Outriders, Cowboys, and Community Spirit: Cody’s July 4th Parade Honors Tradition

The Cody Stampede Rodeo and Parades are at the heart of celebrating the Fourth of July in Cody, Wyoming. Cody Journal recently met with Ed Bednarz with the rodeo and Mayor Lee Ann Reiter with the parades to chat about the plans for this year.

Cody Stampede Rodeo

Regular events are on the docket for June 30th-July 4th in Cody, Wyoming. The events will begin on June 30th for the Xtreme Bulls event, featuring an after-party with Texas Unlimited.

Boyd Polhamus and Kade Rogge will be the announcers for Cody Stampede this year. Boyd Polhamus is in his 25th year as the voice of San Angelo Rodeo. Kade Rogge began as a rodeo team roper in his youth. He made his way to becoming the Cody Nite Rodeo announcer back in the day and now has national recognition with PRCA events.

How the Stampede Rodeo works

Each night of the Cody Stampede Rodeo is a one header rodeo, which means it’s one rodeo over four nights where where winner takes all. While the events (bull riding, saddle bronc riding, team roping, barrel racing, etc.) happen every night, each contestant only gets one ride from July 1st through the 4th. Their one score has to hold at the top to become the winner. With 600 contestants from around the world, the competition is fierce.

Fourth of July is sometimes referred to in the Rocky Mountains as “Cowboy Christmas.” Rodeo Athletes work to attend as many rodeos as possible to pick up points on their way to the National Finals Rodeo. Cody, Wyoming Stampede makes the shortlist for anyone wanting to improve their standings.

Stock Contractor Frontier Rodeo Company, led by Jerry Nelson out of Oklahoma, brings great cowboy energy to the arena. The “roughstock” (the animal athletes) comprises half of the scoring. It takes both rider and animal performing well to get those high scores. Frontier Rodeo has been named the PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year for Ten years. We get the best of the best at the Cody Stampede Rodeo.

Three Parades

This year’s parade themes lie close to the hearts of our town and community. July 2nd is the Kiddie Parade at 10:00 am. The theme, “Mamas, let your babies grow up to be Cowboys,” should provide some fun entries. You’ll be sure to spot our youngest cowpokes being wrangled by their ranch mamas down the Sheridan Avenue parade route.

Outriders Honored

July 3rd and July 4th will feature respected real Horsemen/women donned in red; our Outriders will be honored as the Stampede Parade’s Grand Marshals. The theme, “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” works perfectly. In this year’s parade, over 35 Outriders will continue their role as watchmen for the parade events.

For nearly five decades, the Outriders have provided safety to the parade, goers, participants, and horse-drawn entries. They are the tough and the beloved. They hail from our community families and give back generously by keeping everyone safe.

Wes and Lee Livingston have the distinct honor in 2025 of being Outrider number one and two. They have both served as Outriders for nearly 40 years, and we are grateful for their community leadership, experience, and quick thinking.

Parade Entries

In addition, during the parade, the United States Marine Mounted Color Guard out of Barstow, California, is a highlight to be sure to catch and not miss. They are the only mounted Marine color guard in the country. We are very fortunate they choose to join us each year for the Fourth of July and have for many years. Governor Gordon plans to attend riding in the wagon pulled by Percheron draft horses. Plus, there will be entries to honor Al Simpson, Bill Garlow, and Hope Sheets.

Can’t catch the Stampede Rodeo this Fourth of July? The Cody Nite Rodeo will hold another Park County night on August 16th, 2025, when the entrance fee is five dollars per person. The Stampede Committee wants to ensure that rodeo lives on for all in this community.

Please read the article listing all the events for Fourth of July Activities (live music, shopping, food trucks, and more).

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