CHEYENNE -- Attendance at Saturday's rodeo came close to a record for Cheyenne Frontier Days.
On Saturday, 13,800 people watched at Frontier Park Arena, said CFD General Chairman Rod Hottle.
The count is the second-largest Saturday rodeo attendance since 1996, which was the event's 100th anniversary.
"The (CFD) committee is very happy with what we're seeing so far," he added on Monday.
Rodeo attendance is up this year, Hottle said. On Sunday, 8,727 people attended.
"(Frontier Park) was full over the weekend," Hottle said. "The exhibitors said they had good traffic. We're seeing some good crowds."
Attendance has been good at night shows too.
On Friday, 16,715 fans attended the KISS concert. On Saturday, 20,911 watched Brooks and Dunn.
George Strait set the record for attendance at night shows. In 2009, 22,736 people saw his concert at CFD. That was the largest outdoor concert ever held in Wyoming.
Taylor Swift's CFD concert in 2009 set a record for a female artist performing there with 20,043 fans.
This year's gate admission for Friday is estimated at 5,421 people; 8,649 for Saturday; and 5,383 for Sunday.
So far, overall attendance at the event's rodeos, night shows and other parts of CFD is estimated at 28,994 people for Friday, 57,630 for Saturday and 27,000 for Sunday.
These overall numbers are still estimates, Hottle said.
People who attended more than one event were counted more than once.
Dale Steenbergen, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, is happy about the crowds.
"I think it's wonderful" and a sign that Cheyenne Frontier Days has a lot of staying ability, he said.
A trend in tourism is that people are looking to get back to their roots, he said, and that is what CFD is all about. It is a family event where everyone can take part, he added.
"It's Christmas in July for us with the strong economic partnership between CFD and the business community in Cheyenne," Steenbergen said. "We're very thankful for the hard work CFD does to increase the crowd this year."
CHEYENNE -- Attendance at Saturday's rodeo came close to a record for Cheyenne Frontier Days.