LINCOLN -- A sense of newness refreshed the 62nd annual Lincoln Rodeo this year.
Organizers didn't need to reinvent things because the event has a drawing power appealing to rodeo fans of all ages. And yet, an honest-to-goodness effort to ensure fair competition was evident. The 2015 Lincoln Riding Club rodeo queen, junior queen and princess pageant featured a change of venue with speech and modeling competition held at the Hitchin' Post inside Northwest Arkansas Mall at Fayetteville marking the first time the event has been held outside of Lincoln.
Ashley Thomas, coordinator for the royalty contests, explained the reasoning behind the switch saying the idea went beyond drawing more attention to the 62nd annual Lincoln Rodeo.
"It is to get more [people] involved but also the leather dresses are very expensive," Thomas said. "The Hitchin' Post was nice enough to let us model their clothing at no cost to us this year. Some of the girls can't afford those clothes and it kind of puts them on the same playing field."
When rodeo action broke forth with the first cowboy out of the chute on a bucking bronco at the Lincoln Riding Club Arena, pickup men Jess Doty, of Colord, Okla., and Steve Meredith, of Westville, Okla., quickly moved into position to help him dismount after a wild ride from the stock provided by Blisard Rodeo Company in their Lincoln debut. Rodeo clown Jason Farley did his part by having his dog jump through hoops and the crowd enjoyed every aspect of another successful Lincoln Rodeo.
Sports on 06/24/2015