Abilene man is long-time rodeo volunteer
Abilene, Kan. (July 24, 2024) – For the past four decades, Sid Hammond has been a committee member with the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo in Abilene.
It was in 1985 that he began his affiliation with the rodeo.
The rodeo had been produced by the fair board, but it was failing. That year, fair board member Joyce Romberger came to Hammond and another saddle club member, Bruce Kogler, asking for their help in rejuvenating it.
Romberger told Hammond and Kogler “if we don’t do something to improve and turn this rodeo around, we’re going to lose it,” Hammond remembers.
Kenny Chase and Dan Coup were added to the group, and the men worked to turn it around.
Their biggest obstacle was funding. The rodeo didn’t have the prize money needed to attract contestants. The fair board hadn’t sold sponsorships for the rodeo, so the men approached potential sponsors, raising money so prize money could be increased.
The committee was expanded to include Roger Watts and Don Nebelsick, among others.
Hammond had always been interested in rodeo.
He grew up on a farm south of Wakefield, Kan., attending the rodeo and the Central Kansas Free Fair as a kid. His family moved to Abilene when Hammond was 14.
After graduating from Abilene High School in 1966, he went to college. Then Uncle Sam called and he was drafted in 1970, serving two years with the U.S. Army Security Agency. After being honorably discharged, he returned to college, graduating from the College of Emporia (which no longer exists) with a degree in business administration and economics and a minor in speech and theater.
After short stints working in California and Great Bend, he returned to Abilene in 1979 and worked for Abilene Concrete Supply for forty years before retiring in 2020.
In the early days of the rodeo’s reorganization, Hammond and the committee did some innovative things which helped increase funding and improved the rodeo.
They constructed seats over the chutes on the south end, making for a better fan experience, and started the belt buckle series in 1989, which helped raise more money. The buckle series concluded last year.
The men’s work was successful; because of their efforts, the rodeo was nominated five times for the category of PRCA Medium Size Rodeo of the Year (1995, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2011).
Hammond is proud of the rodeo and how it has continued through the years.
“We didn’t lose (the rodeo). We turned around a major sporting event, bringing entertainment to Dickinson County and the city of Abilene,” he said. “We were recognized nation-wide,” with the PRCA nomination.
Rodeo leadership changed in 2023, but the transition has been smooth, Hammond said.
“I’m very proud of what the old committee did, and their leadership, and I’m very proud of the new committee. The members have really stepped up to the plate.”
At 76 years of age, he doesn’t help as much with the committee. But he still is there for all four nights of rodeo, and he loves it.
“I really enjoy working the rodeo, and putting it on. I enjoy working behind the scenes.
“I want fans to enjoy it, and say, hey, that’s a good rodeo. If they’re satisfied and enjoy it, that’s what makes it worthwhile.
“It’s been a pleasure. It’s been a lot of work but it’s been a pleasure.”
This year’s Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo is July 30-August 2, with performances beginning at 7:30 pm.
Tickets are $12 for adults in advance and $15 at the gate. Children’s tickets (ages 4-10) are $8.
Tickets can be purchased online at WildBillHickokRodeo.com, at West’s Country Mart and other area retailers, and at the gate.
Sid Hammond is recognized during the 2023 Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo. The Abilene man has volunteered with the rodeo since 1985. Photo by Fly Thomas.
