The HEELs of Cheyenne Frontier Days™
Referred to by Leonard Mayer as the "primary-backbone-support-system, “'the HEELS were born out of necessity and love of Cheyenne Frontier Days. Struggling through the 1920s and through the mid-1930s, Cheyenne Frontier Days were barely able to tread water. Two stories originated about a group of volunteers that met to discuss the problems the show was having after the 1935 show. In one account, the group met in the Plains Hotel. The focus of their discussion was that one of the biggest expenses for CFD was that all the promoters and producers of the rodeo were paid employees or contractors. The men agreed to volunteer their services in any capacity they could to help reduce expenses. Anyone, they argued, that wouldn't agree to give their - time for free would be a "darned heel:' In another account, a group of thirteen dedicated men met in F.B. McVicar's back yard and realized that things couldn't keep going the way they were if CFD were to survive. To these men, the General Committee wasn't giving volunteers the recognition they deserved, instead treating them "like a bunch of heels.” In both stories, a participant referred to the group as the "HEELS" and the name stuck. The group organized bylaws for the new group and on May 29, 1936 the group became active with Ed Storey as the president or "Leather Heel:' Ever selfless and dedicated to the success of Cheyenne Frontier Days, the HEELS have been an integral part of the celebration for the last seventy-seven years. With over 2000 volunteers working for CFD every year, the example set by the HEELS continues to inspire the spirit of volunteerism and the West and to be included in their number is one of the greatest honors to be bestowed on any who love Cheyenne Frontier Days.