Dave Rhonda Nerden Lehi Rodeo Volleyball

Work Hard Mortgage at Work Hard Mortgage

Dave Rhonda Nerden Lehi Rodeo Volleyball

Dave & Rhonda Nerdin on 40 Years of Lehi Roundup Rodeo, Youth Volleyball, and a Lifetime of Community Service

On This Page

Sponsored By

Dave and Rhonda Nerdin: The Heart of Lehi's Volunteer Spirit

Watch the Full Interview

Episode Overview

Guest Names

Roles in Lehi

Time Periods Discussed

Host

Primary Topics Discussed

Resource for Listeners

Episode Highlights

Key Stories from the Interview

"In My Life, There Was Christmas and There Was the Rodeo"

The Loose-Leaf Binder Handoff

The Nerdin Name and Sports Announcers

Guarding the Candy Bars

Three Teams and a Dream

Thanksgiving at the Volleyball Family's Table

Rhonda's Father and the Huddle of Men

The South Jordan Hamburger Run

Historical Insights About Lehi

Community and Legacy Themes

Memorable Quotes

Related Lehi Stories

Photo Opportunities for Historical Archive

Full Transcript

Dave and Rhonda Nerdin Lehi Utah Interview - Roots & Branches of Lehi Podcast Episode RB-039

Quick Links
Contact

Two longtime Lehi residents share how decades of volunteer work—rodeo concessions, youth sports, parade committees, and ward service—have helped preserve the small-town spirit of one of Utah's fastest-growing cities.

Work Hard Mortgage helps families achieve the dream of homeownership in Lehi and across Utah.

Dave and Rhonda Nerdin represent the heart of Lehi's community spirit—two longtime residents whose lives have been woven into the city's traditions, service, and growth. Rhonda was born and raised in Lehi, while Dave grew up just next door in American Fork before she "made Dave come over to Lehi." Their story is one of deep roots, family legacy, and decades of volunteer work that have shaped beloved Lehi traditions like the Lehi Roundup Rodeo and the city's thriving youth volleyball program.

For more than 40 years, the Nerdin family has been at the center of the Lehi Roundup Rodeo , especially through their leadership of the concessions committee. Their work modernized the concession stands, streamlined operations, and helped fund the iconic ward mini floats —an essential part of Lehi's cultural heritage. Rhonda also spent nearly three decades building Lehi's youth volleyball league from three teams to more than 50, creating opportunities for generations of girls to learn skills, build confidence, and find belonging.

Their interview is a warm reminder of what makes Lehi special: service, tradition, and the belief that community grows stronger when people work side by side. Through rodeo hamburgers, youth sports, parade committees, and countless hours of volunteerism, Dave and Rhonda have helped preserve the small-town feeling that Lehi residents cherish—even as the city continues to grow into one of Utah's largest communities. For anyone interested in Lehi Utah history , Lehi Roundup Rodeo traditions , youth sports development , or the power of community volunteerism , this conversation offers both inspiration and historical insight.

Prefer to listen? This episode is also available on <a href="https: <a href="https:

Dave & Rhonda Nerdin

Dave: Financial professional; 40+ year Lehi Roundup Rodeo concessions leader. Rhonda: 40-year Bank of American Fork employee; founder of Lehi youth volleyball league; Miss Lehi and parade committee member.

1960s–2020s (childhoods through present day)

Ryan Harding

Every homeowner starts somewhere. Whether you are just beginning to dream, getting financially ready, or already touring homes — this simple tool helps you understand your next best step.

Rhonda shares how her father served on the rodeo committee, making the Roundup an immovable pillar of her childhood. The rodeo was not merely an annual event—it was a season, a responsibility, and a source of joy that rivaled Christmas itself. When she married Dave, he was essentially adopted into this tradition, illustrating how family legacy in Lehi often extends through marriage and shared service.

Dave describes being handed a loose-leaf binder and told, "Here's what you do. You're in charge. Good luck," when he unexpectedly became head of concessions. This moment captures the organic, sometimes chaotic nature of community leadership in Lehi—where institutional knowledge passes hand-to-hand, and new leaders learn by doing alongside experienced volunteers.

The Nerdin kids' last name caused announcers to avoid saying "Nerd," leading to humorous mispronunciations during sports games. By halftime, some announcers would cautiously attempt "Nerdin," but many simply avoided it. The family took it in stride, laughing about the situation and recognizing that their unusual name made them memorable.

