Midway resident Brent Kelly, a rodeo announcer of over 50 years, got his start in the sport by watching the Wasatch County Rodeo, now called the Mountain Valley Stampede Rodeo, as a kid. As a teenager, he’d sneak onto organizer Swanny Kirby’s property to ride his calves, but he never snuck into the event itself. “The rodeo used to be put on by the Heber Valley Riding Club. And they would patrol the fences so that none of the kids would get in free,” he said. “(My friend) Tom (Whitaker) said, ‘Remember when we pushed over that snow fence, and all of us ran in and got in free?’ I said, ‘Tom, I don’t remember that. I don’t think I was there. I always paid my ticket.’” Ahead of the Mountain Valley Stampede Rodeo this weekend, Brent recounted its history at the Wasatch County Library during the latest in a series of local history lectures.  The rodeo began as an outgrowth of the Wasatch County Fair, which began in 1913. “In the 20th century, local farmers, ranchers, 4-H groups, they got together and they showed livestock, they showed crops, they showed produce,” Brent said. “The fair (was) both competitive and a community celebration reflecting the most important part of farming to Wasatch County.” The rodeo began sometime in the 1920s as an amateur event for kids and families. It got an upgrade when Kirby took over, the first of several organizers to transform the rodeo into a professional event.  Brent and Mary Kelly hold a photo of Ellis Clyde, Wasatch County’s first rodeo clown. Credit: Cannon Taylor/The Park Record The first local rodeo clown was Ellis Clyde. A photo of his goofy expression sent a wave of laughter through the audience of seniors who recognized him.  “Ellis always had a float in the parade,” Brent said. “He would ride down Main Street dressed as a woman, bra on the outside, playing a saxophone. And he had a band, the Ellis Clyde Band, and they used to play every Friday and Saturday night at the old social hall.” After several iterations of stock contractors running the rodeo, the county asked Brent, his wife, Mary, and local Bob McPhie to take the reins in the 1970s.  “We’ve been involved in rodeo pretty much all of our married lives. So when Bob asked us to come work with him, it was really an honor,” Mary said. “We had the same vision. We wanted to make it one of the best.” The trio renamed it the Mountain Valley Stampede Rodeo, which has evolved into the three-day event today.  The Wasatch County Event Complex opened in 2005, its 7,000-seat outdoor arena opened in 2009, and its warm-up arena and livestock stalls were added in 2011. “Wasatch is second to none in facilities that we have,” Brent said. There has also been growth in the amount of prize money given out. Wasatch County Event Complex Director Jon Provost took over the rodeo about 20 years ago. At that time, the winners received about $40,000 total. At the rodeo this weekend, the county will distribute more than $200,000 in awards, generated from ticket sales and sponsorships. That’s in stark contrast to the prize money Wasatch County advertised in rodeo magazines from 1956 and 1957 — about $700, or roughly $8,700 when adjusted for inflation. There are nearly 500 competitors at this year’s event. Brent and Mary said it is the prize money that attracts National Finals Rodeo athletes. “When you get them here, you sell out your crowds,” Mary said. Members of the crowd at the library chimed in that it is not the professional athletes, but the amateur, hometown heroes who inspired them the most. Brent and Mary, who received Gov. Spencer Cox’s Utah Treasure award last year for their involvement in the rodeo, could be considered two of those heroes.  Brent became a competitor in calf roping, bareback riding and bulldogging while he was a student at Brigham Young University. Brent and Mary spent their years as a newly married couple constantly on road trips so Brent could compete in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events.  Brent and Mary Kelly were awarded the Utah Treasure award by Gov. Spencer Cox in June 2025. Credit: Photo courtesy of Brent Kelly They funneled their paychecks into entry fees, or what they called “donations,” because Brent wasn’t winning any competitions. “I was donating every weekend. Finally, one time, she says, ‘I don’t care what you do, just catch the calf!’ It took me about 20 seconds that time, but I caught it,” Brent joked.  Brent’s love for the sport but inability to make a living competing in it is what led him to become a rodeo announcer.  “I drive into a rodeo in a white shirt. I go up to a box that’s air-conditioned. And when I leave, I have a check and a hamburger,” he said, a grin plastered on his face.  He’s announced at various rodeos across the state over the past half-century, including 20 years at the Mountain Valley Stampede Rodeo. There, he began his tradition of announcing on horseback in the arena. He and his 26-year-old horse, Cash, have since hung up their spurs after many close encounters with bulls and broncos.  In one instance, a horse mistook Brent for a pickup rider — a horseback rider who helps a competitor dismount during a rough stock competition — and chased him. “He reached out and grabbed my belt with his mouth,” Brent said, making a chomping motion with his hand. “I felt that, and I kicked old Cash, and we went really fast that time. Cash has saved my life more than anything else.” Brent, whose kids and grandkids are also involved in the rodeo, said the sport is “just coming into its own.” “We’ve had more national exposure from the Cowboy Channel than anything. … There’s more money now than there used to be, which gives you more cowboys,” he said. “Back at the National High School Finals (earlier this month), they were roping calves in eight seconds. That was unheard of. If you had a 12-second run in my day, you would get a check. I never did get one, but anyway, eight seconds!” After Brent’s presentation, Courtland Nelson, a Midway resident of 50 years, shared what he loves most about the Heber Valley’s rodeo tradition. “There’s nothing really fun about raising pigs. There’s nothing that’s really exciting about milking cows. You can’t have cow-milking contests and have people really want to pay you to see it. And I think rodeo was the one thing that came out of those cultures,” he said. “To me, that was always a great thing about Heber Valley … that sense of the best parts of the Old West.” The Mountain Valley Stampede Rodeo takes place Thursday through Saturday at the Wasatch County Event Complex. Learn more and purchase tickets at wasatchparksandrec.com. The post A look inside the rowdy history of the Mountain Valley Stampede Rodeo appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less