Ridin', Ropin' And Wranglin': Rodeo of the Ozarks returns as community celebration

Rodeo of the Ozarks returns as community celebration

Lindy Nealey-Lica and Haley Proctor, who call their duo the Cowgirl Sweethearts, are the specialty act for the 2021 Rodeo of the Ozarks.

(Courtesy Photo)
Lindy Nealey-Lica and Haley Proctor, who call their duo the Cowgirl Sweethearts, are the specialty act for the 2021 Rodeo of the Ozarks. (Courtesy Photo)

This year's Rodeo of the Ozarks might feel like the first edition did in 1944, says Rick Culver, executive director for the Rodeo of the Ozarks board. Like the original, which took place at the height of World War II, the celebration will give community members a chance to come together and forget what has been going on in the world.

Canceled last year because of covid-19 concerns, the rodeo returns June 23-26, with events beginning daily at 7:30 p.m. The Wednesday night performance is themed Frontline Heroes Night, and approximately 2,500 free tickets will bring frontline workers such as hospital employees, firefighters and policemen to Parsons Stadium as a way to thank them for their service.

The Rodeo of the Ozarks parade, which begins at the rodeo grounds and proceeds down Emma Avenue through downtown Springdale, is happening at 3 p.m. June 26 with marching bands, clowns, horses and a variety of floats. Jenee Fleenor, a Springdale native who is a CMA Award-winning fiddler, will be the grand marshal.

Lindy Nealey-Lica, a trick rider and Roman rider for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is performing alongside Haley Proctor as the specialty act for the 2021 rodeo. Trick riders execute a variety of stunts on a moving horse. Roman riding is a specific style of riding where the rider straddles two horses with one foot on each horse and executes manuevers such as figure eights and sliding stops.

The duo, called the Cowgirl Sweethearts, plan to incorporate fire torches and a fire jump into their show, which is a new act they have never before brought to Springdale, Nealey-Lica says. It's also their first rodeo together in 2021.

"This is one of our favorite rodeos we get to come to every few years," Nealey-Lica adds. "It's one of our first pro rodeos we got to work together, and so it holds a really special place in our hearts."

Springdale's new rodeo clown, Keith Isley, says that while the entertainment industry was drastically affected by the pandemic last year, the rodeos he has attended this year have been overwhelmed with fans. People want to get out and go see the cowboys that they have had to watch remotely through the Cowboy Channel, he says.

There are so many people that are affected by a rodeo's success, including the rodeo committee, groups like the Boy Scouts and people that sell novelties and food items, Isley says. The rodeo's success also has an effect on the town's feed stores, grocery stores and restaurants.

For Celeste Breeden-White, owner of Creative Leather and Tack, selling her products at rodeos typically accounts for about 50% of her business sales. She is usually on the road from April to November selling items such as cowboy hats, wallets, belt buckles and toys, she says.

When the pandemic hit last year, Breeden-White had to rely on sales from her shop in Van Buren, where she does custom leather work and repairs. Now, she says, "I think people are ready to get out and do something, see people and watch events that they have not been able to watch for a year."

"I just think any time we get to get the community together with good family entertainment like rodeo is, it's great for fostering community involvement," Nealey-Lica says.

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FAQ

Rodeo Of The Ozarks

WHEN — 7:30 p.m. daily, June 23-26

WHERE — Parsons Stadium in Springdale

COST — $7-$38

INFO — rodeooftheozarks.org

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