WILEY CITY, Wash.- For 75 years, the third weekend of May has marked the annual rodeo in Wiley City community. To celebrate the anniversary, dozens of past Wiley City Rodeo Queens rode into town to mark the occasion.
“It’s been passed down from family generations of being able to do it,” says 2024’s Wiley City Rodeo Queen Ella Bouchey. “My mom, my grandma. It’s an honor to be able to do this for the 75th and be able to represent this rodeo.”
As the Queens rode in to open Sunday’s event, the bleachers were full of families that call watching the rodeo a tradition. For those participating, they say rodeo is part of their family.
“Rodeo to me means a family,” says Gene Hill with the Tampico Saddle Club. “Family of cowboys. America that’s what it means to me.”
Hill has been part of the Saddle Club for 30 years helping to host the rodeo. He says seeing the rodeo hit its 75th birthday is not lost on anyone.
“A lot of members that have been in the club for 30,40 years 50 years,” says Hill. “It means a lot to us.”
Bouchey says being a part of the rodeo as Queen was a childhood dream come true. Being part of its legacy with the past queens is an honor to her.
“Being able to work with the past queen, her riding with me today was quite an honor,” says Bouchey.
Tampico Saddle Club says after 75 years it’s still going strong and doesn’t have any plans to retire anytime soon.
