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In 100 years of history, there have been many highlights for Nebraska’s Big Rodeo (NBR) held annually in July in Burwell. Perhaps no performance within the arena rivaled the moment the rodeo received a phone call to say they’d be going into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame just two weeks prior to their 101st rodeo in 2022.

But exactly a month after that announcement, the Burwell community was left devastated by a storm that blew through town, leaving massive damage to the Burwell Rodeo Grounds, Nebraska Big Rodeo’s home for a century.

“It was an emotional day, when we got the call for the Hall of Fame,” Jess Helgoth, President of the Board of Directors, said. Helgoth’s great, great grandfather, Perry Donner, was one of the founders of NBR.

“Wow, how awesome for a little, bitty community of 1,200 people, to be going into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame,” he continued. “How cool is that? It gave me goosebumps.”

But on May 12, excitement and pride gave way to shock as citizens took in the damage caused by what the National Weather Service determined were 110 mph straight line winds.

“It was one of those days,” Helgoth said, noting he was home moving livestock due to the NWS severe weather warnings for the day. “They’d said there was enhanced risk of severe storms and we saw it coming as the day progressed.”

Just before 3 o’clock, the storm hit, bringing half an inch of rain, quarter to ping pong ball sized hail and the wind. The east side of town was affected the most, including storage units that Helgoth described as looking as though someone had set off a bomb inside them, and of course, the rodeo grounds.

“The main grandstand and ticket office were destroyed,” Helgoth said.

The whole thing was over in less than half an hour.

The first Nebraska’s Big Rodeo was held in 1921 using the spectators’ cars to form the arena fence. The arena and first section of the grandstands were built in time for the 1922 rodeo.

“The entire grandstands were completed by the 1940s and by then, folks were coming by train from Lincoln and Omaha to watch the rodeo,” Helgoth said. He estimates that nearly three-quarters of the Board members for the rodeo grew up in Burwell and calls service to the rodeo a “hand me down deal” for community residents.

NBR is held in conjunction with the Garfield County Fair and several fair buildings also sustained major damage including the sheep, beef and one of the horse barns. But no loss stings as much as losing the North grandstands, which were listed on Nebraska’s Historic Register.

“The grandstands and ticket office would have been 100 years old this summer,” Helgoth noted with sadness. “We’ll build it back, but it will lose the historic look of the wood.”

With tall wooden pillars spaced throughout the structure, Burwell’s mammoth grandstands were iconic and easily identified in photos and videos as unique in the rodeo world.

The winds ripped the roof completely away and concrete anchors added to help against high winds were pulled from the ground and tossed onto the wooden seats. Nearly everything was cracked and shifted from its foundations, further slowing the rebuilding process.

“The insurance adjuster came out (May 19) and he said, he had no idea the damage was that bad,” Helgoth said. “Now, we have to get a structural engineer out to check everything and see if it’s a total loss or not.”

Burwell had been set to host its inaugural Nebraska’s Big Rodeo Bulls and Broncs on May 27-28, but the committee has been forced to cancel that event.

While waiting on engineering and insurance decisions, Helgoth notes the funds from insurance on a 100-year-old structure won’t come close to covering the costs to rebuild in 2022. Thankfully, the community, both within Burwell and around the rodeo industry, has rallied to help.

A GoFundMe account was set up by the 2021 Miss Burwell Rodeo Royalty, Kinley Olson, and Rebel Sjeklocha on May 14; the link can be found on NBR’s Facebook page. Those wishing to help can also send money to Pathway Bank, 817 H Street, Burwell, Neb., 68823, where an account has been set up for Burwell Rodeo Grounds Rebuilding.

Help is coming from the PRCA’s media partner as well.

“Patrick Gottsch with The Cowboy Channel reached out to us. Of course, he’s a Nebraska boy too and he offered his help. He’s working with us to find contractors to get all the work done,” Helgoth said. “We’ll see what we can do.”

No one is talking about missing the 101st Nebraska’s Big Rodeo come July 27-30, however.

“We are all planning on it,” Helgoth said. “We’ve got bleachers rounded up for about 1,400 seats so far.” Burwell’s original stands held 4,600 a night for its four-performance run.

“It means a lot to our community,” Helgoth said of the rodeo. Bringing more than 20,000 people to town annually, the event has a large economic impact but even more importantly, it’s a community gathering; often the rodeo is the central part of family and school reunions in town.

“We’ll build back, probably better than before, but it’s sad to lose the historic look,” Helgoth concluded. “But everything changes eventually.”

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