For 35 years the Kaw Valley Rodeo has been more than just a pro rodeo. It has provided the Riley County Fair with entertainment and community support in Wells Arena at CiCo Park.

Additionally, the rodeo has helped support several organizations from the Riley County 4-H Association to the Flint Hills Bread Basket and Johnson Cancer Research Center.

"What they're doing here is great, obviously the community needs it," said Slade Welsch, Manhattan resident and self-proclaimed rodeo enthusiast.

Sandy Chandler, treasurer of the Kaw Valley Rodeo Association said the nonprofit organization has always been about helping others, sometimes with money, sometimes with man power, like with the KSU Rodeo Club and sometimes with opportunities for children with special needs and military families. This year, the rodeo sponsored an event for children with special needs and a military family appreciation night with free admission for military families. A picnic was also available.

Char Henton, secretary of the Kaw Valley Rodeo Association, said community involvement and service is common among most rodeos.

"That's how we get people to come," Henton said. "They know we support different organizations and things, and so they not only come to see a rodeo, but they come to support the events that we try to benefit."

Chandler said on average the production costs for the rodeo are anywhere from $70,000 to $80,000 a year. This is excluding donations they receive such as food for contestants provided by Riley County businesses, safety gear for mutton busters, hay for the livestock used in the rodeo and the veterinary services provided by the K-State Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Henton said the number of participants this year was down due to the unusual amount of overlap between different rodeos and the fact the association can't pay contestants as much as some rodeos do. Henton also said she expects more contestants next year.

"It's a busy time this year for rodeo; Cheyenne is going on, Pretty Prairie, Hardtner and others are going on so that makes it a little difficult for others to come," she said.

While community service has helped fuel the people to come, Henton said it is still difficult to put the rodeo together because of costs, even with all of the funds raised going back into production costs for next year's rodeo.

"We do struggle with funds to put on this rodeo; it's expensive," Henton said. "It's expensive to hire a stock contractor and specialty act, sound equipment and all that stuff, but we want to give back to 4-H, military families and also the Bread Basket. We also help out the K-State rodeo. That's our purpose to help out as much as we can."

Steve Hoard, member of the association's board of directors, said the members meet monthly to plan each year's rodeo.

"There's a lot more work and planning than most people will ever realize," he said.

In addition to planning the annual rodeo, the association also helps the KSU Rodeo Club put on its rodeo every year in February. Chandler said often as a result many of the rodeo club members will help them out in return.

Courtney Hall, senior in feed science management, and her horse Buzz returned the favor by pushing cattle at the rodeo. She also helped with the special needs rodeo on Friday evening.

"I really enjoy the special needs rodeos, especially when the kids get to ride the horses; they really enjoy that," she said.

Hall has the title of Miss Rodeo K-State, a title awarded to a young woman every year during the K-State Rodeo and designed to help promote the rodeo.

Hall said she appreciates what the Kaw Valley Rodeo Association does for her club and for the community.

"They help us out a lot of different ways with sponsorships, with money and stuff like that," she said. "That's one of the reasons why I'm here is to help them out with whatever they need."

Chandler boasts about the work the association does, completed entirely by volunteer work.

"I think we put on a pretty good rodeo, I enjoy watching it" Chandler said. "I enjoy going to rodeos; to me it's exciting to see young cowboys and cowgirls riding the stock, which is something that this country has done for years and years."