This Year’s Cody Stampede Will Have a Distinctive Comedic Feel
CODY, Wyo., April 11, 2024 – Visitors to Cody Yellowstone’s Independence Day celebration and famed Cody Stampede might want to get into the spirit of the event by cutting off the sleeves of a flannel shirt and “Gitting ‘R Done.”
That’s because the Grand Marshal of the July 4 parade is Daniel Lawrence Whitney, better-known as “Larry the Cable Guy.”
“The Cody Stampede is five days of non-stop fun, and our Grand Marshal this year will easily fit right in,” said Ryan Hauck, executive director of Cody Yellowstone, the marketing arm for the region that includes the towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse, parts of the Shoshone National Forest and a large swath of Yellowstone National Park. “From John Wayne to Chuck Yeager, Cody Yellowstone has hosted an array of famous Grand Marshals over the years. We are delighted to add Larry the Cable Guy to the list.”
The celebration kicks off on Friday, June 30 with the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Rodeo, featuring some of the top bull riders in the world. Cody Stampede Rodeo performances are staged on Saturday, July 1, through Tuesday, July 4, with the final night capped by a massive fireworks show. The celebration also includes a Kiddies parade on July 2 at 10 a.m. and Stampede Parade, themed “Living in the Wild West,” at 9:30 a.m. on July 3 and 4.
Rodeo tickets can be purchased online, at the main Stampede office in downtown Cody, or at numerous other vendors throughout town.
Cody Yellowstone offers an array of lodging choices, from bed-and-breakfasts and guest ranches to elegant inns and family-friendly hotels.
Larry the Cable Guy is known for his character comedy covering topics ranging from Southern culture and American politics to self-deprecation and current events. He has extensive radio and full-length feature film experience, and he probably is best-known for the Blue Collar Comedy Tour with fellow comedians Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Ron White. His catchphrase “Git-R-Done” is also the title of his book. He is most often seen performing in a plaid sleeveless shirt and a camouflage hat.
Larry the Cable Guy joins a long list of distinguished Grand Marshals who have led the famous parade over the years. Others include actors John Wayne, Wilford Brimley and Yellowstone’s Cole Hauser as well as pilot Chuck Yeager and rodeo star Dusty Tuckness.
Buffalo Bill’s Lasting Rodeo Legacy
The roots of the Cody Stampede can be traced to 1896 when William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody founded the town that bears his name. He chose the town’s location 52 miles from the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park. There, he envisioned a town that could support not only the ranches and farms throughout the region but also capture the interest – and dollars – of the tourists who were increasingly passing through on their way to the park.
Buffalo Bill Cody is best known as the legendary showman behind “The Wild West Show,” a traveling extravaganza that entertained audiences in the U.S. and Europe with performances that included skilled cowboys and cowgirls hailing from Western ranches who theatrically demonstrated bronco riding, roping and other rodeo-type skills.
It’s no surprise, then, that ranchers living near the town he founded often entertained themselves during their few off hours by engaging in informal contests such as calf-roping, steer wrestling and horse-racing. The contests became a favorite pastime, with town residents gathering to watch the show.
Stampede History
The Cody Stampede is marking its 105th anniversary this year. The Stampede got its start when a group of local leaders including a lawyer, dude ranch owner, newspaper editor and a publicity-savvy and nationally known female novelist met three years after the death of town founder Buffalo Bill Cody 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 its proximity 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 sketched 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.
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Home of the Great American Adventure, Cody Yellowstone is comprised of the northwestern Wyoming towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse as well as areas inside of Yellowstone National Park and the valley east of the entrance. The region is known for rodeos, authentic guest and dude ranches, world-class museums and recreational adventures that reflect the adventurous spirit of the visionaries and explorers who brought the remote region to the world’s attention.
Related hashtags:
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#CenteroftheWest
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Media contact:
Mesereau Travel Public Relations
720-284-1512