Dave recalls sleeping overnight in the concession stand as a young man to guard candy bars—and being told, "Eat all you want." This anecdote reveals both the informal, trust-based culture of early rodeo operations and the humor inherent in community volunteering. It also hints at the practical challenges of running a multi-day event with limited infrastructure.

Rhonda explains how she and Lehi High volleyball coach Kaani Curtis started the city's first youth volleyball program with just three teams practicing at the high school. The Legacy Center had not yet been built, so they improvised. What began as a small gathering of girls learning basic skills grew into a league of 48–54 teams with waiting lists, fundamentally changing athletic opportunities for Lehi youth.

A family in the volleyball program became so close to Rhonda that they invited her to Thanksgiving dinner. This story exemplifies how youth sports in Lehi function as community builders, transforming coach-parent relationships into genuine friendships that extend beyond the court. Rhonda describes the league as "like a great big family to me."

Dave shares a memory of Rhonda's father, Mike Nerdin Sr., entertaining a group of men at the rodeo grounds, saying he "was loved by everybody." Mike Sr. served as president of the Civic Improvement Association and possessed what Dave calls an approachable charisma—neither "goody two shoes" nor unapproachable, but someone who could draw people together through humor and warmth.

A truck from South Jordan once stopped Dave in the parking lot and asked him to buy eight rodeo hamburgers because they had driven down just for the food. This story has become part of rodeo lore—the famous "secret sauce" and the distinctive taste of a concession-stand burger in the atmosphere of a community tradition. Dave notes that even committee members have tried and failed to duplicate the rodeo hamburger at home.

The Nerdin interview reveals several important threads in Lehi's historical fabric. Here are key insights about how this community has developed, celebrated, and sustained itself across generations:

Dave and Rhonda's interview reflects broader values that have sustained Lehi through decades of change. These themes connect their personal story to the community's collective identity:

This episode connects to the broader Roots & Branches of Lehi archive. Explore these related topics and interviews to deepen your understanding of Lehi's history and community:

To enhance this community profile and preserve the visual history of Lehi's traditions, consider adding these images to the historical record:

Welcome to Roots and Branches of Lehi, the podcast where we get to know the faces, stories, and lives that make up our community. I'm Ryan Harding, and I started this podcast as a way for us all to connect with the people we live alongside. Growing up in a small town, I learned that connections go beyond blood. They're built through shared experiences, friendships, and the moments we celebrate together. Each week, we'll sit down with someone new from Lehi to share their unique story, their passions, and what they love most about living here. So whether you've been here for years or just arrived, join us as we deepen our roots and reach out to our branches one story at a time.

Welcome Dave and Rhonda Nerdin to the Roots and Branches of Lehi podcast. So we get to know you guys a little bit better and have a little bit of a conversation here. So thank you.

Yes. Thanks for coming on. We appreciate the opportunity.

Yeah. Yeah. This will be fun. So talk to me about… are both of you from Lehi? Talk to me about where you both grew up and stuff like that. Go ahead.

Well, little introductions here. I grew up in Lehi. Just been here all my life and love it here and made Dave come over to Lehi.

Perfect. It was such a good place and… that's right. Yeah. I'm from American Fork. I grew up right below the Fox Hollow Golf Course. And played sports in American Fork and I've loved it, but I love it here now. I've been here longer than I ever was in American Fork.

Sure. Yeah. That's funny. She brought you to Lehi, but I'm thinking maybe out of state or something, but you next door. You weren't really that far away.

When we first got married, we moved to Pleasant Grove and we thought, "Okay, that's ground zero." Because Lehi and American Fork had a history… Sure. …of like with sports and things, not liking one another. Yeah. A little rivalry. Yeah. Rivalry. That's the good word.

So anyway, we moved to Pleasant Grove and then I finally got him over here to Lehi and actually her brother found us a house here and we moved in and…

So you've been like raised your family here? Yeah. Long time. Yeah. Okay. That's awesome. Yeah.

And tell me what you guys… what do you do for work?

I've been in software a long time ago and I worked for an airline reservation software company. But now I do finances. You know, I'm the registered rep and finance.

Okay. Awesome. And I assume took care of the children and stuff like that, but also did some of the other things we're going to talk about here too.

I actually worked at Bank of American Fork. Bank of America Fort Bank now. But Bank of American Fork for 40 years. Was it 40? It was over 40 officially, but I think it was 40. My biggest thing was the people that I came in contact with. That's the biggest thing I've missed is my customers and being able to help them.

