NAMPA, Idaho — The Snake River Stampede kicks off at the Ford Idaho Center Tuesday.
As fans await opening night, they got their fill Monday morning at the Buckaroo Breakfast, which takes place every Monday and Tuesday morning of rodeo week at the Ford Idaho Center from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. It was started in the 1950s by the Nampa Chamber of Commerce as a community-wide event to kick off the start of the rodeo.
In the 1980s, the Chamber decided to change the Buckaroo Breakfast from a one-day to a two-day event. A while back, the Chamber dropped the event, but the Rodeo Board decided the breakfast was important enough to keep it.
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The Canyon County 4-H program was asked to participate and a new tradition began. 100 percent of the money is given to the Canyon County 4-H Endowment program, which helps fund scholarships.
Albertsons donates supplies for the breakfast and no leftover food is wasted. On average, about 300 volunteers from Canyon County provide more than 2,000 combined volunteer hours.
The Snake River Stampede was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus. The stampede has grown to become one of the top 10 regular season professional rodeos in the nation out of the approximately 600 rodeos in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Below is the full schedule for the Snake River Stampede:
- Monday, July 19
- 7 to 10 am: Buckaroo Breakfast at the Ford Idaho Center
- 7:30 am: BARREL RACING Slack Competition at the Ford Idaho Center
- Tuesday, July 20
- 7 to 10 am: Buckaroo Breakfast at the Ford Idaho Center
- 7:30 am: TEAM ROPING Slack Competition at the Ford Idaho Center
- 7:30 pm: (pre-rodeo at 6:45 pm): Rodeo opening night
- 7:45 pm: Calf Scramble
- Wednesday, July 21
- 11 am to 1 pm: Pink on the Dirt Luncheon to support Stampede for the Cure (held at the Amphitheater)
- 7:30 pm: (pre-rodeo at 6:45 pm): Stampede for the Cure Night at the rodeo – wear pink to show support for cowboys riding to raise funds for breast cancer prevention.
- Thursday, July 22
- 7:30 am: STEER WRESTLING Slack Competition at Ford Idaho Center
- 7:30 pm: (pre-rodeo at 6:45 pm): Patriot Night at the rodeo – we salute the men and women of our armed forces.
- Friday, July 23
- 7:30 am: TIE DOWN ROPING Slack Competition at the Ford Idaho Center
- 7:30 pm (pre-rodeo at 6:45 pm):
- Saturday, July 24
- Noon (pre-rodeo at 11:15 am): Rodeo Matinee – Family Day. Alcohol-free.
- Calf Scramble -matinee
- 7:30 pm (pre-rodeo at 6:45 pm): Rodeo Finals Night – Rodeo stars vie for championship night.
