Grego House Bill, mayor's letter continue drive for OSP Rodeo return

Feb. 24—Action to return the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Prison Rodeo continues to gain traction, with hope for the rodeo's return in 2025.

Plans are for a State House Committee to hear House Bill 3749 by District 17 State Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, to create the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Prison Rodeo Revolving Fund.

Also, McAlester Mayor John Browne has sent a letter to the State House of Representatives to show the city of McAlester's support for returning the prison rodeo to OSP.

Grego expects his bill to be heard this week by the House Appropriations and Budget Committee.

Grego's bill will be heard in the wake of the passage last Wednesday by a state Senate subcommittee of Senate Bill 1427 by Sen. Darcy Jech, R-Kingfisher, that would provide $8.3 million to help bring the OSP Prison Rodeo back to McAlester.

The Senate bill is set to be heard by the entire Senate.

Grego's House Bill 3749 also originally called for $8.3 million. However, it was later amended without specifying an exact dollar amount. Grego said that can be added later.

In addition to his own House Bill 3749, Grego is a House sponsor of Jech's Senate bill.

Grego's amended HB 3749, which calls for the creation of "The Oklahoma Prison Rodeo Revolving Fund," states "it shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall consist of all monies directed for deposit by law."

His bill states all money accrued to the fund will be appropriated and may be used for the purpose of "restoring, rehabilitating, and expanding" the prison rodeo arena.

An analysis by the House Research Staff sates the measure would appropriate $8.3 million from the General Revenue Fund of the State Treasury to the Department of Corrections for purposes of site improvements, construction, repairs, upgrades and rehabilitation of the ODOC rodeo arena.

Mayor Browne addressed his letter of support for Grego's House Bill 3749 to the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, to Chairman Kevin Wallace and members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Browne urged their support for Grego's HB 3749.

"This rodeo has been a very valuable event for our city, providing additional tourism, increased sales tax, and hotel/motel taxes, while also providing a boost to quality of life, for not just our city but also Pittsburg County and Southeast Oklahoma, through the entertainment aspect of the event," Browne said.

"Money the Hard Way, Wild Cow Milking, along with the traditional rodeo events performed by both inmates and professional cowboys are tremendous crowd pleasers."

He said the rodeo's economic impact on the community can be exceptional.

"Using estimates from Louisiana's Angola Prison Rodeo, to my knowledge the only prison rodeo in the country, we can expect to draw visitors numbering in the thousands," Browne said.

"The Angola Rodeo draws approximately 10,400 attendees and rents out an estimated 1,000 hotel/motel rooms in their attraction area the weekend of their event."

St. Francisville, the closest community to the prison, has a population of approximately 3,000 and draws an estimated 2,000 visitors to their community the weekend of the Angola rodeo, he said.

"The City of McAlester is willing to assist in any manner within our means to help bring the rodeo back to McAlester and the prison," Browne continued. "I ask that you support HB 3749 and bring back an historic attraction to McAlester, Pittsburg County, and Southeast Oklahoma."

Oklahoma Department of Corrections Chief Administrator of State Institutions Jim Farris, a former warden at OSP and the Jackie Brannon correctional Center in McAlester, is one of the driving forces to return the prison rodeo to OSP.

ODOC Director Steve Harpe included the request for $8.3 million for the OSP Rodeo Arena in his initial ODOC budget presented earlier this year.

The ODOC has already invested approximately $1 million to begin the process of restoring the OSP Prison Rodeo arena and some of the crumbling concrete seats inside it, corrections officials said.

Before the OSP Prison Rodeo's 2010 cancellation, it drew thousands of visitors and locals from around the state and the nation to McAlester for the then-annual event.

Along with traditional rodeo activities, such as bull and bronc riding, steer wrestling and calf roping, it included specialty acts and unique events, such as the wild tub ride, the wild horse race and money the hard way.

The popular rodeo continued for approximately 70 nonconsecutive years, with the few breaks in-between brought on by events such as a world war and a prison riot.

It started in 1940, with the first interruption coming with World War II. Following the war's end in 1945, the OSP Prison Rodeo returned in 1948.

A second interruption occurred following the devastating 1973 OSP prison riot, which brought a stop to OSP's Prison Rodeo until it resumed in 1978.

By then, it had become a joint venture involving the ODOC, the city of McAlester and the McAlester Chamber of Commerce.

OSP's Prison Rodeo abruptly ended following the 2009 rodeo, when ODOC canceled the 2010 event.

In cancelling the 2010 rodeo, the ODOC cited the state budget crunch at the time, along with a personnel shortage and the deteriorating condition of the prison's rodeo arena.

Now, McAlester community leaders, ODOC officials, rodeo fans and others are hoping the current efforts to bring back the OSP Prison Rodeo will ultimately prove successful.