CALDWELL, Idaho — The ongoing development around the Caldwell Night Rodeo's expansion project is giving donors and board members plenty of reason to get excited.
"The last time we were here, you might remember we had some great big machines trying to tear the old stand down, and it did not want to give up," recalled C.L. Butch Otter, campaign chairman for the Caldwell Night Rodeo Expansion Project. Luckily, the old announcer stand finally fell, making room for what will be a new and improved announcer stand.
Ed Lodge, president of the Caldwell Night Rodeo, noted the growing enthusiasm surrounding the project. "You can start feeling the passion and enthusiasm for this project. [There's] a lot of curiosity and a lot of support," he said.
On Tuesday, rodeo officials got a behind-the-scenes look at the progress and thanked two sponsors who helped make phase one of the project possible.
"It's gonna be massive, and it's gonna be beautiful, and it depicts exactly what we want to happen in the future for the Caldwell Night Rodeo," Otter added.
Former Governor and campaign chair, Butch Otter was joined by D&B President Mark Schmitt and John Otter, director at Simplot. The three men agreed that this is the first step towards ensuring the rodeo remains in Caldwell for many years to come.
"The rodeo is a celebration of land, animals, and kids in the [agriculture] community, right? So we find that every one of our customers ends up at a rodeo," Schmitt said.
"We've had a long history with Caldwell. We are about to turn 96, and the rodeo is turning 101, so we've had a long history here," John Otter explained. "What Simplot does is what the rodeo does."
As they toured the site, many of the officials and donors were amazed by what's to come for this year's rodeo. "It looks awesome," said John Otter.
"To see the rodeo grounds expand and getting better right here in downtown Caldwell... It's fascinating; it's awesome," Schmitt said.