And so when did that end then? Two years ago. Okay. So, just barely. Were you at this branch here? I was in American Fork at first and then moved to Lehi when it opened. And what did you do at Bank American Fork?

I opened new accounts. I worked in loans when I very first started working there and then worked as a teller for a little bit and then new accounts and just customer service. Yeah. Love that. That's great.

That's where we met. Okay. I came home from my mission from Venezuela and then I worked part-time at the bank. I actually got hired at the bank before I got released from my mission. Oh, really? By a day. And we met there and dated and then stopped dating and dated again. And… I had to fend off a lot of her boyfriends… that's when you know you got a good one when there's a lot of competition for…

So, can I tell you a quick story about that? My brother Mike always called me a nerd and I always called him a turkey. And so when he started working at the bank, I called him and I said, "You'll never believe this. There's a guy named Dave Nerdin that just started working here." And he goes, "You're going to get married and have a bunch of little nerds running." Right. And that is what happened.

We actually went to Salt Lake one time because her friends called her a nerd. And one of her friends said, "Get out your driver's license. I don't believe that your name's Nerdin." And it was. And I think it was Gar, wasn't it? Yes, it was. Yeah. That's awesome. That's… With a name like that, you have to have a little bit of fun with it, right? You know, got just roll with it, right? As we're talking about roots. Yeah. Nerdin is a name. Oh, okay. There's actually 32 alternate spellings to my last name through our genealogy. But for some reason, a couple of the kids of the nine kids changed it to N-R-D-I-N in Utah. And if you go up to the family search and you type in Nerdin, it'll just show Utah. It doesn't show any other countries. Oh, really? Interesting. Yeah.

So, but where is your heritage from then? Before England and Norway. In England and Norway. Okay. Okay. That's awesome. That's awesome.

All of our kids played sports and we found that… and I just don't think that they wanted to say nerd. By like with basketball by halftime, by the third quarter, they would start saying Nerdin, but they would call it… What are some of the names they would say? They wouldn't get it. And I honestly think a lot of it was because they didn't want to say nerd. Sure. They're like, you can't be that. Yeah. It was actually pretty funny. Yeah. Oh, yeah. We had… I love that. Yeah, you got to have a good sense of humor there. Yes, you do. That's perfect.

Okay. Talk to me about obviously you've raised your family here and stuff like that and part of that is probably trying to be involved in the community where your kids are being raised, right? Talk to me about some of the things you guys have done there. Let's start.

So, let's start with the Lehi Roundup and stuff like that. So, you guys have been a part of that for years.

44 years, I think. So, because he was involved a little bit before I got involved. Okay. But my dad, and Michael may have said this before, but my dad was on the rodeo committee when we were growing up. Yeah. In my life, there was Christmas and there was the rodeo. Just loved it. Yep. And I married into the family, so I was automatically… Yeah. You got to do it. Yeah.

But with the rodeo, I've been… I was on several different committees like the ushering committee and the parking and… Yeah. In 2007, they put me on the concessions committee. Okay. And did were you involved a lot at that first? Not at first. Yeah, not at first. They just had you. Lamont and Vicky Peterson were over that. And Mack and what's her… Susan Fattis were on the committee with us. And it was really cool to do that. And then two years later, they said, "Here you go." And Vicky Peterson handed me a loose leaf and said, "Here's what you do. You're in charge. Good luck." And it's… And that's when they had both of us. Yeah. Then both of us got involved. Rhonda took care of the financial side and I took care of the logistics and… Yeah. But I could go into maybe 20 minutes of what we've done down there. Yeah. Give me the three minute version. Okay. Yeah.

We started out with wards volunteering and we'd get four wards and they'd have their own areas. So they would just set up their own areas. They'd bring all their own equipment down. A few years later we thought maybe that's not the best way. We had a ward that they just didn't want to bring their own stuff. So we went and bought all the equipment and then we decided after that to just buy equipment for everybody. Yeah. So we did that and then in the next few years we put… because we put ceilings in the rodeo concession rooms because about the third day on a hot day the old grease from the last 40 years would start dripping down and we said we don't want to do… we don't want for many reasons. Yeah. I don't want to drip it on my head. I don't want to drip it on the burger. Yeah. Yeah. So, we put ceilings in, new lights, we put big oven fans on to the venting fans, venting, and we put in plumbing. Now, we've got gas lines in there, and we have walk-in coolers, and we have a lot of equipment like hamburger warmers and stuff. So, we've taken the money that we've gotten in excess and reinvested it into the rodeo. Yeah. Our the concessions runs separately… but together with the rodeo. So our funding is directly through the rodeo. Okay. But the main purpose of the concessions is to offset the cost for the wards to build the mini floats. Yes. I've heard that that a lot of the money then goes to… hey here's 500 to this ward or something like that to… Okay. Okay. And that's and and the extra day has been a lot more work, but it's also… you set up and you get through the days. Yeah.

