Entertainment for all at Buffalo Rodeo

By Rob LaPlante

The Buffalo PRCA Championship Rodeo made a successful return from a year hiatus due to Covid in 2021. In 2022, the rodeo knocked it out of the park.

“The Buffalo Rodeo is back!” said Gretchen Kirchmann, an Elk River native and former Miss Rodeo Queen, who now is the Media Specialist for Kirchmann Media Group.

Unofficial records for last week’s rodeo, which included three performances from June 23-25, brought in a payout totaling over $67,000 in winnings.

“We don’t know for a fact if that’s a record payout, but we do know that’s the biggest payout in the last 5-10 years,” Kirchmann said.

Payouts weren’t the only thing that increased in size. Attendance was noticeably larger.

Saturday’s performance was a complete sellout, which surpassed the arena’s 3,000 seat capacity. Friday's totals reached just under that, and Thursday’s weekday performance was nearly 65-percent filled to capacity.

“We had nearly 4,000 people attend last Saturday’s performance,” Kirchmann said. “We had people parking cars at the airport, and the parking was filled all the way from the rodeo grounds to Menards. It was amazing.”

This year’s Specialty Acts featured the return of Pro Rodeo Announcer Davie Kimm and his wife, Nicky, who handles the music and sounds. Allan Dessel made his Buffalo Rodeo debut as a professional clown. Professional bull jumper Manu Lataste also highlighted this year’s performance.

The Buffalo American Legion Post 270 afterparty was also highly attended, with some of the rodeo personalities in attendance.

“We had a great turnout,” Kirchmann said. “The legion party was packed under the tent. All-in-all, this year’s rodeo was a huge success.”

Dancing King

He made his debut at the Buffalo PRCA Championship Rodeo in 2003 and 2004 as a bull rider.

Fast-forward 18 years to 2022, and Alan Dessel returned for his third-career appearance, but not as a bull rider, but as a professional rodeo clown.

While rodeo clowns are most widely known for their snappy jokes, funny props, and colorful outfits, Dessel wowed the crowd with an unexpected performance.

“My favorite part of my act is my dancing,” Dessel said. “I learned it at an early age.”

Using a montage of popular hits from the 70s, 80s, 90s and today, Dessel danced on two small pieces of plywood in the middle of the arena, where he pulled off iconic dance moves similar to those from the original performances, such as MC Hammer’s, “U Can’t Touch This,” Vanilla Ice’s, “Ice, Ice, Baby,” and a great moon walk version to Michael Jackson’s, “Billie Jean.”

Dancing is something Dessel said he’s always been good at, and something he’s always enjoyed to do. Adding it to his performance as a rodeo clown was a no brainer.

“When you become a clown, you try to play to your strong suits – what am I good at? What can I do better than somebody else can’t?” Dessel said. “I used to dance like that all the time when we went somewhere just for fun, so we turned it into an act. I love the reaction on people’s faces, because it doesn’t matter if you’re six, 66, or 96, you know a song and you enjoy it. That’s what I love about it – people enjoy it. There’s no talking and everybody is just there, enjoying the entertainment.”

When Dessel wasn’t busy dancing, he did a skit that included a mini-police car and mini-motorcycle in a classic western cops and robber scene. His comedic jokes were in good nature, and at one point, poked fun at Minnesota roads.

He particularly was fond of the Buffalo Rodeo, which was celebrating its 68th year in 2022. One of the things that Dessel says separates Buffalo from others in the state is the rich tradition.

“Rodeo is one of those things that stays true to the tradition. We pray. We sing the anthem. There’s a lot of people in rodeo that have lived on the same ranch for 5-6-7 generations, so tradition is a big part for us,” Dessel said. “When you can be here 68 years, that means something. It means you are putting out a quality product to your fans. As an entertainer, when they hire you to come do this, that’s a lot of faith in you to entertain those people that have been buying those tickets for 68 years. That’s what’s great about this place.”

Dessel can thank his father, Kevin, for instilling that rodeo tradition in his blood.

“My dad fought bulls for 10 years before I was born,” he said. “I grew up being part of rodeos and listening to stories. It’s what every kid wants to do. I started fighting bulls and I turned into the clown inside of me. You take a little less beatings being a clown, and you get a little more longevity in your career.”

Given the positive reaction of the crowd’s response to his first act as a rodeo clown at Buffalo, there’s a good chance this year’s rodeo clown will be clowning around in this town for years to come.

Rodeo & Rhinestones

By Emily Vojtech

For the first time, on Tuesday, June 21, the Buffalo Rodeo hosted a “Rodeo and Rhinestones” event at the Buffalo Civic Center. The evening was a ladies’ night out event filled with rodeo fashion.

Local shops, and some from outside of Minnesota set up inside the civic center and visitors could enjoy shopping for clothes, rustic home décor, and more.

Visitors also had the opportunity to enjoy food and drinks as they awaited the fashion show. The fashion show started around 6:15 p.m. and starred some local rodeo ambassadors, fashion designers, and community members from Buffalo.

The event was well attended and well received by those who stopped by. It was a great way to kick off the 2022 Buffalo Rodeo festivities.