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SIKESTON, MO - The Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo is in the middle of it's 70th year in Sikeston, and with that continues new revenue and money for the southeast Missouri city. 

"They have a huge impact on our community," Mayor pro-tem and councilman at-large Brian Self said. "On the businesses, on the restaurants on the hotels especially. They're booked full every time."

The Sikeston-Miner area consists of about 20,000 people in total population. Every year, the rodeo is an economic bloodline for the area. That includes restaurants, shops and hotels that benefit from the additional 40,000 people that come to town. 

An economic study a couple of years ago estimated that when spending the night in Sikeston, an average person will spend nearly $300 between hotels, eating, shopping and entertainment. With 40,000 people visiting, that's millions in revenue when the rodeo opens up. 

"We did an economic study for Sikeston for the week of rodeo and we're pumping 6-7 million dollars into the community," Sikeston native and 2022 Rodeo Chairman De Bizzell said. "We're adding 70 job just from the week of rodeo."

Stores and restaurants bring in extra inventory and extra staffing, special clothing is ordered to be in stock to suit western-style outfits and businesses all over go out of their way to bring an extra rodeo flair to their products and services.

It's the kind of event that puts Sikeston on the map, quite literally. It's one of the largest rodeo events put on by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). 

After the event is over, it doesn't stop there. The Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo is a non-profit organization donates to other nonprofits and charities every single year. Over their 70 years of operation, the Jaycees have averaged donations of $130,000 a year. 

"It's real easy to see what the Jaycees does for the community, how it impacts our community," Mayor pro-tem Brian Self said. "When you drive around and see buildings named after the Jaycees, they do a lot."

That goes to local charitable organizations like the Kenny Rogers Children's Center, the YMCA, the Sikeston Bulldogs Food Pantry and Missouri Delta Medical Center. 

It's something that many who are involved in the rodeo take a lot of pride in. 

"I think the coolest thing about this rodeo is that it's a non-profit and so all their proceeds go back to charity and it's a premier rodeo in the Great Lakes region," 2022 Miss Sikeston Rodeo Queen Ryan Fritchley said. "This community means a lot to me and I wanted to be a great role model for little girls like how I used to look up to the Queens."

"It's hard to explain it," chairman De Bizzell said. "There's a certain pride that Sikeston has for this place. We're a very old town, very traditional based and 70 years of tradition have happened here and we continue to want to do that for the community."