CULLMAN – Strap on your spurs and head out to the Cullman County Agricultural Trade Center this Friday and Saturday for the 34th Annual Ford IPRA Stars and Stripes Rodeo, put on by the West Point Band Boosters.
Tickets are on sale now at Jack’s Western Wear in Good Hope- $9 for adults and $7 for children and senior citizens. They can also be purchased at the gate for $10 for adults and $8 for children and seniors.
Friday night will feature special activities for the little cowpokes and on Saturday night, the 2017 Rodeo Queens will be crowned. Gates open both nights at 5:30 p.m., with events beginning at 7:30 p.m.
“This is my first year with the event,” said West Point Band Director Ty Parker. “And I am one of the overseers of the rodeo. So, we have a committee, and we’ve been visiting rodeos around the state to prepare for this year’s event and get some ideas for what to do.”
Parker said he wants to help to revitalize the West Point Rodeo and return it to its former glory.
“It apparently used to be a big deal,” he said. “We want to get it back to that point, and we are positioned on the calendar where we’re not competing with any other events, really, so we should be providing a great event.”
Parker said he hopes to generate around $10,000-$15,000 for the West Point marching band. He also hopes that attendance for this year’s event is strong.
“I feel like there is something for everyone here,” Parker said. “There are fun games and activities for all ages, there will be live music for the whole thing courtesy of the West Point FAA String Band. One of the main things I want for everyone is for them to be entertained.”
Parker says the event will feature a rodeo pageant, judged by a cast including Miss Rodeo USA, and a descendant of Roy Rodgers himself.
“This is not a typical beauty pageant,” he said. “The older divisions have to have horse skills.”
Parker explained that he will be riding some sort of animal eventually during the event.
“I’m not sure what it will be just yet,” he laughed. “It might be a cow or a sheep. The kids wanted me to ride a bull, but I would not survive that.”
The Ag Center is located at 17645 U.S. Highway 31 N, Cullman, AL 35058.
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