CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Creating Cheyenne’s iconic Daddy of ‘Em All requires dedication and passion from volunteers, entertainers and rodeo participants.
Several of these individuals were recognized and inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame during a Sept. 9 ceremony at the CFD Event Center.
The Hall of Fame, which is housed at the Old West Museum, showcases individuals, livestock and organizations who have made distinctive contributions to CFD. The individuals were nominated and voted on by museum members at the Hall of Fame Level earlier this year. The CFD Hall of Fame Steering Committee, which was formed in 2002, supervises the process.
This year, the inductees ranged from award-winning musicians and former bull fighters to lifelong volunteers and committee members.
Although absent from the ceremony, the first group to be introduced Friday night was Brooks & Dunn, an American country music duo consisting of vocalists and songwriters Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn. The duo preformed sold-out CFD shows in 1993, 1994 and 1996 as well as 1999, 2001, 2010 and 2022. The Grammy Award–wining team was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019.
The next inductee was Riley Busacker, a 50-year volunteer for CFD. Busacker served on the Contestants, Public Relations and Grounds Committee. He also participated in a wide range of construction projects within Frontier Park, including the volunteer bronze monument and the construction of the current Old Frontier Town. Busacker passed away in August 2022. His family accepted the award on his behalf.
“Being a part of Frontier Days was a passion for Dad,” said Busacker’s daughter, Ashley. “He loved Frontier Days so much, and to the point where sometimes I didn’t understand why.”
Following Busacker’s induction was George Geyer Jr., another avid volunteer. Geyer’s CFD stints included volunteering for the Tickets, Parades, Workday, RRR and 4th of July Committees, among other contributions. Geyer is most recognized for leading the CFD Youth Volunteer Program in 2016, when he became the program’s first coordinator. The program began with just 14 members and now has over 50 active ones. Geyer passed away in August 2021. His wife, Carol, who was present at the ceremony, recalled his enthusiasm for helping the next generation of CFD volunteers.
“When the youth program was mentioned, he applied for it immediately and never regretted the decision,” she said during the ceremony. “He loved helping the kids and put together a great program to get young people involved in the rodeo. It was a lot of work but he was always up to the challenge.”
CFD rodeo legend Lester A. “Les” Gore was also included in the Hall of Fame lineup. Gore participated in various CFD rodeo events from 1947 to 1969. He also performed in rodeos across the U.S. and Canada, winning championships at many of them. In 1979, he played an instrumental role in informing the National Old Timers Rodeo Association, which is now the Senior Pro Rodeo Association, and became the NOTRA’s World Champion BarebakcBronc Rider in 1983. The lifelong rider retired from pro rodeo at 54, and retired from riding at 64. Gore passed away in 2016. Lester’s wife, Kay Gore, accepted the award and reminisced on his passion for riding.
“I think the biggest challenge I had in my marriage with Les is the darn Bareback Riding,” she said during the ceremony. “I thought when he turned 60 [he would stop]; I swear if I had the money I would have bronzed that rigging, but he continued to finish rodeo until he was 64.”
The next inductee was Dwayn “The Amazing Razin” Hargo. Hargo first competed in CFD in 1985 after he was called to fill the spot of an injured man during the Wrangler Bullfight tour. He became a regular on the tour the following year and won the Wrangler Bullfighter world championships in 1989. Hargo was hired to work as a CFD bullfighter in 1990 and continued to work there for the next 14 years. Standing on the ceremony stage and looking around at the crowd of CFD enthusiasts, Hargo thanked committee members and various friends and family members who made the rodeo experience memorable for him.
“I see a lot of people I’ve met throughout the years,” he said during the ceremony. “They were kids then, now they’re grown up. I really enjoy being here.”
Another group to be inducted was the Romsa Family. The family’s longstanding involvement with CFD started in 1947, when 10-year old Larry Romsa began volunteering. In 1991, Larry and his wife Marilyn took over the parade contract and recruited drivers from across the country. In the early 2000s, Larry handed over the role to to his son, JD, and his children. The family presents CFD at various events and work directly with every parade adjacent organization to organize wagon lineups and costumes for guests.
“We can’t imagine what life would be without Frontier Days,” said Lane Romsa, JD’s son. “The biggest thank you we can give back to Frontier Days is continue the tradition for years and many years to come for families.”
The final inductee of the night was former general chairman and interim CEO of CFD, Darin Westby. Westby began volunteering in 1997 and served on the Confessions Committee, the CFD Scholarship Foundation, the CFD Hall of Fame Committee and the CFD Board of Directors. He was elected as general chairman in 2012 and served as interim CEO in 2014 for five months. The new WYDOT director thanked, or “blamed” as he called it, family, friends and CFD committee members and volunteers for shaping him into the person he is today.
“I blame Cheyenne Frontier Days for the job that I’m currently at,” he said during the ceremony. “Several people in this room that I can attribute, I would not be as a director without Cheyenne Frontier Days.”
