Tuacahn stage transforms into rodeo arena for PRCA Xtreme Bulls

IVINS, Washington County — Moving dirt is what Steve Gilbert does best. Doing that on a stage built for the performing arts, however, is a whole other thing.

This weekend, Gilbert, along with his team at Diamond G Rodeos, is putting on their annual bull riding event at the Tuacahn Amphitheater in Ivins. The event has been going on since 2015, but in the past couple of years, it has morphed into what is now called PRCA Xtreme Bulls.

"One of the guys at Tuacahn asked if there was any way we could put (a rodeo) on here in the parking lot," Gilbert recalled. "I came down and looked at it, and I said, 'Let's put it on the stage,' and he said, 'There's no way.'"

Gilbert, who is the president of Diamond G Rodeo, also started the land development company Gilbert Development in the 1970s. With a background in moving things around and making big things fit in tiny places, he said he was up for the challenge.

"We hired Crusher Rental and Sales to build a white fence to fit the arena," Gilbert explained. "The top rail has cable that ties to big beams, and there are legs that come out and have 10-12 inches of dirt on them. ... Then we put bucking shoots behind it.

"We work around waterfalls and rocks and canyons. We've got about 25 corals built, and all the bulls come in and fill them up and we put a rodeo on."

Concert production manager at Tuacahn, Darillyn Southworth, said that this event is something that is one of her favorite events of the year, adding that Tuacahn and the Gilberts have "pushed the boundaries of possibility."

"(Tuacahn and Diamond G Rodeo) have very few limits to the dreams that can become a reality on their stage(s)," Southworth said. "The transformation of the Broadway stage to a rodeo arena is always a little hectic ... but it truly is a thrill to witness and be part of the PRCA Xtreme Bulls at Tuacahn."

Gilbert said that Diamond G Rodeos are held all over the country, but this one is special because it's a "hometown deal."

"We're right out of Toquerville, Utah," he said. "You always do better at home than you do anywhere else, because you don't want to walk in the grocery store and have someone say, 'Well, that was ... not good.' You gotta have pride, and we take pride wherever we're at."

The rodeo will take place this weekend, and Southworth said that like all the years before, this event is sold out.

"The feedback from the community is wildly positive, and the event is typically sold out every season," she said. "Most people say you have to see it to believe it."

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