GREELEY • The rodeo circuit is hitting the Front Range, and William Rasmussen couldn’t be happier.

Yes, Rasmussen figures to feel right at home from the announcing booth at the 103rd Greeley Stampede, which runs through July 6.

It’s been like that for some time, but, more specifically, 1981 when Rasmussen made his rodeo announcing debut in Gardiner, Mont., at the Upper Yellowstone Rodeo.

Rasmussen got the call because his father, Stan — also a professional rodeo announcer — double-booked two events on the same weekend 24 years ago.

“It was Father’s Day weekend, and I’ll never forget it snowed,” Rasmussen said. “I should have known to quit right then. I think I was 20 at the time — just some lost college kid. I was absolutely petrified, but, you know, somehow I made it through.”

Rasmussen did more than just make it through his memorable indoctrination into the unique subworld of rodeo announcing; he’s now more or less ordained and in some places revered in the rodeo circuit.

After graduating from Montana State University and launching into what he calls a “pretty successful career” in insurance, Rasmussen got his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) card in 1994 and has been entertaining audiences with his wit and knowledge on the professional tour ever since.

Rasmussen’s engaging and dynamic persona, along with his rodeo acumen, will be on full display throughout the Greeley Stampede rodeo events, which include: the PRCA Rodeo Series, PRCA Xtreme Bulls, Heritage of Mexico Rodeo and American Bull Fighting.

Though Rasmussen is now a mainstay on the professional circuit — he’s a six-time PRCA Announcer of the Year nominee and has been announcing for the Greeley Stampede since 2009 — he still gets nervous before each big performance, just as he did back in 1981 in Gardiner.

“I figure if you don’t get nervous, then you’re not wanting to do good. Over the years, I’ve become more passionate about needing to do well. My dad was my mentor, and I learned the nuts and bolts about the profession from him. Another one of my mentors was the late-great Hadley Barrett, who did the Greeley Stampede for over 30 years.”

Rasmussen, who grew up in Montana and now lives in Idaho, still vividly recalls his first Greeley Stampede and finding Barrett hard at work.

“I remember thinking I was pretty hot stuff, the first time I went to Greeley,” Rasmussen said. “I walked into (Barrett’s) camper — I didn’t know him well — and there he was doing his homework and studying. I thought: ‘Man, no wonder he’s him and I’m me.’ He taught me so much about the behind-the-scenes preparation that’s needed to really do well.”

In addition to preparation, Rasmussen works with music directors, clowns, rodeo committees and screen crews to help create a show and experience his audiences appreciate.

“Crowds have so many options these days,” Rasmussen said. “I want to be sure they’re happy they spent their time with rodeo.”

In addition to the scheduled rodeos, the Greeley Stampede’s concert lineup is robust, featuring performers ranging from Ludacris with BigXthaPlug to Justin Moore with Clay Walker.

Tickets for the Super Stars Concert Series range in price from $55 for individual shows to $175 for all five.

Admission into the park is $4 for children ages 6-12 and seniors 61 and older. Park admission for adults is $7. Rodeo tickets vary in price. Any ticket and price inquiries can be made by visiting the Greeley Stampede website.

Beyond rodeos and music, the Greeley Stampede includes carnival rides, shopping, festival food and parades — lots and lots of parades.

In fact, the event is home to Colorado’s largest Independence Day Parades, drawing more than 40,000 attendees with over 120 floats annually.

The event itself also kicks off with a parade of sorts, the Longhorn Drive, that goes through downtown Greeley to help signify the start of the Greeley Stampede.

The Greeley Stampede kicks off an array of rodeo and concert opportunities for Western enthusiasts.

Colorado State University will be a host site for the PBR Last Cowboy Standing series on July 21-22 at Canvas Stadium and, of course, the “daddy of ‘em all” Cheyenne Frontier Days is slated later this summer, July 18-27.

“It’s like rodeo Christmas,” Walker said.

The Greeley Stampede is expected to draw more than 250,000 visitors, many coming from out of state and some even traveling internationally to the event.

According to a 2022 economic impact analysis generated by Jon Stover Associates, the Greeley Stampede generated an economic impact of $23 million. Organizers and city officials said those figures remain relevant today.

The event also helps support scholarships. There are a number of foundations associated with the event, and the Stampede Foundation has awarded more than $665,000 in scholarships to northern Colorado students since its inception in 2006, per the 2022 report.