Final preparations for 2024 Clovis Rodeo

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls are already filling the Clovis Rodeo Grounds, competing in "go rounds" before the main events begin Wednesday.

That includes Derrick Begay, who traveled over 650 miles from Winslow, Arizona.

"This rodeo is so good that you have to come here," he said. "The weather is nice, the people are nice and the community is nice. It's just an event that I put on my calendar every year."

While you're watching the riding, roping and racing, you can also dress the part.

Volunteers and vendors spent Tuesday putting final touches on their displays as organizers count down to official start of the rodeo. They say visitors will experience a year's worth of work in just five days.

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"Two days after the rodeos over, we have a board meeting, we discuss how the rodeo went and we start a plan for next year's rodeo," says Clovis Rodeo Director Mark Thompson.

Thompson says fans will have new attractions to look forward to, from the Tom Stern Pavilion to a helpful way to avoid parking problems.

"We have a trolley system that will shuttle people between Sierra Vista Mall and the Clovis Rodeo Grounds," he said.

Country music artists Bryan Martin, Michael Ray and Matt Stell will hit the stage this week, but there's one performer Thompson is still waiting to hear back from.

Beyonce recently mentioned Cowboys in Clovis on her new album, but regardless of Queen Bey's attendance, local businesses are ready for a big boost from the rodeo.

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That includes the nearby Craft House.

"We have to gear up and get ourselves ready to go, get a few more staff people on the floor and in the back, and get ready for the boom," says Craft House Co-Owner Greg Wilson.

In total, the region can see more than $33 million all generated by the rodeo.

Greg Sassano is the owner of Sassano's Men's Wear and says it's a tradition his business and family look forward to every year.

"I haven't missed one and I'm 65 years old, so it's part of my life," he said. "I enjoy every bit of it."