Sandhills Rodeo back for a fourth year

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The fourth annual Sandhills Rodeo will hold a sanctioned rodeo for the first time with the Chinook Rodeo Association later this month, in an effort have more participation and more fan support come out later this month.
Sandhills Rodeo Club member Floyd Good Eagle said this will help reduce problems they had encountered in the past and aid financially.
“We’ve been running it the last three years as an open rodeo,” said Good Eagle.
“We weren’t making too much. In fact last year, the third rodeo we had, there was supposed to be 15 bull riders and only six showed up. So now with the Chinook Rodeo Association, they’re going to handle all the entries.”
With the rodeo being sanctioned, it will guarantee that all the riders will show up and participate.
Failure to show up will result in the rodeo contestant having to pay a fine, plus the entry fees.
He anticipates that with this format that there will be lots of riders and rodeo fans who will be entertained by a mixture of competitors.
“They told us that they will be expecting a lot of people,” said Good Eagle.
“The majority of them in the Chinook Rodeo Association and there is a contingent there from down south, Blood tribe and everything. That’s what we want is a lot of entries and keep going up the ladder and along with that there will be more spectators. That’s why we’re working hard to build on our facilities there.”
The rodeo will be fairly fast paced, as the Sandhills Rodeo Club wants to make it interesting, and not a drawn out affair.
“I like to keep it rolling and rolling and that’s what entertainment is about,” said Good Eagle. “If one cowboy is not ready, we’ll go to the next one that’s ready. That way the spectators won’t say ‘what a long boring rodeo.'”
Other entertainment will include Good Eagle’s brother-in-law’s kids who started a band and will be playing at the intermissions of the rodeo.
Some highlights of the rodeo itself will be the mutton busting and wild pony races for the young kids.
“It’s family entertainment,” said Good Eagle. “It says right on our poster, no liquor allowed, and we try to keep up that tradition.”
The rodeo will take place just south of Cluny on Aug. 30 with the slacks going at 9 a.m. and the rodeo commencing at 1 p.m.
Admission is $8 and children six and under and elders are free.