Editor's Note: The Douglas County Fair & Rodeo marks its 108th year beginning July 24 and spanning two weeks celebrating Douglas County's western and ag roots. This year's fair and rodeo features premier acts such as Trace Adkins and AWOLNATION, ProRodeo events, food and arts open class competitions and more. Find tickets and more information douglascountyfairandrodeo.com.
Watching the reins loop around the impressive horns of a bull as the rush of excitement filled the arena, seeing the intense focus of small children hanging onto woolly sheep in the competitive atmosphere of Mutton Bustin’ and viewing the royalty members sitting tall on their horses were impactful moments for five-year-old Addison Staninger. Years later, it was these memorable occasions that sparked her passion for rodeo and led her to becoming a Douglas County Fair & Rodeo Princess.
“I remember the first rodeo we went to, I was like five years old,” Addison says. “We were going to mutton bust, but I think they were full. I just remember watching everything happen and wanting to be a part of it…That was the moment it all clicked.”
A Pinery resident and home-schooled sophomore in high school, Addison understands that she’s not the typical cowgirl. Living in a suburban neighborhood and running track for Ponderosa High School, most people wouldn’t know she’s a rodeo princess. She sees this as an opportunity to demonstrate that rodeo is for everyone.
“I think a lot of people, when they see a rodeo princess, they think they live on 100 acres with cows and horses,” Addison explains. “I think that a lot of people discount themselves from the rodeo and the Western way of life because they feel like they don’t fit in or they don’t belong. I think people wouldn’t guess that about me because I do live in a suburb.”
She goes on, “But I think it’s really important to understand that rodeo is for everyone. It’s not just for cowgirls.”
Addison pursued her rodeo royalty with the help of her award-winning mentor, Debbie Mills, the Douglas County Fair & Rodeo Fair Board Director. With Debbie’s guidance, Addison achieved the points required throughout the royalty pageant process of riding, testing rodeo knowledge, a personal interview, modeling and public speaking to become Douglas County’s Fair & Rodeo Princess in July 2025.
Over the past year, Addison has put her princess title to work throughout the Douglas County community, visiting schools, riding, attending Rotary Club meetings and educating about the joy and heart of the rodeo. She attributes her role as a princess to growing her confidence and stepping into something new. Her advice to younger girls looking at the royalty process echoes that stance.
“When you step into something new, you push yourself to be a better person, and you’ll grow in that,” Addison explains. “Even in the competition, the girls there build you up, and they want you to be the best person you can. They don’t care if you walk away with a crown; they want you to be the best person.”
The sense of camaraderie among the rodeo is what has propelled the Douglas County Fair & Rodeo to grow from a $10,000 to a $300,000 purse for contestants’ winnings in just the past 20 years. With its official start in 1918, the rodeo turns 108 this year and ranks 40th out of 300 rodeos across the country.
The combination of rodeo events like bull riding, breakaway roping, barrel racing and bareback riding with the fair that features carnival rides, singer and songwriter Trace Adkins in concert, a petting zoo and a farm-to-table brunch, the Douglas County Fair & Rodeo brings something for everyone to enjoy. Even in an ever-growing urban landscape, the Western way of life provides a moral backdrop and features agriculture that benefits everyone.
“Going to the rodeos, you get to be around agriculture, and I think in Douglas County people really value heritage and history,” Addison adds. “It’s knowing you are furthering something greater than yourself.”
This rodeo community is successful due to hard work, grit, sacrifice, and above all, sustaining the essence of the rodeo family. From young girls building each other in confidence throughout the royalty pageant process to local farmers showcasing their delicious food to contestants competing against each other one minute and helping a fellow competitor the next, the fair and rodeo provides a link throughout all walks of life that brings joy, hustle and promise to our Douglas County residents for 10 consecutive days at the end of July.
“The Western way of life will never go away,” Addison says proudly. “And I think the principles that it has, like hard work, God, country, family, still need to be furthered on. So even if you don’t have cattle, even if you don’t have horses, you can still pursue that lifestyle in that way. I don’t think that should be the Western way of life. I think that should be a lifestyle we all strive to live.”
"I think it’s really important to understand that rodeo is for everyone."