Most of the year, you can cross Smokey Bear Boulevard without looking twice. For four days starting July 1, you cannot. The Smokey Bear Stampede pulls in visitors from West Texas, Arizona, and Colorado, the parade shuts the main drag on Saturday morning, and the Fairgrounds off Fifth Street becomes the loudest place in Lincoln County. If you live here, the weekend is less about deciding whether to go and more about deciding when to leave the house.
Here is the working thesis for locals:
