OAKLEY — Dick Woolstenhulme works for a living, even in retirement. Since "retiring" from Utah Power and Light, he's spent the past three years working 10-14 hours a day at his brother's service station and shop in Oakley.
But for the past year, that job has been followed by a night job, at least 15 more hours a week painting, building and knocking on doors to recruit help for Oakley's new rodeo and sports complex on the east end of town. He does it free of charge, and he's not the only one.
When Oakley's new complex opens today for the town's 70th annual Fourth of July rodeo, it will stand as a tribute to the hard-working voluntarism in the town of 1,200.
"For a town this size to have a facility like this is unbelievable," said Gerald Young, chairman of the town's Rodeo Committee.
Rated by Travelocity in 2003 as one of Utah's top 10 "Local Secrets, Big Finds," the prominent rodeo in the otherwise little-known town will have a posh new home, complete with a 6,000-seat outdoor rodeo arena, indoor grounds seating 900 and lined with vibrant murals, and stalls for 40 horses.
Also included in the 73-acre park are three softball diamonds, three soccer fields, a playground and a skate park.
But the facilities didn't come cheap. For the past two years, Mayor Blake Frazier said, residents have been working to make the $3 million complex a reality. Even now, signs outside most of the city's businesses invite all residents to work nights at the park every Wednesday.
Woolstenhulme said the residents usually come out in good numbers, although sometimes they have to be reminded where they live.
"If they live in Oakley, they're expected to get their hands dirty," he said.
Frazier estimated that volunteer labor is saving the town about half a million dollars.
The project grew out of Oakley's expanding rodeo program. Started in 1935, the rodeo has been a standard fixture in the town for the lifetime of almost all of the residents. Woolstenhulme said he can remember when the rodeo would draw audiences lined up along the fence before the old complex was built.
These days, the rodeo draws much larger crowds and commands more prestige. Woolstenhulme said Oakley's rodeo was one of the first in the nation to be televised on a regular basis and remains larger than the rodeo at the state fair. Currently, only the Vernal rodeo pays more in prize money, he said. According to Frazier, Oakley's top prize is $150,000.
And the rich tradition draws crowds. Woolstenhulme said in recent years the crowds fill the small town so completely that no parking space is left, forcing some visitors to walk for two miles or more to get to the rodeo. The new complex hopes to ease parking problems, providing 800-900 additional spaces for the 6,000 attendees expected each day.
Those attendees are met by the residents, who voluneteer in every capacity, picking up trash to parking cars to running concessions. Even proceeds from concessions are donated back to the city, Woolstenhulme said. Frazier estimated 80 volunteers are needed each day to take care of everything at a busy rodeo.
In return, residents get one of the lowest tax burdens in the state, Woolstenhuelm said. And each year, he said, the the town throws its residents a party to say thank you. The town provides the food, and everyone turns out.
But in addition, said Terry Morrison, a "newcomer" of 40 years, the town also gets a unique identity and a strong community feel it is slow to let go of, even as new residents--and new revenue--come to town. Frazier said the new complex could bring $120,000 more to the city each year, more than the city collects in property taxes.
Still, Woolstenhulme said he's against using that money to replace volunteers with employees.
"When everybody's paid, its not a celebration," he said. "It's a business."
And Frazier said the extra volunteers the new complex will require may be just what town needs to help maintain its volunteer spirit.
"I think it has helped indoctrinate some of the new people," he said. "We've had several of them out for work days (at the complex)."
And many of them will be on-sight at the Oakley rodeo, which will run Thursday through Saturday and Monday.
"It's just the way it works in Oakley--the way it will always work," Woolstenhulme said. "That's what's expected from people in town."
Tickets for today are still available, but the rest are sold out.
E-mail: dhinckley@desnews.com