With MonDak roots and a love of western history, Charlie Capenter, Prescott Valley, Ariz., has found his way into the national spotlight. The 1974 Sidney High School graduate has worked in the film industry for nearly a quarter of a century and through this has developed a lifelong hobby: collecting old-time rodeo programs.

“Through the many people I have met and coming from an area where rodeo has always been big, I became interested in the history of the West,” Carpenter, who was raised on a ranch in the Squaw Gap, N.D., area, said. “It wasn’t until I started working in movies that I realized how ranching, wild west shows, rodeo and movie production all became intertwined in the late 1800s and early 1900s.”

As Carpenter realized the importance of western culture in the early 20th century, he became interested in programs from classic rodeo events. Not only do the collector’s items show the history of rodeo, but the entire nation as well. “They were always kind of fun to read. You really see how rodeo developed in each era and what was happening in the country,” he said. “Once I began to get several of them, I realized that nobody was really into collecting them at the time.”

Carpenter, who has been a collector of rodeo programs for more than 25 years, has built quite a library including programs that date back as far as 1912. His collection of programs is so impressive that Carpenter will be featured in September’s issue of True West Magazine.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “Eventually, I would like to share these early programs in a book someday, and this could be the first step.”

For Charlie, being featured in True West, which began publication in 1953, is a great opportunity and fairly nostalgic. “Collecting has always been a fun little hobby, and to get recognized for it is pretty neat,” he said. “True West is a good magazine. I remember reading it when I was a kid, so it makes it that more special to be in it now.”

The six-page spread features 18 covers from Carpenter’s collection as well as a story documenting his background and how it has contributed to his hobby.

“The area I grew up in means a lot to me. It has played a big part of what I do,” he said. “The people are just great out there; I always try to make it back at least once a year.”

His cowboy background drew him to his current job. Beginning in the late 1980s, he got into film, and Carpenter has worked in the indus-

try ever since. For nearly 25 years, he’s used his talents as an actor, stuntman and teamster in more than 50 productions including “The Horse Whisperer,” “Red Rock West,” “Return to Lonesome Dove,” “A River Runs Through It” and “Far and Away.”

“The movie industry has been good to me,” he said. “It’s never something that I expected to do, but it’s been a fun ride.”

From ranching in rural North Dakota to a veteran in the film industry, everything has worked itself out.

“One thing has just led to another,” he said. “I have always kind of run in the cowboy world, and opportunities have just kind of presented themselves.”

To read Charlie’s story and see some favorite programs in the Carpenter collection, the September issue of True West Magazine will hit newsstands nationwide next week. The magazine can also be purchased on the web at www.truewestmagazine.com.

sports@sidneyherald.com