We'll go through the last two years we've gone through over 4,000 lbs of hamburger. Wow. Wow. So that that's been a cool thing. It's helped people in Lehi. We try to source locally, but… yeah, there are some things we don't. Luckily, one of our committee members is a man building manager at Smiths. Sure. So, he knows if we're getting a good deal or not. Yeah, but I was looking at our price lists and really from 2009 when I took it over till now, our prices, we've been able to do things to make it so we don't have to raise prices, but really the only price we've raised, I think, is $2 on the hamburgers. I was going to say we have raised prices that out of the… Sure. You're probably not even keeping up with inflation. It would be my guess. And and we've cut down the line times to under 10 minutes for anybody getting in line no matter how long it is. We've always… That's great. Yeah. Our thought is you came to watch the rodeo not to stand in line. Correct. The bathroom lines are longer in our longer in our line. So they would stand in line though for a hamburger. Yes. Of course. Yeah. What have you done to cut those lines down? Just more staffing or just better? We've just figured out how to do it to do it faster. We have little mini menus that we hand out while they're in line. Okay. To kind of prep them for… Yeah. prep them and then they just come and we've started using credit cards was… we brought credit cards in what 3 years ago? Yeah. Not very long ago. Okay. So cash before. Okay. And people are using cash, right? And iPads have been big help on that. Yeah. But we get them through and it's… my committee is unbelievable and they love doing the service.

Yeah. One figure I was thinking of this morning was during this last rodeo we with the volunteers from the wards and everything there was about just during the rodeo time was about 3,000 hours of service. Wow. Wow. And I don't know where else you'd find something like that either. Yeah. Because again as I've learned the rodeo is largely pretty volunteer. I mean I was going to say I don't think there's anybody paid. I I don't want to speak out to one person but there's no but yeah. Okay. So it's all volunt… that's quite the… do you think why do you think we… why do we keep doing that then… why is that still something that… so you guys have been around for a long time and stuff like that is this going to… is this going to die with you guys is the next generation involved why do you think we keep doing this I guess and… couple questions there but yeah go ahead.

Now go in… okay I think there is a service to community it's… if when people understand that we're still trying to keep this even though it's a large city keep it as small and care about the one and… you know it's just there's such a camaraderie when they start doing hamburgers together and now we've knocked out in the north concession stand we had a wall between the two sides we've knocked that down we combined the south side so two wards are and other volunteers are working together in a group and so they get their friends expand just by being together sure rubbing shoulders with each other right. Yeah. And I just think our community needs more of that. I think I've seen there's some wards that we have issues with getting enough people to come. I think the parade's worth it. It was sanctioned. It was the parade was actually sanctioned by the first presidency to to continue. Wow. For us to be able to pay them. Yeah. To pay them and then to do that, we had to get permission for that. That was a long time ago. Sure. Yeah. But some just new people to the town don't understand that. But once they work in the rodeo, they grant concessions and that they get that sense of community that… Yeah, we need to give something back. Yeah. So, I think that's one of the big reasons.

And are you seeing or anything to add, I guess, to… I was just going to say I think it's a community thing. It has gone on forever and those people that have lived in Lehi forever and forever have seen the great things that have happened and come about because of the rodeo and they're willing to help. And and I agree with Dave because sometimes the ward's going, "Oh, wow. That's a lot to do. And it is. It's a lot of work. But when they come in and they work it and they get talking with their friends and their neighbors and all that, it's just the neatest thing in the world to watch them. Yeah. And are you seeing as far as the people in charge and stuff like that, are there younger people starting to get involved in this? Are we at passing the baton, I guess, is what I'm trying to say.

Go ahead. There are so our committee we've got quite a few members on our committee and their kids have started coming to help to volunteer and help out and their friends have come but also with the wards there are some younger kids that come to help. It's it's just a neat… it's a neat way to give to the community. So it uh no end in sight then it's… we don't have to worry about this disintegrating or something. I don't think so. That's good.

