Wayne Brooks, Announcer

In his own words, his job at the rodeo: “To help our fans get to know the players and enjoy each performance. Their job is to enjoy and have fun. I want fans to forget their troubles for a couple of hours, forget the job and mowing the yard, and come and enjoy, relax, and see what other people do for a living.” He loves Elk City rodeo fans. “Hot, cold, rain or sunshine, they’re there, no matter what. It’s a great time for families to have reunions, and everybody gets together and goes to the rodeo. Growing up, you take that for granted. When you become an adult, you appreciate what it is, which is an opportunity to enjoy family and friends.”
Favorite meal: Steak (cooked medium) and eggs (over medium). “Breakfast, lunch or dinner, I’ll take it any time.”
Favorite holiday: Christmas. “For as much as we travel, it’s about time with family.”
First buckle he won: “I never won a buckle. I wasn’t very good at competing. But one of the first rodeos I announced was the Ben Johnson Celebrity Rodeo in old Scottsdale, Ariz., and it was a really, really cool deal. When it was all said and done, they got me a buckle.”
Rodeo accomplishments: 12-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo announcer
Home: Lampasas, Texas
Family: wife Melanie; a son, two daughters, two sons-in-law, and six grandchildren.

Dusty Meyers, Rodeo Clown and Barrelman

In his own words, his job at the rodeo: “To entertain the crowd, to provide a good time for them, so they have fun.” Elk City is a special place for him for a variety of reasons. “I love the crowd and I love getting to work with Wayne Brooks. And it’s one of the nicest outdoor arenas I get to work.” This is his third year to work the Elk City Rodeo.
Favorite meal: “My mama’s beef stroganoff. Noodles with beef and her onion gravy.”
Favorite holiday: “It’s a tie between Christmas and Halloween.” He decorates for both holidays. “I do a great big display at the house. I have a motion sensor activated display and a big graveyard.” For Christmas, it takes him two to three weeks to set up decorations. “For Christmas, I start decorating when I take down Halloween decorations. I set up a life-size sleigh with Santa and reindeer, and people take family pictures in front of it.”
First buckle he won: A buckle for working as a bullfighter at the International Finals Rodeo in 2001.
Most influential person: In his rodeo career, legendary rodeo clown Lecile Harris. “His presentation, his timing, even as a kid, I thought he was amazing. His acts were like watching a small movie. His acts were over the top, life-size, with big props. He was my dad’s favorite clown.” (Dusty’s dad was also a rodeo clown.)
Rodeo accomplishments: 4-time Circuit Finals clown; 2-time Wrangler National Finals alternate barrelman; 2022 NFR Open barrelman; 10-time International Finals Rodeo clown; 4-time International Finals Rodeo bullfighter
Home: Jumpertown, Miss.
Family: son Hayden

Wisconsin FMX, Specialty Act

Strap on your helmets, Elk City, and get ready for horsepower of another kind at the Elk City Rodeo!
Wisconsin FMX will be at the rodeo for a hair-raising, adrenaline pumping show each night!
Weatherford, Oklahoma native Cody Elkins and his fellow biker James May from Florida will jump motorbikes 35 feet in the air across a distance of 75 feet.
They will do crazy stunts like no footed cans, nac-nacs, heel clickers, and the kiss of death!
Elkins is the Guiness World Record holder for the longest moving quad jump. He set the record in 2013. He now lives in Henryetta, Oklahoma.
He likes to compare the adrenaline rush of freestyle motocross to bull riding.
“We think the bull riders are crazy,” he said. “We don’t want to get on a bull that will chase us when it throws us off.
“And you talk to the bull riders, and they think we’re crazy, because we’re forty feet in the air and it’s a long ways to fall.”
FMX is a good act for rodeos, Elkins said.
“I think it’s the perfect addition to a rodeo. It’s a great match-up.”

Noah Krepps, Bullfighter

In his own words, his job at the rodeo: “Our job is to fight the bull and do what we have to do, by any means possible, to keep the riders and each other (including the other bullfighter) safe. The adrenaline rush is top notch, but after a certain point, it gets more personal. It’s a duty.” He began his rodeo career at age 16, when he stepped in to help his older brother, who was a bull rider, in the practice pen. “I was like, man, I think I might want to do this.” Noah competed in the freestyle bullfighting before switching over primarily to working rodeos. This is Noah’s first year to work as a bullfighter at the Elk City Rodeo; he will work alongside Ryder Rich.
Favorite meal: steak, medium rare, cooked by his grandpa.
Favorite holiday: Independence Day. “It’s right in the heat of the summer run.”
Most influential person: Former bullfighter Evan Allard. “I went to Evan’s bullfighting school when I was 17. He was a huge influence and a huge help to me. I owe a lot to him. I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”
Rodeo accomplishments: 2-time American Bullfighting Finals winner; 2-time Greeley (Colo.) Stampede bullfighting winner; National Western Stock Show and Rodeo (Denver) bullfighting winner.
Home: Montgomery, Alabama
Family: parents Matt and Holly Krepps

Ryder Rich, Bullfighter

His job at the rodeo: protecting the bull riders after the eight-second buzzer, giving the rider time to scramble to safety. This will be his first year to work the Elk City Rodeo; he will fight bulls alongside Noah Krepps.
Favorite meal: a New York Strip steak, medium rare, with broccoli on the side.
Favorite holiday: Thanksgiving, for the food and the family that comes for the holiday and helps on the ranch.
First buckle he won: A buckle for being a bullfighter at the Mountain States Young Guns, a youth series in northeastern Colorado, when he was 12 years old.
Most influential person: “My dad (Kevin), with the mental game. I think that’s the biggest thing in fighting bulls, knowing there will be bad stuff that happens. You’ll get hit and get run over, but if you’re going to quit, you might as well not even start. Bullfighters in my dad’s day were tough.”
Home: Eaton, Colorado
Family: wife Cameron Rich; parents Kevin and Amy Rich; brother Roper.

Beutler and Son Rodeo, Stock Contractor

• Started the first Elk City Rodeo in 1938, with brothers Elra, Jake and Lynn Beutler.
• Have provided the bucking horses and bulls since the first rodeo.
• Is known across the nation for the high quality of bucking stock.
• In 2022, swept all three roughstock awards at the Wrangler National Finals: Bareback Horse of the Year (won by MasterHand Milling Ghost Town); Saddle Bronc of the Year (won by BDM’s Killer Bee); and Bull of the Year (won by MasterHand Milling Smoke Stack.) No other contractor has ever won all three awards in one year.
• Bennie and Rhett are the father/son duo at the helm of the company. Rhett’s daughter Taylor and son Jake are the fifth generation of the family to be involved.