Cattle Drive: The cattle drive kicks off the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo festivities every year in Castle Rock, Colo. The drive commemorates a time when the Goodnight-Loving Trail passed through the area when wranglers drove thousands of cattle from Texas to Denver and on to Wyoming. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com 
Tight Formation: Cowhands from Silverado Ranch transport cattle to town every year for the cattle drive. during the drive through downtown Castle Rock, they keep the cattle in a tight formation not allowing them to “wander” in areas they do not belong. The drive originates at Rock Park at the base of the castle rock formation and continues through downtown. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Eye to Eye: As the drive winds down on the south side of downtown the cattle are led into a corral. This keeps the animals within a smaller area as they wait to be loaded and transported back to the ranch. This longhorn seemed to have his eyes locked on my camera as he entered the coral giving us both a chance of serious eye contact. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
Fair and Rodeo week activities every year is one of my favorite times of the summer. That is especially the case in our hometown of Castle Rock, Colo. The fair and rodeo kicked off Friday and will run through Aug. 2.
The Douglas County Fair and Rodeo kicked off the annual fair and rodeo week of celebration with the Western Heritage Welcome Cattle Drive Friday and the big fair and rodeo parade Saturday morning. These events carry local historical importance as this area of Colorado was built on mining, agriculture, and ranching activities. Even today, several ranches dot the rural landscape of the county. Many other ranches are scattered about in all regions of the state.
The local fair and rodeo activities date back to 1918 when Castle Rock purchased grounds and began the festivities much as they are today. The cattle drive traditionally kicks off the week and has for years. Dances by Rocky Mountain Indigenous Dancers performed following the cattle drive downtown while the week’s first rodeo and music entertainment began a few blocks away at the fairgrounds.
Live entertainment, rodeos, and fair exhibits take place much of the week. Food vendors, the carnival rides and booths, and other family favorites fill the week with many activities and choices for all.
The cattle drive is a big part of early Castle Rock as the Goodnight-Loving Trail passed through the area in the late 1800s. These huge cattle drives originated in Texas and the drive took place every year as cattle were driven to the Denver stockyard and into Wyoming.
The activities this week combine the agriculture and ranching history of the area with community, family and local identity which help make the week so popular and important in Douglas County.
While much of our daily lives today involve work and other more urban activities, the fair and rodeo week is a time to celebrate our history and the county’s origin. I enjoy local history and this week is another highlight of the summer activities for us.
The Los Alamos County Fair and Rodeo activities are just a couple of weeks away. Take part in the activities and view the various county exhibits during the weekend. Attend the rodeo, especially if you have never attended the rodeo. It really is a special time of the year!
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Snacks: A ranch hand with Silverado Ranch gave several attendees a biscuit snack which they could then feed to the cattle. Shown is a longhorn as he reaches out for a snack from a young attendee while in the corral at the end of the cattle drive. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Fair Parade: The Fair Parade is sponsored by the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce. Shown are the leaders of the parade with the color guards marching just behind as they kick off the 2026 Fair and Rodeo Parade Saturday in Castle Rock, Colo. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Sparky: Many county departments and services took part in the fair and rodeo parade on Saturday in Castle Rock. The Castle Rock Fire Department drove fire engines from old retro trucks to new trucks being used today. Shown is the fire dog ‘Sparky’ waving at the crowd while riding in a ladder truck in the parade. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Mounted Patrol: The Sheriff’s Department also drove vehicles in the parade as well as the mounted patrol and bicycle patrol representatives. Shown is a Sheriff’s Office bicycle representative as he hands out U.S. law enforcement flags to a youngster during the parade. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Pipes and Drums: The Colorado Emerald Society is comprised of retired law enforcement personnel, firefighters, military, and public servant personnel who share the bond of Irish ancestry. Shown is the Pipes and Drums group as they march in the parade playing bag pipes and drums. The group is very popular and attend this parade annually. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Kiana Creek Ranch: Representatives from Kiana Creek Ranch in Douglas County drive a John Deere tractor pulling a wagon of other representatives during the Fair and Rodeo Parade in Castle Rock Saturday morning. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
