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Rodeotown Canadian hopes 2 rodeos will rein in controversy CANADIAN — Rodeotown will have two rodeos this Fourth of July in an effort to heal a split in this community. Last month, the Canadian Rodeo Association apparently voted to replace the Texas Cowboy Rodeo Association-sanctioned rodeo on Independence Day with a Working Ranch Cowboy Association-sanctioned rodeo after telling citizens that the move was simply being discussed. What followed was a range war, tearing apart families, pitting father against son and splitting brothers. It didn't really split the town, said Laurie Ezzell Brown, publisher of The Canadian Record, the community's newspaper. She said she didn't find anybody who was for the change except for rodeo committee. The rodeo association was invited to appear before the Hemphill County Commissioners Court to explain itself since the county owns the rodeo arena and the rodeo committee contracts to produce the annual rodeo. Canadian claims to be one of the earliest rodeos in the nation, if not the first. Initially established July 5, 1888, the Canadian rodeo is a tradition, and one that many in the town don't want to see changed. In a statement in mid-January, the Canadian Rodeo Association said they had debated the change for four months and decided to make the change because of steadily declining numbers over the past five to six years. They agreed among themselves that they were not producing a good Fourth of July Rodeo. According to TCRA records, the 2002 rodeo, which spanned Wednesday through Saturday, had 547 entries, grossed $58,635 and paid out $54,299.40. In 2003, when rodeo performances were on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, there were 555 entries, a gross of $$67,520 and a payout of $64,585.50. In 2006, the Fourth of July fell on a Tuesday. The Canadian celebration started on the previous Friday. There were 400 entries and the purse $44,516.50. In 2007, with the Fourth of July on Wednesday and most events held the following weekend, there were 414 entries and a purse of $44,591.40. The association said they never meant to break with tradition. In fact, they said, the initial rodeo 120 years ago was between ranches. While the rodeo they have had in the recent past has featured individual cowboys and cowgirls in events such as bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing and team roping, the ranch rodeo would involve 24 five-man teams in team penning, branding, cow milking, cow doctoring and bronc riding. Since meeting with the County Commission in January, eight of the rodeo association members, including the president, have resigned. Heath Mitchell, the new president, met with the County Commission this week and suggested a compromise — two rodeos over the Fourth of July holidays. One would be sanctioned by the TCRA. The other would be sanctioned by the WRCA. "What we would like to do is do both," Mitchell says. "Do the TCRA rodeo and also do a ranch rodeo over the Fourth of July Weekend." E-mail
comments about this story Posted: February 14, 2008
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