Howdy neighbors! It’s Jynel, your local farm friend, here to talk about agriculture and the 115th California Rodeo Salinas! Can you believe we have a local event and tradition that has been around for 115 years? Monterey County is home to the largest rodeo in the entire state of California, which is hosted in the heart of Salinas at the Salinas Sports Complex. Our rodeo happens the third weekend of July; this year, it's July 17-20. With two night performances and two day performances, it's a great event for all ages! The entire week of rodeo is called “Big Week,” and the whole town of Salinas gears up! 

If you’re not originally from Salinas, you probably hear people calling it the “ro-day-oh,” and they are saying it correctly. Here in Salinas, our rodeo holds to Western tradition and our vaquero roots. Vaquero is the Spanish term for cowboy, as is the word rodeo, which comes from the Spanish word “rodear” or to round up. This is why we call it the California “Ro-day-Oh” Salinas - to pay tribute to our roots in Western and Vaquero culture and tradition. If you attend our rodeo, you will notice some unique traditions only found here in Salinas. One of those is our annual horse race. Part of the original lease with the City of Salinas is having a horse race at least once a year. My personal favorite tradition is the pageant of the flags and any tribute we have to our soldiers and country, like the Saturday Salute to Military Day. 

The California Rodeo Salinas Association is a not-for-profit and gave back almost $800,000 to our local community and nonprofits last year alone. The rodeo generates an $11 million economic impact on Monterey County. People come from near and far to enjoy this historic community event. If you have never been, I highly encourage you and your family or friends to come out and enjoy our hometown rodeo. If you want to beat the crowds, Thursday night is a good time for newcomers, plus you get to enjoy the great fireworks show, which only happens on Thursday and Friday nights! The weekend daytime performances are always a fun way to enjoy the sun and the delicious food around the grounds. 

Big Week is one of my favorite times of the year- not just because of the tradition and community impact but most importantly because I get to see some of the best people who are our volunteers and supporters of this long-standing tradition. Our rodeo would not be possible without the 1,400+ volunteers, committee chairmen,  directors, and, of course, our generous sponsors. I hope to see you all this month at the California Rodeo Salinas, Where the West Comes Alive! 

And as usual, see our in-season produce recommendations for July!