Lehi City News
Jacklins to ride as grand marshals of 2026 Lehi Round-Up Rodeo
Lara M. Bangerter | Lehi Free Press
When the gate swings open, and the dust begins to rise at this year’s Lehi Round-Up Rodeo, few in the arena will have earned that special moment quite like Ray and Kelly Jacklin.
The longtime rodeo supporters have been named grand marshals for the 2026 Lehi Round-Up Rodeo, honoring decades of hands-on work, quiet dedication and a deep-rooted love of the Western way of life.
For 23 years, Ray Jacklin served on the rodeo committee, putting in work most people never see. While others watched from the stands, Ray was in the arena one night a week throughout the summer preparing the ground for whatever came next.
Before modern arena footing technique, someone climbed on a tractor and broke up hard-packed dirt, harrowing it smooth and making it safe for riders and livestock alike. In Lehi, that “someone” was Ray.
“There was always something going on at the rodeo grounds,” Ray said simply.
In June, the grounds stayed busy with 4-H events, barrel racing, pony shows and the high school rodeo. Keeping the arena in shape was a constant, thankless job and one Ray largely handled himself.
Many nights, his children were right there with him, learning to run equipment and work the land. Those lessons paid off. In high school, one daughter won an FFA tractor-driving competition thanks to experience she gained at the rodeo grounds.
Today, it takes a team to do what Ray once managed on his own.
Beyond the arena, Ray was involved in shaping the rodeo grounds as they stand today. During his time on the committee, he participated in the installation and replacement of restrooms, the gradual upgrade from wooden to metal bleachers, improvements to lighting, the replacement of fencing along 500 West and the expansion of the announcer’s stand. Each project came together step by step, often as funding allowed, but always with the future in mind.
Some of Ray’s favorite memories come from working alongside Lecile Harris, the long-time rodeo clown known for slightly off-color jokes and keeping crowds laughing. On one visit, Harris arrived with a broken trailer jack. Ray tracked down a replacement and welded it on before Harris left town.
“There are some advantages to coming to Lehi,” Harris joked on his way out of town.
Ray’s service to the community extended well beyond the rodeo grounds. He served as a Scout leader for 25 years and was Lehi’s first Order of the Arrow advisor, mentoring generations of young men in leadership, service and outdoor skills.
Ray’s connection to hard work and the land began early. Born in 1944 in American Fork and raised on a farm in Lindon, he grew up playing ball in the roads, football in the fields, swimming in the Murdock Canal and earning his way, like picking fruit to afford a rodeo ticket.
Kelly Jacklin brings her own lifelong connection to horses. Born in Fillmore and raised in Hinckley before moving to Midvale, she grew up riding and returned to the sport in 1997 with a focus on Arabian horses. Since then, she has competed at the national level three times, including in show hack, where horses are judged on movement, manners and responsiveness.
Ray and Kelly met in South Jordan and married on March 24, 1990. Together, they built a life in Lehi centered on family, work and horses.
Even today, Ray hasn’t slowed much. At 82, he still operates Custom Farm and Repair, fixing barns, fences and equipment, and he owns the area’s only custom hay baler, harvesting more than 10,000 bales last year alone.
Through it all, the couple has stayed close to the rodeo lifestyle that first brought them together. They continue to spend time riding and showing their horses, protecting that time in the saddle.
They have eight children and 27 grandchildren.
Looking back, Ray keeps his years of service in perspective.
“It was good for the town to have the rodeo grounds,” he said. “A lot of people used it.”
This summer, as the rodeo returns once again, the Jacklins will ride into the arena they helped build, shape and care for over a lifetime.
