Casper Baca Rodeo Series Splits 47th Annual Event Across Two Valencia County Venues

For the first time in at least two years, rodeo returns to Belen — and this spring, Valencia County gets two venues instead of one.

The Casper Baca Rodeo Series will divide its 47th annual schedule between Fat Sat's Bar & Grill on the I-25 Bypass in Belen and the Bosque Farms Rodeo Association arena, running four consecutive weekends beginning March 28. The split marks the series' return to Belen after several years away from the Hub City.

CJ Baca said the dual-venue arrangement will "spread out the fun-factor a little bit and give everybody a different viewing experience," while also working to "create some business in Belen and create some business in the Bosque Farms area as well."

Fat Sat's will carry the heavier load, hosting three of the four weekends: March 28-29, April 11-12, and April 18-19. The Bosque Farms Rodeo Association arena, which served as the series' exclusive home the previous two years, will host the Easter weekend dates of April 4-5.

To stage the event at Fat Sat's, Casper Baca Rodeo Co. will deploy what Baca describes as a "mobile arena" on the north side of the property. "It's going to be an electric atmosphere," Baca said, "with fans close to the action."

The decision to bring Bosque Farms back for only one weekend reflects the scale the series has reached. "Bosque Farms has been a great venue the past two years," Baca said. "The event itself is just a little too big and too bearing for a community that has a lot of residential houses around it."

Behind the series is Casper Baca Rodeo Co., a third-generation stock contracting and rodeo production company rooted in New Mexico. The company traces its origins to the sands of San Fidel and evolved from the 1970s "Baca Bros" operation into the Casper Baca Rodeo Company by 1982.

Ticket prices and event start times had not been announced as of publication.