08/10/2026
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: FRIDAY NIGHT’S SOLD-OUT RODEO
We need to address some misinformation that continues to circulate regarding the sold-out Tough Enough to Wear Pink PRCA Rodeo on Friday, July 31.
No, oil companies or other local businesses did NOT buy up all of the rodeo tickets and then fail to give them away.
That claim is false.
Friday night’s rodeo legitimately sold out. Unfortunately, a portion of those tickets were purchased by online ticket scammers, who made multiple smaller ticket purchases and then attempted to resell those tickets through unauthorized and fraudulent websites.
This created an extremely frustrating situation for everyone involved.
Yes, every available ticket was sold.
No, every seat was not occupied that night.
We understand that our community is accustomed to being able to come to the Fairgrounds on the day of an event and purchase a ticket. We also understand how disappointing it was to hear that the rodeo was sold out and then see empty seats in the grandstands.
We were disappointed and frustrated, too.
But once a ticket is purchased, that seat is sold. We cannot sell that same seat to someone else simply because it remains empty at the beginning of the event. We have no way of knowing whether the legitimate ticket holder is running late, has decided not to attend, was unable to resell the ticket, or simply could not make it that evening. Double-selling a seat is not an option.
Unfortunately, the situation became even worse after the rodeo.
After purchasing tickets and attempting to resell them, scammers subsequently reported the original credit-card transactions to their financial institutions as fraudulent. Those disputes resulted in well over $3,000 in reversed charges being taken back from the Fair.
So, to be very clear: local businesses did not cause the empty seats. Local oil companies did not buy out the rodeo and keep tickets from the public. Our community sponsors and businesses were not responsible for Friday night selling out.
The empty seats were the result of tickets that had already been purchased but were not ultimately used—some because of the fraudulent resale activity and others simply because ticket holders were unable to attend.
We know people were disappointed. So were we. We would much rather have seen every seat filled with someone enjoying the rodeo.
What is especially disappointing, however, is seeing local businesses and members of our community attacked over something they did not do.
We have incredible businesses throughout Richland County that continually step up to sponsor events, support youth programs, contribute to community organizations, employ our friends and neighbors, and help make events like the Richland County Fair & Rodeo possible. They do not deserve hateful comments or accusations based on false information.
There is no perfect way to prevent sophisticated ticket scammers from attempting this type of activity, but we will continue reviewing our ticketing procedures and looking for ways to better protect the Fair and our customers in the future.
We appreciate everyone who attended the 2026 Richland County Fair & Rodeo, everyone who tried to attend, and everyone who supports this event year after year.
But we also ask our community to please stop repeating a rumor that simply is not true.
The rodeo sold out. Local businesses like oil companies did not buy out the grandstands. Ticket scammers exploited the online ticketing system, and the Fair ultimately took the financial loss.
Those are the facts.
