Jack Tippett looks back on era of the big move. This year's grand marshal says finding a new site fo...r the Roundup was no easy task. When the Lewiston Roundup got too big for its britches in 1981, Jack Tippett rode herd over the collective effort to find its Tammany home. "They were running out of space," Tippett, 91, this year's grand marshal, said of the old Roundup grounds in North Lewiston. "The arena was getting crowded out with all the industry coming in." Located where a large grain elevator now stands, the old Roundup grounds consisted of the arena, grandstands and the horse and cattle chutes. There was also a horse racing track running around the arena in those days, he recalled. The grounds were in good shape, but the lack of good parking had become a big issue. So in the years leading up to the big move, people started talking about finding a new home for the Roundup. Tippett said the board president who preceded him appointed a committee to begin the search, and it came up with two or three locations. 
But each one had problems, like one on the bench above North Lewiston that would have been a traffic nightmare. Slowly, the committee realized that its choices were going to be few. Even when its focus settled on the Tammany area, it was far from a done deal, Tippett said. "The trouble was that you couldn't find anybody who would part with 40 acres, because it was such good production ground," he said. Eventually, the committee found and purchased a 10-acre parcel. "It was adequate," Tippett said. "It had good access, and paved roads in front of it." Tippett's only complaint was that the area was occasionally swept by winds that could be considered more than brisk. "But people learned to live with it," he said. "They bring an extra blanket, or a jacket, and it's fine." Soon after the conclusion of the 1981 Roundup, the big move began. Site work started with the leveling of the arena, and the erection of a horse barn. Contractors performed a lot of the work, but Roundup staff and volunteers did a lot of it themselves. Much of that labor, and even some material, was donated by people in the community who didn't want to see the Roundup miss a year due to construction, Tippett said. After a lot of sweat equity, including Tippett himself driving tractor and more than a few nails, it was ready. "We had to scramble
But each one had problems, like one on the bench above North Lewiston that would have been a traffic nightmare. Slowly, the committee realized that its choices were going to be few. Even when its focus settled on the Tammany area, it was far from a done deal, Tippett said. "The trouble was that you couldn't find anybody who would part with 40 acres, because it was such good production ground," he said. Eventually, the committee found and purchased a 10-acre parcel. "It was adequate," Tippett said. "It had good access, and paved roads in front of it." Tippett's only complaint was that the area was occasionally swept by winds that could be considered more than brisk. "But people learned to live with it," he said. "They bring an extra blanket, or a jacket, and it's fine." Soon after the conclusion of the 1981 Roundup, the big move began. Site work started with the leveling of the arena, and the erection of a horse barn. Contractors performed a lot of the work, but Roundup staff and volunteers did a lot of it themselves. Much of that labor, and even some material, was donated by people in the community who didn't want to see the Roundup miss a year due to construction, Tippett said. After a lot of sweat equity, including Tippett himself driving tractor and more than a few nails, it was ready. "We had to scramble Now, almost 30 years later, Tippett said he was flattered to be chosen as the ceremonial head of the rodeo. "I about fell off my chair," he said of receiving the news. "I thought, jeez, there are a lot of people around here who are better deserving than me." He and wife, Blanche, 89, have been married for 69 years, and retired to a well-kept home in the Clarkston Heights. Before that, Tippett grew up in Spokane, and ranched in the Joseph Creek area before moving to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley in 1975. Tippett branched out from ranching, joining the group that started Twin River National Bank in 1979. He then spent two decades in real estate, specializing in farm and ranch sales. He also served as an Asotin County commissioner, and was a member of the Washington State Cattlemen's Association, serving as its president for two years. But many in the area will remember him for his stewardship and love of the Roundup during those transitional years. And even though he and Blanche are not able to attend every year, he said Lewiston's big rodeo is still a special thing to him. "The Roundup means a lot to the people in the community, and the surrounding communities, because it provides the kind of entertainment that you can't find on Main Street."
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