Kalispell, Kesler stock draw rave reviews from riders
By Andy Viano
The Daily Inter Lake
Judy Kesler always has the Northwest Montana Fair Rodeo circled on her calendar.
“When we get (to Kalispell) we feel like we’re in the best place ever,” Kesler said from her trailer following the second day of competition.
“There’s something about this place. It’s a fun place to be and the committee here is like family to us.”
Kesler is the matriarch of the Kesler Championship Rodeo family, a seven-person clan that supplies the stock for rodeos around western North America. They have been the stock contractor for the rodeo in Kalispell at least since she married into the family in 1967 (at which time Judy had never so much as seen a rodeo), and along the way the Kesler’s have developed a sterling reputation 65 years in the making.
“The history behind the Kesler’s makes them special,” bull rider Dustin Bowen of Waller, Texas, said.
“They’ve been around a long time and they know what they’re doing. It was a little bit of a drive to get out here but definitely worth it with Kesler’s pen.”
Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee Reg Kesler began Kesler Rodeo Ltd. in 1950 and the family has been breeding bulls and broncs ever since. Reg died in 2001, but the family has kept the business thriving, all without farming out any of the work.
In total, seven members of the Kesler family run the business. Greg, Judy’s husband and Reg’s son, is the flag man, and their son Dwayne is the pickup man. The Kesler’s daughters and grandsons are also part of the team, with Judy running the administrative end of the operation.
“(Our family) oversees every end of it,” Judy Kesler said.
“My guys know really well what’s going on out there and we’re one of the only families left that is a real rodeo family. There are a lot of contractors out there but most of them are in it as an investment. Ours is a lifestyle.”
“I’ve known the Kesler’s for years and years now so it’s like coming around family when you go to these rodeos,” bull rider and Edgar native Parker Breding said.
“And in Kalispell especially there are a lot of big crowds and it’s a nice facility. It’s one of the better rodeos in Montana.”
The conditions Friday presented plenty of obstacles to attendance — dangerous air quality during the day followed by wind, rain and cold falling temperatures at night — but the grandstands were full throughout the festivities. Judy, for one, was not surprised.
“The people here are very dedicated to this fair and they’ve stood behind us no matter what,” she said.
“So we always bring our ‘A’ team here, never less.”
The Northwest Montana Fair Rodeo concludes tonight at 7:30 p.m.