Buoyed by balmy temperatures, the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo got off to a good start this weekend, with attendance running about 4 percent ahead of last year's first weekend, according to Brian Maliske, general manager of the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

That estimate is based on a 4.1 percent increase in concession sales through Saturday night, Maliske said.

He said his parking attendants reported that stock show goers this weekend were parking deeper than usual into the adjoining parking lots at Central High School and next to Fifth Street.

Plus, Maliske said, rodeo ticket sales were up 2.5 percent for the first weekend.

Julie Sutton of Sutton Rodeos said the Xtreme Bulls performances appeared to be up both Friday and Saturday night. "Last night, I thought we were nearly full," Sutton said on Sunday.

"It looks like a very good start," she said.

On a typical first Saturday of the stock show, an estimated 42,000 to 45,000 people will jam the civic center, Maliske said.

Maliske didn't have concession numbers for Sunday by the Journal's deadline, but he said the crowds looked good. "I'm positive today's going to be up," he said Sunday afternoon. "The weather is fantastic."

Ron Jeffries, stock show general manager, agreed.

Jeffries said food court traffic both at the civic center and the Pennington County Event Center, where many of the horse events are based, were up over the 2007 show's first weekend. He said shuttle use between the two venues also increased over last year.

"It's been a very pleasant show to see everything fit into place the way you always dreamed it would," Jeffries said late Sunday afternoon.

Jeffries also noted that the two-day horse sale average, of $3,584.95, was up more than $100 from last year, despite drought, higher fuel prices and a soft horse market.

Stallion Row was busy, too, over the first weekend, according to Warren and Mayola West of New Underwood, who have displayed stallions for years at the stock show.

Mayola West said they were satisfied with the number of orders they received for stud services for their 8-year-old quarter horse Taris Hero.

Warren West said people from Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota stopped at their booth in Rushmore Hall to inquire about their horse.

Jeffries said commercial heifer sales were solid, even though the general market is down. Average sale price at the commercial heifer sale Sunday was $814 per head, down from last year's $842 average.

He said factors pushing the general cattle market down include the opening of the border to more Canadian cattle last fall and continuation of the drought.

But Jeffries and other longtime stock show observers say rural folks put a priority on coming to the stock show, regardless of the state of the ag economy.

Jeffries said he talked to a man from near Sioux City, Iowa, who comes with his family every year just to attend the commercial heifer show and sale and the kids' stick horse rodeo, both on the first Sunday. "It floored me," Jeffries said.

Contact Steve Miller at 394-8417 or steve.miller@rapidcityjournal.com