When Brad Harmon took over the job of chairman of the Days of '47 Rodeo Committee, he did so out of love for his father.
"It was just my heritage," he said of inheriting the job his father, Floyd "Flip" Harmon, did for 34 years. He had no idea how massive the commitment was, only that he wanted to keep his father's dream alive.
"This is more work than my full-time job," said the Salt Lake County Sheriff's deputy. "This takes every bit as many hours as my other job, and this is all volunteer."
Flip Harmon had overseen the event since 1963, when it was just a small rodeo at the Utah Fairgrounds. He took it to grand heights and even moved it into the Salt Palace and then the Delta Center taking weather out of the equation each year.
When he died unexpectedly one month before the sesquicentennial Days of '47 celebration in 1997, the committee asked his son to take the reins. He didn't hesitate.
He went from being around the rodeo all his life to being the heart of the six-day event that begins tonight in the Delta Center.
"When I took over this job, I gave up a lot of hobbies and things I enjoyed doing to do it," he said. "That first couple of years was hard. Now I don't think I'd have it any other way."
Maybe that's because the rodeo is one of the best in the country, as evidenced by its nomination to the Best Rodeos in America the last two of three years.
The Days of '47 Rodeo starts this morning with slack events to allow nearly 700 competitors to vie for more than $300,000 in prize money. Cowboys and cowgirls will put a new twist on an old tradition each night at 7 p.m. in the Delta Center arena. It's one of the few indoor arenas in the country.
"It's climate controlled," Harmon said with a grin. "I think we have something to entertain everybody in the family."
For the traditionalists there are all of the standard events each night like calf roping, steer wrestling, bronc riding and, of course, bull riding.
For kicks locals will compete in the wild cow milking contest for a buckle. There is the mini-bull riding event, which gives children the opportunity to ride a real bull, only a bit smaller. Donny Landis will have a different clown act each night, and one of the most popular new additions is the freestyle motocross event.
Harmon said he had an 80-year-old rodeo patron write him about how much he loved the rodeo but disliked the motorcycles. His grandchildren, however, loved those riders so much they agreed to accompany him to the rodeo for as many more years as he wants to attend.
"I would like people who haven't been or haven't been in a while to get back in tune with this western family tradition," he said.
The rodeo is important to the state's Day's of '47 celebration because it is the only event that costs money.
"Hopefully, the rodeo makes enough money to pay for the other events," Harmon said. One of those is being held at the South Towne Expo Center today from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. All day anyone can go sneak a peek at this year's floats for the Days of '47 parade.
"That's awesome," said Harmon.
To entice people to come out and come back, Harmon and the rodeo committee have set up a number of ways to make it affordable for most people. The tickets range in price from $12.50 to $39.50.
A family of eight can attend the rodeo for $47 tonight and on Wednesday night kids under 14 get into the rodeo for half price.
Television seems to have reignited a passion for one of America's oldest past-times. In fact, the Days of '47 Rodeo's final day — Monday — will be televised on Outdoor Life Network.
"The nice thing about coming here is that people will see a much better rodeo right here in their own backyard, than they'll see on most of these televised performances," Harmon said.
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com