Rodeo season kicks off with Western Street Breakfast

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Rodeo season officially kicked off Wednesday with the annual Western Street Breakfast brought thousands of people downtown to celebrate Colorado Springs's western heritage and support the military.

"It’s a ton of fun. It’s a really early morning but its absolutely worth it," said Georgia Strimenos, the Girl of the West.

The Western Street Breakfast comes with a hearty pancake breakfast, live music, and fun for the kids. It also raises money for military members and their families.

Good morning!
The Western Street Breakfast is underway!
We’re kicking off Rodeo Season and supporting the military.
Breakfast is 5 dollars until 9 am! pic.twitter.com/B7cpJwX7xk

— Jessica Gruenling KRDO (@JessGruenling) June 15, 2022

"We get to celebrate not only the rodeo but our western heritage here in Colorado Springs, and we’ll send out our Range Riders. Tt’s just a lot of fun to be a part of the tradition here," said Strimenos.

The Range Riders help put the breakfast together and promote the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo. More than 160 riders are take off from Pikes Peak Avenue and continue for five days until they reach JV Ranch in Southern Park County.

"It’s a great town number one and being retired from the Army, big supporter of our western heritage and culture and how we establish the west. Just couldn’t resist not getting involved, went through the process, and was lucky enough to be a part of it," said Ron Fitch, a Range Rider.

The Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo starts on July 13th. This is one of their biggest years yet with the inaugural NFR Open.