Yee-haw! Rochester Select Board approves New England Rodeo license

ROCHESTER — Boy howdy! Barrel racing and bull riding could come to Rochester this summer. 

The Select Board approved a license agreement with the New England Rodeo for temporary use of the fairgrounds at 65 Pine Street during a meeting on Monday, April 28.

New England Rodeo Strategic Advisor and Producer Kelly Pina gave a presentation to the Select Board and Rochester residents to explain how the rodeo could operate if they receive approval from Rochester officials.

“Our goal is to create the least disturbance as possible,” she said.

The rodeo could take place every other weekend from Sunday, June 1 through Tuesday, Sept. 30. Gates would open at 5 p.m. on rodeo nights and all events would conclude by 10 p.m.

On a typical night at their previous arena in Norton, the rodeos housed an audience of about 1,000 people, but attendance goes up to around 2,000 participants for special events.

According to Pina, noise is “something that we’re really mindful of. We don’t want to create undue noise with our speakers.”

The rodeo team has visited the site multiple times to test speaker placements and minimize noise pollution to the best of their ability by placing speakers facing the woods.

Pina emphasized the importance of safety and medical assistance at the event in case of emergency.

“We are aware of the nature [of the rodeo] that there are going to be accidents, there are going to be injuries, so we want to be best prepared as possible,” she said.

Emergency Medical Technicians would be on site as well as Rochester Emergency Service teams such as Fire and Police.

The safety of the animals is also a top priority for the New England Rodeo, with veterinarians, chiropractors and nutritionists all working with the animals to ensure their health.

“Our bulls are kind of like our dogs. They’re taken care of just as well as any other household pet,” said Pina. “We can go down, lay in the fields and cuddle with them, and then on a Saturday night when it’s time to perform, they know what they’re doing.”

Pina stated that the New England Rodeo intends to create a family-friendly environment that would involve the Rochester community if they receive approval to use the grounds.

“We are huge on a family atmosphere,” said Pina.

Alcohol would not be served at the event, but the rodeo would intend to collaborate with local food trucks to offer meals on site.

“We need to have the community involved, and if the community is doing more, we’re doing more. It just goes hand-in-hand,” said Pina.

Rochester residents at the meeting asked questions about the operations, imploring about parking and asking if they would consider staying in Rochester permanently.

Pina said the rodeo would  take inspiration from the country fair parking layout that was previously used at 65 Pine Street, with additional parking available at Rochester Memorial School in case there’s overflow.

She emphasized that they would keep the roads clear and open in case additional emergency service teams are needed.

While the rodeo is planning to potentially set up in Rochester for the summer, they have purchased land in a neighboring town that they’re “hoping to then be ready for the 2026 season.” Pina did not specify the town as they are still confirming the agreement.

Residents in the audience unanimously voiced their support for the event, with no dissenting opinions heard from the crowd.

For their next steps, the rodeo must receive official approval from the Rochester Police and Fire Departments to begin building the arena and put up fencing on the grounds.

Town Administrator Cameron Durant said that both departments approved of the event in unofficial conversations.

“Everyone is on board moving forward,” said Durant.