Rodeo to celebrate Valentine’s Day

GUYMON, Okla. – For some, reflections of Valentine’s Day offer visions of romance, love, engagements and anniversaries.

Schoolchildren arrive in classes outfitted with specially designed shoeboxes with a large cut in the top so they can exchange cards and heart-shaped candy. Florists can be overwhelmed with expressions of appreciation from one to another. Major retailers are swamped with last-minute buyers of cards and treats and red roses by the front doors.

The Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo is offering something altogether different for this Valentine’s Day, but it remains an opportunity for loved ones to celebrate themselves and their community. The Dinner, Dance & Draw Down will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Pickle Creek Event Center in Guymon.

“This is the 20th anniversary of the draw down, which was created with the idea to get everyone in the community thinking about Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo a little earlier and help raise some money at the same time,” said Ken Stonecipher, chairman of the volunteer committee. “It’s just taken off since then.”

 Tickets are $100 per couple and include two prime-rib meals and one draw-down entry. Numbers are drawn one by one, and each draw will eliminate a player. The last number standing wins the grand prize. There will also be a chip draw, a gun draw and live music from the Jimmy Lee Jordan Band. Tickets are available through the Guymon Chamber of Commerce at (580) 338-3376 or by visiting GuymonRodeo.com. 

“A year ago, we increased our prize to $10,000 on a one-year basis, but it went so well that we decided to stay with that,” said Gilberto Barrera, the committee’s special events director. “This is kind of our way of giving back to the supporters that have stuck by us for so long. None of this – the draw down or the rodeo – happens without the people in this community that support Pioneer Days Rodeo.”

The 2025 Dinner, Dance & Draw Down featured a record crowd, which is why the event moved back to Pickle Creek to allow more people to partake in the festivities.

“We have some sponsors that have been with us for decades,” Berrera said. “They are committed to us, and we are committed to them. Every year, we have others that want to partner with us, which seems to be a sign we might be doing something right.”  

That’s been the case for years. Pioneer Days Rodeo provides the biggest economic impact annually to Texas County. All aspects of the celebration are important not only to Guymon but to all other communities in the Oklahoma Panhandle. This year’s rodeo is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 1; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena.

It’s also part of the PRCA’s Playoff Series, a tour consisting of the top 60 rodeos across North America. More than 1,000 cowboys and cowgirls converge on Texas County each spring to not only battle for big bucks but to also try to win the prestigious Guymon trophy belt.

“We try to do some things that are a little different, and the draw down is certainly unique,” Stonecipher said. “Most of all, it’s always a lot of fun.”

Press release courtesy of Guymon Pioneer Days & Ted Harbin