Every Labor Day weekend, people travel from all over Washington to attend the four-day Ellensburg Rodeo.

Established in 1923, the event is one of America’s top ten rodeos, with over 600 contestants and more than $400,000 in prize money.

The rodeo, which attracted more than 36,000 attendees this year, also provides a substantial boost to the bottom line of many of Ellensburg’s businesses.

For example, Rodeo City BBQ, which sports a western motif and has been in town for 21 years, reported its business doubles during the Labor Day weekend festivities, according to Leanne Adams, the restaurant’s manager.

“I believe we would lose businesses if the rodeo wasn’t in town.” Jim Armstrong, CEO of the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce, said.

Armstrong also said the Kittitas County Fair definitely helps boost business sales in addition to the rodeo.

“It’s the whole package,” Armstrong said. “Considering the entire county is only about 41,000 people and around 25,000 to 30,000 people come [to Ellensburg for these two events].”

Not only do businesses benefit from the fair and rodeo, but so do hotels and motels around the area.

Armstrong said hotels tend to have no vacancies by June and there is a spill over into Yakima and Cle Elum.

Additionally, Central offers some of its unused dorm rooms to help accommodate the large influx of people who come to Ellensburg for the events.

According to Shawn Fagalde, an accounting specialist with the CWU Conference Program, Central has offered rooms to Rodeo visitors since at least 1992.

Approximately 325 to 400 visitors stay in the dorms each year, depending on how many beds are available.

Over the years, patrons have stayed in Carmody-Munro, Hitchcock, Meisner, Moore, Munson,and Stephens-Whitney halls.

“In order to maintain our cordial relationship with the local lodging establishments, we do not offer this type of lodging at any other time of the year,” Fagalde said in an email. “Only when the local hotel/motels are likely to become unavailable are we allowed to offer our lodging to the general public for this event.”

This year, for the first time Central offered free Wi-Fi in the dorms for visitors to use. Additionally, there is free parking as well as microwaves and small refrigerators offered to visitors who stay the two-night minimum.