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Written By Gabby Anstey
Little Norwood puts on quite a show every summer when rodeo time rolls around. Every July, July 23-25 this year, a crew of contestants and heap of spectators pile into the San Miguel County Fairgrounds, located on Norwood's fringes, to take part in, or kick back and watch, all the fun. Last year, more than 350 contestants and over 2,000 spectators were present. The Colorado Pro Rodeo Association (CPRA) named the Norwood Rodeo 2003 Rodeo of the Year in Colorado and Colorado's largest purse rodeo. This is quite big news for such a quaint cowboy town.

"The Norwood Rodeo has been around for more than 80 years," says Jim Hubbs, president of the Norwood Roping Club, the organization that puts on the rodeo. "In fact, just the other day some of the guys and I were talking and saying we've got to be getting close to our centennial."

Sanctioned by the CPRA and the rodeo associations of New Mexico and Arizona, the Norwood Rodeo is Norwood's biggest event of the year and is known as the biggest, littlest rodeo around. Folks come from all over the Rocky Mountain region.

In addition to the actual rodeo, the event hosts nine other competitive categories: bareback, saddle bronc, bull riding, ladies' barrel racing, calf roping, team roping, mixed team roping, ladies' breakaway calf roping and steer wrestling. There is also a junior rodeo for those 18 and under, kids sheep and calf riding (held one hour prior to each rodeo performance) and the 4-H Fair, which begins July 17 and runs throughout the week.

"I used to bull ride, but then I got too old," says Hubbs. "Now my wife, Annetta, and I do the mixed team roping together."

New this year will be a wild cow milking event, where three-person teams from the fire departments in Norwood, Naturita, Nucla, Placerville, Telluride, Mountain Village and Paradox will battle it out. "It's an added attraction," says Hubbs, "and it's a good way to honor the fire departments because sometimes they don't get the recognition."