Seven-Time PRCA Bullfighter of the Year – and Park County Native – Dusty Tuckness to be Grand Marshal of Cody Stampede Parade
CODY, Wyo., June 8, 2018 – Dusty Tuckness, seven-time Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Bullfighter of the Year and a native of Meeteetse, Wyo., will be the grand marshal of this year’s July 4 Cody Stampede Parade.
Tuckness joins a long list of distinguished grand marshals including John Wayne, Steven Seagal, Wilford Brimley, Red Steagall and Chuck Yeager. Last year actors Robert Taylor and Adam Bartley, who play Sheriff Walt Longmire and Deputy Archie “The Ferg” Ferguson in the A&E “Longmire” series, performed the honors.
Champion bullfighter Dusty Tuckness will be the grand marshal of the Cody Stampede Parade.
July 4 is the fifth and final day of Cody’s annual birthday bash for the country, a 99-year tradition.
The celebration is called the Cody Stampede, and nearly every event – from the rodeos to the parades – reflects the equestrian heritage of this tiny northwestern Wyoming town. Horses have been a big part of Cody’s heritage ever since Buffalo Bill rode through this region and envisioned a town there.
This year’s events kick off on Saturday, June 30, with the Cody/Yellowstone Bull-Riding Event. The fun continues July 1 through July 4 with four Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)-sanctioned Stampede Rodeos; a Kiddies Parade July 2; Stampede Parades July 3 and 4; a 5K/10K run/walk July 4; and the three-day Wild West Extravaganza Craft Fair July 2 – 4. There are also musical performances by regional acts in outdoor venues throughout town.
The Stampede Parade on the morning of July 4 is especially fun, with at least three marching bands from around the country parading down Sheridan Avenue, Cody’s main street.
Following the Cody Stampede Rodeo on July 4, Cody caps the annual celebration with the Cody Skylighters Fireworks Show.
The Start of the Stampede
Tuckness joins a long line of distinguished grand marshals, include John Wayne.
In April 1920, a group of local leaders including a lawyer, dude ranch owner, newspaper editor and a publicity-savvy and nationally known female novelist met to talk about how to transform the town’s small annual July 4 celebration into an event that would showcase Cody’s authentic Western dude ranches and other attractions as well as its proximity to two entrances to Yellowstone National Park.
Among the most vocal of those leaders – and the only female present – was Caroline Lockhart, whose best-selling novels in the early 1900s had earned her fame and fortune. Once the group settled on naming the event the Cody Stampede and sketching a general framework, Lockhart took the reins as president. She set about publicizing it in the Park County Enterprise – Buffalo Bill’s newspaper, which was later renamed the Cody Enterprise, and is still in operation today. She also organized fundraisers and invited famous rodeo performers to demonstrate their skills at the nightly rodeos.
These town leaders had little idea that they would create an annual event that would be enjoyed and remembered by generations of Cody residents and visitors from around the world.
Visiting during the Cody Stampede
It is always a good idea for travelers to plan ahead if they want to experience the Cody Stampede. The town’s inns, lodges, hotels and guest ranches offer more than 1,600 rooms, and most of those sell out during the Cody Stampede.
Visitors will find an array of activities to keep them engaged when not enjoying Cody Stampede events. Among them, the Cody Heritage Museum, the Sleeping Giant Ski Area Zip Line, Cody Firearms Experience, Dan Miller’s Cowboy Music Revue, Heart Mountain WW II Interpretive Center, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Old Trail Town and the Cody Trolley Tour. There are also many outdoor adventures such as hiking, rock climbing fly fishing and whitewater rafting.
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Cody/Yellowstone Country is comprised of the towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse as well as the valley east of Yellowstone National Park.
The area of Park County called “Cody/Yellowstone Country” was the playground of Buffalo Bill Cody himself. Buffalo Bill founded the town of Cody in 1896, and the entire region was driven and is still heavily influenced by the vision of the Colonel. Today its broad streets, world-class museum Buffalo Bill Center of the West and thriving western culture host nearly 1 million visitors annually.
Related hashtags: #YellowstoneCountry #CodyWyoming #CenteroftheWest #BuffaloBill #Yellowstone # Wyoming
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