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Wapello FFA brings buckin' broncs to town
WAPELLO, Jun 13, 2009 (The Hawk Eye - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
The Wapello Future Farmers of America students are determined to bring a professional rodeo event to their home town. Thanks to some help from the local community and the Iowa-based Barnes PRCA Rodeo stock contracting company, that lofty ambition will become a reality in July.
"This is pretty rare. This is the first FFA group I know of to take on such a huge project," company owner Bob Barnes said during a Friday morning press conference at Wapello High School.
For the last 28 years, Wapello Future Farmers of America students have hosted an amateur Iowa Rodeo Cowboy Association rodeo every July. But once Barnes and his son, John, expressed interest in holding a professional rodeo in the Wapello area, the students stepped up and decided to upgrade their annual rodeo to a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event.
"It's been kind of amazing how the students have stepped up," said Iowa State Bank president Chris Grimm, who has been helping organize the event. "We've been trying to do everything we can to let people know that it (the rodeo) isn't what it was before."
The difference between a PRCA rodeo and an IRCA rodeo is as vast as the difference between minor league and major league baseball. Not only are the purses bigger, but the cowboys will consist of some of the top bull-riders from around the country.
Putting on such a high-caliber event isn't cheap, and the FFA students are still in the process of selling sponsorships. While the students normally sell $100 sponsorships, this year they are hoping to sell a number of $1,000 and $500 sponsorships as well.
"We had a big chapter meeting, and everyone really wanted to go for it," said FFA student Jacob Walker.
The students are hoping to raise $35,000 this year, which is quite a bit more than their usual $28,000 goal. The money raised will cover the $16,000 contract with the Barnes stock contracting company, while the rest will be used for the rodeo purse, advertising and the fireworks display. Any profit will go back into the FFA organization.
The rodeo will be a two-day event, but Barnes is donating his services on the second day free of charge. According to Barnes, his company has a history of helping upstart rodeos.
"We're going to be getting less money here than any other rodeo performance all year long," Barnes said. "We have helped start more young folk in the rodeo than anyone else. If we were strictly in it for the money, we wouldn't be here. I hope we stay here for a while."
Ervin Meier, an instructor for Wapello High School and FFA chapter leader, said he too would like to see the PRCA rodeo become an annual event. He promised it will be a different experience form the annual Tri-State PRCA Rodeo in Fort Madison coming up this September.
"We don't want to have a carbon copy of the Fort Madison rodeo," he said. "There is a lot of community support, and we're trying to have a positive experience. We want people to come back."
The two-day rodeo event will be July 17 and 18 at the Wapello Fairgrounds, and gates open at 5 p.m. each night. Rodeo activities will include bareback riding, a clown act, tie-down roping, a comedy act, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, barrel racing, trick riding, and of course, professional bull riding.
Barnes, who spent part of his day looking over the fairgrounds with his son and event organizer, said it is still too early to determine how many riders will participate.
"The number of people you see isn't as important as the quality," he said. "People will like it. We want people to say it was awful good, but it didn't last long enough."
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