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Harry Vold and son Wayne at NFR.
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(L to R) Kirsten Vold with Marley and Christie McClary in the Vold family seats at the Thomas & Mack.
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One of the “First Families of Rodeo,” the Volds have done more than just provide stock at the famous rodeo. They’ve worked as timers and pickup men, and been as much a part of its fabric as any other family. During the 10 nightly performances at the Thomas & Mack Center, it’s not difficult to locate
the Volds, as their 11 tickets in Section 105 have been the same since the event moved to Las Vegas in 1985. Each of the Vold children— Wayne, Dona, Doug, Darce and Kirsten—has two tickets apiece, and the family matriarch, Karen, has the 11th. That number coincidentally matches the number of PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year awards that Harry Vold—affectionately known as the “Duke of the Chutes”—won during his illustrious career. The tickets have long been Christmas gifts
from Harry and Karen to their kids, and virtually everyone in the family, young and old, has had the pleasure of seeing the rodeo from the “Vold section.” “It’s the same number of tickets and close to the same section as we had in Oklahoma City,” says Kirsten Vold, the youngest child who runs Harry Vold Rodeo Company from the family ranch in Avondale, Colorado. “In Oklahoma City, we were always on the righthand delivery behind the bucking chutes in the first two rows. So when [the NFR moved]
to Vegas, they tried to get everybody’s season tickets as close to what they had as possible.” As far as the Vold family is concerned, they’ve got the best seats in the house. “I love Las Vegas, but my very favorite thing is to just sit in my seat and watch every moment of that rodeo,” Darce Vold says. “It’s the best rodeo with the best competitors and stock. If I did nothing more than that, it would be worth the trip.” That’s not to say the Volds don’t get out and
Photos: Courtesy of Vold Family.
[at the rodeo], and it’s a tremendous family time and has been since we were children. We have experienced about every angle of it, and it’s always a thrill. There’s nothing like it.”