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Experience Rim Rock Rodeo in Fruita, Colorado

Caitlin Row
crow@gjfreepress.com
Spectators enjoy Rim Rock Rodeo in Fruita on a Tuesday evening.
Brittany Markert / bmarkert@gjfreepress.com | Free Press

When Jerry Berentis began hosting rodeos in Fruita 22 years ago, he operated on a shoestring budget with a team of passionate volunteers.

“We didn’t have lights when it first started,” Berentis said. “It’s grown a lot over the years. We went from four to five riders to 20 every Tuesday, and team ropers grew from 10-15 to over 100 teams. Our spectator base has grown, too.”

What’s known to locals and visitors as Rim Rock Rodeo operates symbiotically with Rimrock Adventures, which is located on the same property at 927 Highway 340.



According to Rimrock Adventure’s Travis Baier, the adventure outfitter likes hosting Rim Rock Rodeo on Tuesdays.

“It benefits both our businesses,” he said. “The [rodeo] announcer talks about our activities,” which span rafting trips and horseback riding adventures. “We field phone calls for the rodeo; and when tour buses come in on Tuesday, we involve them in the rodeo.”



Berentis confirmed that many out-of-towners enjoy Rim Rock Rodeo on a weekly basis. Competitors come from across Colorado and into Utah, and visitors travel from all over as well. He often hosts 500-1,000 people each night.

“People from Los Angeles and New York — they plan their vacations around the rodeo,” he said. “We get a lot of out-of-country people coming through, too,” from places like France, Denmark and Thailand. “It’s an international draw. We put on a good show, and it’s family entertainment.”

Entrance to the rodeo costs $30 per family, and children may enter for free. Rim Rock Rodeo events begin the first Tuesday in June through the last Tuesday in August, with the finale on the last Saturday in September to coincide with Fruita Fall Festival.

For more information about Rim Rock Rodeo, find it on Facebook. For more information about Rimrock Adventures, visit www.rradventures.com.


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