Washington, DC to host modern-day World’s Fair, rodeo 

There’s nothing more American than rodeo. 

Binion Cervi had an idea to put professional rodeo in front of Americans celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States in Washington, DC. 

Cervi of Cervi Championship Rodeo, based near Greeley, Colorado, pitched his idea to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins at Rodeo Houston, and the rest is “almost” history. 

He has been working to make Rodeo 250 a reality. There will be performances during the Great American State Fair in the nation’s capital, June 25 to July 10. Cervi’s rodeo company puts on major rodeos across the country. 

“The story of the American cowboy needs to be told,” Cervi said.  

He suggested to Rollins there needed to be a rodeo at the 250th celebration on the national mall. But due to logistics, it couldn’t be a full-fledged rodeo. 

“It’s not like we’re putting on a rodeo for rodeo fans,” he said. “It’s people from all over the country and world.”  

Rodeo 250 will explain the history of how the American Cowboy was born, created and evolved into what it is today. Along the way the rodeo cowboy was born too.  

“That’s what we’re doing, a one-hour show that’ll have elements from trick roping to trick riding to a bronc ride to a bull ride to a lot of Americana,” he said. 

Crowd interaction from rodeo events like roping a dummy to barrel racing is planned, he said. 

The event will be held in the special arena near the National Mall. 

Cervi, who produces rodeos across the country, is in his busy summer run of rodeos, but made Rodeo 250 a priority. “Cowboy Christmas” is a lucrative time for those involved in professional rodeo that starts normally the week prior to the Fourth of July and runs through the holiday weekend. 

“We made room for it,” Cervi said of Rodeo 250. “I think when it’s all said and done, I’m going to be grateful for the opportunity, but I’m going to be glad when it’s done, because we literally have a show starting in Springdale, Arkansas today.” 

From Springdale, Cervi will eventually go to West Jordan, Utah; Estes Park, Colorado; and Casper, Wyoming; among others on his schedule. While Cervi is in DC, he’ll appreciate the opportunity before him. 

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that I thought—you never know what impact you’ll have with this,” he said. “I think only good will come out of this.” 

He hopes to be able to change a few minds about the sport and the rodeo industry. 

“We need to do it. I think people in ag have got to be more open-minded, because we were a minority, and minorities have got to educate the rest of the world.” 

There are a couple of “best parts” of producing rodeos for Cervi. 

“The best part is that it’s such a unique, rare opportunity that if you take it for granted, there’s so many people that would jump at the chance to do it,” Cervi said. “When it’s fulfilling, when it all comes together at the end is the one thing I would say, because it’s nobody else in the world gets to do this.” 

Cervi Championship Rodeo was founded by Mike Cervi in 1967 and has grown into one of the largest rodeo producers in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The family-run operation is rooted in livestock, production, and arena entertainment. Cervi is known to have quality bucking stock and produce some of the biggest rodeos in the U.S., including Denver, Colorado; San Antonio, Texas; Houston, Texas; Nampa, Idaho; Springdale, Arkansas; Sidney, Iowa; Fort Madison, Iowa; and Casper, Wyoming. 

Cervi’s also have one of the largest rough-stock breeding programs in the PRCA, owning more than 800 horses and 150 bulls in the program. Cervi livestock has consistently appeared at the National Finals Rodeo, and the company’s bloodlines trace back to major award-winning bucking horses, including Descent, a six-time Bucking Horse of the Year. 

The National Mall and Washington DC’s most iconic monuments will provide the backdrop for the rodeo, according to organizers. 

According to Cervi, the last time a rodeo was featured in the nation’s capital was more than 40 years ago, “when our family helped produce the Presidential Command Performance Rodeo for President Reagan. Bringing rodeo back to the nation’s capital during America’s 250th feels especially meaningful to me,” he said. 

For more information about the Great American State Fair visit https://freedom250.org/celebration/the-great-american-state-fair. 

Kylene Scott can be reached at 620-227-1804 or [email protected].