[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 15819]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     90TH ANNIVERSARY OF RENO RODEO

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I rise to extend my warmest 
congratulations to Gordon Cowan, John Solari, and the Reno Rodeo on 
this historic milestone.
  The Reno Rodeo is celebrated throughout Nevada for its first-class 
entertainment and dedication to philanthropy, which continues this week 
for the 90th consecutive year.
  The Nation's third largest regular-season rodeo, Nevadans look 
forward every year to its cowboys' skill and showmanship and its 
preservation of the great traditions of the West.
  Particularly this year, the non profit Reno Rodeo's contributions to 
Nevada's economy are significant--it draws 120,000 fans and generates 
millions for the hotels, casinos, restaurants, and stores in northern 
Nevada.
  But the Reno Rodeo is not only important to our economy--it is a 
central part of our community as well. Incredibly, the rodeo is run by 
only two full-time staff members and countless volunteers. Since 1986, 
it has donated more than $5 million to various causes, including 
charities, community partnership grants, and educational scholarships 
to schools including the University of Nevada, Reno. It has also given 
generously to literacy, high school rodeo and therapeutic equestrian 
programs.
  Nevada is particularly proud of the Exceptional Kids Rodeo, which for 
more than a quarter-century has given children with special needs the 
opportunity to interact with the rodeo cowboys, animals and the 
exciting rodeo experience.
  The ``Wildest, Richest Rodeo in the West'' is one of Nevada's oldest 
and proudest cultural institutions, and we wish it many more decades of 
success.

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