Springdale Rodeo Details Take Long Hours

By Monday afternoon, only three horse trailers were left in the little village that sprang up behind Springdale's Parsons Stadium.

At A Glance

Events At The Rodeo

• Bucking in the Ozarks, Aug. 9

• Hispanic Heritage Event, Sept. 14

• Foot Hills of the Ozarks Swap Meet and Car Corral, Sept. 18-21

• Fall Ozark Demolition Derby, Oct. 4

• Fall Carnival, Oct. 25-26

• Christmas Parade of the Ozarks, Nov. 29.

Information: 877-927-6336, rodeooftheozarks.org

The Rodeo of the Ozarks recorded another year in the history books. David Dodd, a member of the rodeo's board and head of the grounds committee, worked with his crew of volunteers Sunday and Monday morning "just picking up trash," he said. "We took down the red, white and blue flags and some signs. Then, I went home and mowed."

Dodd admitted his grass had grown tall as he has spent nearly every day this summer preparing the stadium grounds for the rodeo sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

Here's a look at a day in the life of the rodeo grounds.

5 a.m.: Sach Oliver, Steve Smith and Joe Rollins, members of the rodeo's board, meet television news personalities for broadcasts to promote the rodeo during the morning shows.

7 a.m.: Dodd and his crew pick up trash, haul hay to the horse barns. "We fix what was tore up the night before," he said. Folks in the mini-boomtown wake slowly. Cowboys, cowgirls, stock contractors' employees and local folks begin their chores for the day -- feeding and bathing the horses, cleaning tack, and washing clothes and themselves in the Bayyari Loafin' Barn.

8 a.m.: Robbie Kesner works his border collie in the arena with the sheep for the kids' Mutton Bustin' competition. He didn't like the way the dog worked during the previous show.

10 a.m.: Members and staff of the Arkansas Support Network cowboy up in the Super Cowboys Super Cowgirls Rodeo, hosted by the board. Children climb aboard horses and the stagecoach for rides and try their hands at roping.

Contestants for the title of Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks rein their horses through a pattern in the arena, as they are judged for their horsemanship skills.

Various times through the day: The staff of stock contractor Stace Smith turn out animals to the arena to clean their pens and give them a chance to stretch their legs.

1 p.m.: Members of the Smith Pro Rodeo production team ensure the video board, microphones and all parts of the sound system work.

Throughout the day, cowboys come in for the night's rides. They check in with rodeo secretary Shelly Hall, pay their entry fees and pick up their back numbers. They visit the Justin Sports Medicine Trailer for tape, ice and care for injuries big and small, so they can ride out into the arena.

5 p.m.: Arena Director Cody Kidd, Hall and the judges pull calves and steers, determining which animal each contestant will chase.

5 p.m.: Police and traffic control arrive. Students from the Law and Public Safety Academy at Springdale High School wave rodeo fans to the proper parking lots. The grounds crew rakes the dirt in the arena one last time before the show.

5:30 p.m.: The Rodeo Community Center opens to serve dinner to the Buckle Club members. Janet Reed, Larry Palmer and seven other volunteers start filling plates at Cowboy Camp. The camp feeds cowboys and their families, rodeo personnel and rodeo volunteers -- about 150 people each night. Members of the Springdale Rotary Club arrive to usher guests to their seats in Parsons Stadium -- as they have done every year for the last 65 years. Members of the rodeo's board of directors meet in the board room with Kidd; Boyd Polhamus, announcer; Lecile Harris and Cody Sosebee, clowns; Rider Kiesner, trick roper; and Kent Morris, the director of the Rodeo of the Ozarks Rounders.

6 p.m.: Rodeo ticket booths and gates open. The hospitality tent opens.

6:30 p.m.: Mutton Bustin' for the kids begins, followed by goat dressing, the calf scramble and the Little Grand Entry. Back in camp, folks saddle up and begin to walk their horses to warm them up. They line up to ride in the Grand Entry.

8 p.m.: A bareback rider nods his head. Boom! The gate swings open, and the bucking begins.

9:30 p.m.: Rodeo directors again meet with performers and Kidd to discuss changes needed for the next performance. Despite their afternoon check of the sound -- which worked perfectly then -- problems arose with the microphone of clown Sosebee on the first night of the rodeo. He reported he bought a $700 microphone the next day, which worked perfectly through the rest of the rodeo. Cowboys report to the rodeo secretary's office to pick up checks for the prize money.

10 p.m.: Cowboys, rodeo volunteers, PRCA staff gather on hay bales in Cowboy Camp for a late meal. Others sit in lawn chairs outside of their campers and talk. Allie Warford, 9, eats with one hand and clutches her winnings from the goat-dressing contest in the other. Dodd and his crew prepare the rodeo grounds for the next day.

Midnight: Things wind down. Those staying on the grounds tie their horses to the trailers and head inside. Cowboys hit the road. Dodd goes home to catch 20 winks before the next show.

NW News on 07/10/2014

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