Hawley Rodeo

08/25/2026

Thank you Dolly Parton for all the music, memories, philanthropic support you gave and encouraged. You will be missed! To learn more about the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library how she provides books to children click the page or website.

What is your favorite Dolly song?

Global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright, and author died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80 years old.

Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 – 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000).

A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family. Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.

At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging or by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com

In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com

07/25/2026

Sharing -

*Join us Thursday, July 30th for Horse Races and Bar Bingo..The blackout prize is a pair of 3day WeFest Tickets!! (How to play: Recieve a 5 card BINGO packet with a minimum of a $10 purchase, limit 1 per customer, 18+)
*Every Hour of bowling purchased Friday July 24th through Tuesday Aug 4th enters your name into a drawing for another pair of 3 day WeFest Tickets!! Winner announced Tuesday, Aug.4th before Triva starts at 7pm!!

07/19/2026

Ironic when it’s hot in July - this gets posted to remind us the hot days won’t last forever.

The 1991 Halloween Blizzard hit Minnesota as the biggest surprise winter storm in the state's modern history. No one saw it coming. Local meteorologists spent October 30 predicting a cold rain for Halloween Day, maybe an inch or two of snow at most. The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch at 4am on the 31st, forecasting up to a foot. Two days earlier, the Twin Cities had hit 65 degrees, and Minnesotans were still celebrating the Twins' second World Series title in four years.

Snow started falling around 11:30am on Halloween itself, earlier than expected, and it didn't stop. By day's end, 8.2 inches had piled up, already a record for the entire month of October. Trick-or-treating got wiped out statewide. That was only the opening act.

The storm intensified overnight. By the morning of November 1st, snow fell at rates up to two inches an hour, with over a foot on the ground before sunrise. Roughly 900 schools and businesses closed, including major employers like 3M, Dayton's, and Honeywell. Snow blowers sold out across the metro within hours. St. Paul-Ramsey Hospital treated eight separate injuries from people losing fingertips to snow blowers. Southern Minnesota and Iowa got hit differently, an ice storm that coated everything in one to three inches of ice and knocked out power for tens of thousands.

By the time it ended on November 4th, the Twin Cities had recorded 28.4 inches from the single storm, a record that still stands. Duluth got buried under 36.9 inches, the largest snowstorm total in state history at the time. Winds gusted to 60 miles per hour. Temperatures dropped to negative 3 degrees, the earliest sub-zero reading ever recorded in the Twin Cities. Roughly 20 deaths were tied to the storm.

What sticks with people even more than the numbers is how hard the state kept functioning through it. Metro buses ran until 8pm that Friday. The airport stayed open until 10:30pm and reopened the next morning. Sixty percent of mail carriers still made their rounds. Thousands of Minnesotans grabbed shovels and dug out neighbors and total strangers.

By the following Monday, nearly the entire state was back to normal school and work hours. More than three decades later, it's still the benchmark every Minnesota winter storm gets measured against.

07/14/2026

Looking for a new job?

07/10/2026

Minnesota Proud of Tanner Aus!

Past Calgary Ba****ck Champion Tanner Aus and Gretchen Kirchmann re...

07/01/2026

It’s July = time for FUN fair contests. Minnesota hockey hair in the winter, fair hair in the summer. Who are you nominating?

Get your Mullets ready for the annual Mullet Pageant at the Clay County Fair on Thursday, July 9th.

06/30/2026

The contestants are blessed to have you two handling all the hospitality tent preparations. Thank you so much! Great Lakes PRCA Circuit this couple is 100% hardworking and supplying fuel for the contestants.

🤠 HOSPITALITY WITH A HUGE HEART! ❤️🤠If you’ve ever walked past the little red building on the southeast corner of the Hawley Rodeo grounds, you’re looking at the Contestant Hospitality Building. It might be small, but it is mighty—and that is all thanks to an incredible, hardworking couple: Keith and Lori Aakre! Many of our rodeo contestants are on a grueling grind, traveling from performance to performance trying to punch their ticket to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Out on the road, home-cooked meals are rare, and truck stops usually have to pass for dinner. That’s where Keith and Lori step in. 🥪🍎🥤They pour their hearts and souls into providing warm meals, snacks, cold drinks, and a comfortable place for these athletes to sit down, let their guard down, and relax. And if you see a contestant walking out with a full bag? That’s a custom-packed to-go bag from Keith and Lori, stuffed with snacks and treats for the long miles ahead. Keith and Lori, you represent the absolute best of our community. The Hawley Rodeo, and every single contestant who rolls through our gates appreciate you more than words can say. Thank you for everything you have done, and continue to do, to make this event a success!

06/21/2026

Hats off to the men on Father’s Day!! Being a dad, step dad, grand dad are all important roles. We appreciate you!

🌵 Wishing a Happy Father’s Day to all the incredible dads out there!