,000 bounty bull each night sponsored by Jorgensen Land and Cattle. There will be a bounty bull all three nights with $1,000 up for grabs each night.

There will be a kids boot scramble each night with two age divisions—4-6 and 7-10.

Rodeo stock is provided by Hollenbeck Rodeo Co., named 2020 stock contractor of the year. The Hollenbecks have been the stock contractor since the first Elks Rodeo in 1969.

Calling the action will be SDRA finals announcer Alan Odden of Ft. Pierre.

Winner Does No. 238 will run the lunch stand serving grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos and soft drinks.

The Elks will have a beer stand. No coolers please.

The rodeo is sanctioned by the SDRA, NRCA, NSRA and M-SRA.

Proceeds from the rodeo go to children’s services at LifeScape which in 2022 served six children from Tripp County, 10 from Mellette County, seven from Jones County, 28 from Lyman County and five from Gregory County.

The rodeo started in 1969 under the leadership of four Winner Elks members—Bill Dillon, Vince Hollenbeck, Dick Kazda and Harold Jans. LifeScape (then Crippled Children’s Hospital and School) had a traveling rehab unit that visited communities across the state providing clinics for children with physical disabilities, mostly polio. In Winner, the clinic was held at the Elks Lodge. The four men were so touched by the

plight of the children and their families and decided to start a fundraising rodeo to help. The event has been held every ear since with the event raising over $265,000 over the years.

Admission at the gate is $12, advanced tickets are $10, kids 10 and under are free.

Advanced tickets can be purchased at BankWest, Zip Trip in Winner from July 22 until 3 p.m. July 26. Each night advanced ticket holders are entered into nightly drawings.