Can I go a little bit historical here? Totally. Yeah. Go ahead. When we first moved to Lehi, they would assign a ward to the south side and a ward to the north side. I think it was just one ward each. And that's how they would do… that's the money they earned from that after they paid the floats went into their budget when they had the old budget program. So all of them are really eager to do it because they make their budget for a year or two from that one event. Sure. And I remember sleeping in the South concession stand one night because so nobody would come in and steal all that candy bar. They also said eat all you want. So I got the best of both worlds. That would be a good job. You can't. No, nobody else ate it. But I'm going to eat get some good good. That's awesome. That's awesome. So it was part of their ward budget and stuff like that and… Okay. Then they went to the consolidated budgeting. Yeah. That's when the first presidency gave permission for us the wards to still do floats and us to pay them for those floats. Okay. Like the days of 47 when they do the big floats. Yeah. Yeah. What?

So you guys have been a part of rodeo for a while. Anything that you think we can do better or… and anything that you would like to see as part of the rodeo or is it hey business as usual just keep it going kind of thing. Any thoughts there?

More of a stick to what you're doing if it's working. Don't change it if it's working. And like Dave said, we've done a lot of changes that have improved like the concession stands that have improved the way that they order. Yeah. And things like that. So, we do look for things that we can improve on every year even. But the bulk of it is wonderful. Yeah. It works. Yeah. So, I don't know if I said that the right way, but… yeah, it's perfect. I know when we had… So, Mike's your brother, you said, right? Okay. Yeah. And he was talking to me about the drones that were coming and stuff. I think that was so neat. Which was super neat. I loved seeing that. That doesn't have anything to do with us. It's just the rodeo committee, but it's wonderful. I love it. Yeah, they're looking at… Yeah. But great. That's great. Any anything else to add on that or?

No, I think as we see things, we add the things. It's now a lot of tweaking like running gas lines in from the main gas to hook to our stoves. I think that was a big thing. Yeah. Having on demand hot water in there to get the grease off the floor for the next day. That's that's important, too. So, I'm… I've been a part of those concessions sometimes. And the cleaning, the cleaning is the hard part that it is. There's a lot of… Yeah. Anyhow, any before we leave the rodeo, any favorite stories or any kind of… you've been doing this for a long time, so anything stand out to you as far as, hey, remember this experience or this experience or does it just all blend in and just a time to be together and like you said, rub shoulders with other people?

But I think the thing for me when we get going on with the concessions, it's it's work and it's fun and we get to rub shoulders and we have fun, but at the same time, we're doing a lot of work. Yeah. But I think one of the cool things for me is we meet as a committee twice a year. Yeah. We have a meeting to kick off the season and we ask the committee members, what do you think we need to change? do we need? And we look at what we're have on the menu, see if we want to add anything or subtract anything or… and then we have a summer party after to celebrate what we do. And I think that's the fun part for me is I'm not so busy that I can just sit and talk with all our committee members. Yeah, I think that's… I like what you brought up about talking to the committee about any changes that may take place. I think that helps them feel more a part of the committee. So, it's nice. Yeah, it's a good thing. I love that.

Can I bring up an experience? It's not… It's not concessions. That's okay. But it was when I was on the committee before I did concessions. Yeah. There there's the south bleachers of the rodeo grounds. They're big. They're a little bit taller than the rest. They got engineered to be 2 in taller between each seat. So, it was 3 ft higher. But instead of having a company come and they did had a company come and do the structural, but the seating they had us do as a committee. And I wish we'd do a little bit more like that, but… yeah, it was real windy from the north. And I remember we would pick up the seats and the wind would take us up to where we need to be and we drop them down. So the only thing we had to do is lift and let the wind take us there. But that was a fun thing. I had to bring up one more. Now I'm thinking about it. I was working one day and Rhonda's dad, Mike, Mike… Mike senior was the president or I think he was the president of the civic improvement association. And I was… I was doing stuff and all of a sudden I realize I'm by myself. I'm going like where is everybody? So I go wandering around and I walk up over the around to the south side and there's this big huddle of men and I was going like what are they doing? I go over there and Rhonda's dad was telling jokes to him and they were just a hooting. I just remember he he just looked at me and smiled and he was such a… they people just loved him. He was just… he had that attraction. He wasn't goody two shoes and he wasn't… anybody could approach him and just was loved by everybody.

Dave Rhonda Nerden Lehi Rodeo Volleyball | Work Hard: Homes - Stories - Community