Tryon native and his family return to Buffalo Bill Rodeo for competition, family time
North Platte, Neb. –May 20, 2025 – For more than a dozen years, the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte is vacation time for the Dru and Brittany Melvin family of Hebron, Neb.
For the Melvins, which include Jaxson, 12, twins Chase and Raney, 10, Natalie, 8 and Judson, 4, it’s time to watch dad Dru compete at the rodeo, enjoy some family time, and visit a few tourist attractions.
Dru has competed in the steer wrestling at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo every year since 2002. When he and Brittany, a native of Hebron, began dating in 2008, she tagged along. When they got married three years later, the tradition continued, and when their first child was born in 2013, the kids came, too.
“Jaxson is twelve,” Dru said, “and he doesn’t know a year we haven’t gone to North Platte. His whole life, we’ve been going.”
They come a day early, to help host the annual Melvin-Swanson-Halligan Steer Wrestling Jackpot, held in North Platte on June 16, the day before the rodeo starts, in honor of Dru’s dad, Wayne Melvin, and fellow steer wrestlers Swede Swanson and Harrison Halligan.
(Photo courtesy Brittany Melvin)
It’s a family reunion at the steer wrestling jackpot. Dru’s mom, Claudia Melvin, and two of his three siblings, Ty Melvin and sister Meka Melvin, help at the jackpot. (Sister Elke King lives in South Dakota.) Dru grew up near Tryon, and every year, the family would load up early in the morning to go to North Platte and watch slack at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo.
Then it’s fun time for the Melvin kids. Their favorite thing is swimming at the hotel pool, but their parents make sure they get some education, too.
“Each year we try to pick out something in the area, something educational to see,” Dru said. In the past, they’ve visited Scout’s Rest Ranch, the Golden Spike Tower, and other sights. A trip to the Fort Cody Trading post is always on the itinerary, too.
The kids are involved in a variety of activities, including softball, baseball, showing livestock, sports camps, and for the girls, junior barrel racing. So juggling their activities and a trip to North Platte can be a challenge. But they make it work.
“Even though it’s a lot of work to prepare for being away from home,” Brittany said, “and for the jackpot, it’s always so much fun being in that atmosphere. Everything comes together for a great week.”
For Dru, it’s a taste of rodeo that he gets less of every year.
He rodeoed full-time for 20 years, competing nationwide and qualifying for the PRCA’s biggest stage, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, in 2006 and again in 2014.
Then along came a family and a full-time job, and since then, he’s competed less. A trip to North Platte is a good way to renew friendships with rodeo friends and enjoy the sport, even for a bit.
For both of them, they love to see friends and family they may only see once a year.
“You get to come back, and see the guys you may not see very often, and get caught up again,” Dru said.
And for the kids, there’s always the hotel pool.
This year’s Buffalo Bill Rodeo is June 17-20 with nightly shows at 7:30 pm. The rodeo is held at the Wild West Arena in North Platte.
Tickets range in price from $11-$26 and can be purchased online at NebraskalandDays.com, at the NebraskalandDays office, and at the gate.
For more information and a complete schedule of NebraskalandDays events, visit the website or call the office at 308.532.7939.
