A cowboy holds on with all he has during the bareback riding competition at the Young County Rodeo. The PRCA-sanctioned rodeo will return to Graham March 25-27. (Photo by David Rupkalvis)
Rodeo cowboys on their way to Graham
by David Rupkalvis
(Posted 3/19/2010 03:53 pm)
editor@grahamleader.com
Some of the top rodeo cowboys in the world will return to Graham next week for the eighth Young County Rodeo.
The Knights of Columbus will sponsor the Dodge rodeo, which will bring Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association stars to the Young County Arena from Thursday through Saturday, March 25-27.
Rodeo Chairman Jim Burkett said having the PRCA cowboys and cowgirls compete guarantees the competition will be great.
“It’s brought us a better class of contestant,” Burkett said.
The biggest change in 2010 is a new event — steer roping. Steer roping — often known as steer tripping — will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday. There will be no charge.
“In steer roping, they come out of the chute and hook the horns,” Burkett said. “They trot out next to the steer and pull off the rope and throw it at their legs and trip them.”
Burkett said it is a fast-paced event with the cowboy using one rope to rope the steer two times.
Of course, the most popular event remains bull riding, and a full class of riders will be coming to Graham.
“If we have enough, we’ll open and close with bull riding,” Burkett said. “It looks like we’ll have enough riders.”
Burkett said the idea of the Young County Rodeo came about shortly after the Young County Arena opened. Burkett explained that he and Steve Bristow were talking to Arena Manager Tony Fellows when Fellows explained that it sure would be nice to have a rodeo at the arena.
“We looked at each other, looked at him and said, ‘we’ll get back to you,’” Burkett said.
Burkett and Bristow took the idea of hosting a rodeo to the members of the Knights of Columbus. The members seemed receptive to the idea and the Young County Rodeo was born.
“We did it for three reasons,” Burkett said. “First, we needed something to concentrate on as a council. We needed something to do other than just meeting. It’s a family event. It’s an event the whole family can enjoy. It also allows us to be philanthropic and give back to the community.”
In fact, the rodeo has returned a lot of money to many charitable organizations in Graham.
“We’ve paid back over $80,000 to the community,” Burkett said. “Everything we give to is in Young County.”
In order to be able to give, the rodeo relies heavily on sponsors. Burkett said First National Bank in Graham is one of the top sponsors this year, and Don Helm Dodge continues to be a major supporter. Other organizations have sponsored the rodeo every year.
“There’s no way we could do it without our sponsors,” he said. “We usually figure the gate will be what we give away. The sponsors pay for everything else.”
In 2010, there are 120 sponsors for the rodeo.
The members of the Knights of Columbus also make the rodeo possible. Burkett said if the rodeo had to hire workers, it would never be able to give any money back to the community.
“We have volunteers out back helping with the animals, we have them watching the doors, we have them in the hospitality room and we have them cooking,” Burkett said. “If we didn’t have the help of the people in the council, we couldn’t do it.”
Burkett said more than 30 members of the Knights of Columbus usually help out at the rodeo. In addition, more than a dozen other people volunteer every year to help at the rodeo.
In the end, the hard work brings some of the top cowboys in the world to Graham.
One new showstopper in 2010 probably can’t claim to be a world-class cowboy, but he does have a way of making the crowd roll in laughter. Burkett explained the rodeo clown in 2010 will be Jim Bob Fellers, and Fellers has a historical tie with Graham.
“He used to live here,” Burkett said. “His dad was the pastor at what is now Salem United Methodist. He’s been a clown for 33 years.”
Tickets to the Young County Rodeo cost $10 and can be purchased at the Graham Chamber of Commerce, Graham Visitors Center or at the door.
