Bill and Karen Curtis named parade's grand marshals

The Ritzville Community Parade will pay tribute to longstanding members of the community this weekend, as Bill and Karen Curtis were selected to be the 2019 Grand Marshals.

The Curtises have lived in the Ritzville area since the summer of 1957. Thirteen years later in 1970, they helped successfully launch the inaugural Ritzville Rodeo.

Now, the rodeo will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend, and the Curtises will be playing a big role as the parade's grand marshals in helping to celebrate the community they've lived in for over 60 years.

"It's an honor, it definitely is an honor," said Karen. "Especially since it's the 50th anniversary of the Ritzville Rodeo."

Bill and Karen were married in November 1956 and moved to the Ritzville area from Colfax a few months later in 1957 to ranch. As it turns out, the inaugural Ritzville Rodeo wasn't the couple's first foray into the rodeo business.

In the 5-6 years prior to 1970, the Curtises held their own rodeos, first at their own ranch about 10 miles outside of the city, and then later next to the Lutheran Church Cemetery.

"There was no rodeo or anything," said Bill. "And Karen and I both brought our horses [when we moved to Ritzville] and we thought we'd have a good time, but there was nothing to do to have a good time. So we said, 'let's start a rodeo.'"

Eventually, the Curtises acquired land on what is now the current rodeo grounds. They also convinced the fair board to make the move with them.

Bill was the Ritzville Rodeo president for the rodeo's first two years, and he and Karen also helped put on team roping competitions at the grounds for 12 years. Team roping became so well-regarded in the area that Ritzville was dubbed the 'Team Roping Capital of the Northwest,' said Bill. As many as 300 teams would embark on the rodeo grounds over the course of a weekend.

"It brought a lot of business into town, and it was a good thing," Karen said. "And we had a good time, we raised all of our kids down there."

While the Curtises played a large role in making the Ritzville Rodeo a reality, they are quick to thank others who helped make it happen as well. By their estimation, there were about 30 people who put up between $100-200 to help purchase and build the grounds. The land was paid for in time.

"We had a lot of fun times just building it and when everybody got together," said Bill. "Of course there was a little alcohol involved, too. We built that arena to team rope in, is what we really built it for. And then we built it for anyone who wanted to use it, such as 4-H and Gymkhanas. And it's the nicest little ground."

As they look on now, some 50 years after the inaugural Ritzville Rodeo, the Curtises believe the rodeo's in good hands.

"Fortunately, we've got some young people who've taken a real interest in it, and have taken over the main share of the work," said Bill. Karen mentioned Scott Yaeger specifically, and said he's done a lot for the rodeo and works hard to keep it running well.

For the Curtises, they've lived in Ritzville for over 60 years, raising their three children here, and have recently watched their grandchildren go through the Lind-Ritzville Schools system. Both their daughter, Robin, and granddaughter, Peyton, are past Ritzville Rodeo Queens. Robin was queen in 1979, while Peyton was queen in 2016.

Both Bill and Karen mentioned several times that the Ritzville Rodeo was only able to come together because of a team effort from various members of the community, and stressed that big accomplishments like building rodeo and fairgrounds can happen when people in a community unite for a common goal.

As for this weekend, the Curtises are excited about making their appearance as grand marshals in the Ritzville Community Parade. They usually watch the parade on the sidewalks near the Ritzville Public Library, but will have a completely new vantage point this year.

"We feel very privileged to do it and be asked," said Karen. "Ritzville's a good place to live, and we've enjoyed it here all these years."

The Ritzville Community Parade is scheduled to begin on Aug. 31 at 11 a.m., and is directly preceded by the children's parade.