PRCA rodeo this weekend at Optimist Park

Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Professional bull riders will be competing at this year's rodeo.

Daniel Dopps Memorial Rodeo, a PRCA professional cowboys event, will be held this weekend at the Optimist Park arena in Mountain Home, featuring not only top rodeo performers in the region, but a number of events for kids and families as well.

The rodeo will begin at 8 p.m. this year.

"The Daniel Dopps Memorial Rodeo Association would like to extend an invitation to everyone to come remember Daniel," his mother, Ramona Dopps said. "Daniel was a member of our community for 15 years and we would like give everyone an opportunity to enjoy the sport he loved."

Dopps, a star of the Mountain Home High School rodeo team, was killed in a freak accident in the rodeo arena during his first year on the pro circuit.

Mayor Joe McNeal has signed a proclamation, making June 20-- 23 "Mountain Home Rodeo Days" and Ramona Dopps noted that "the committee hopes that all Mountain Home businesses will help highlight this event during that time."

The Jeff Palmer Band will be playing both nights after the rodeo. "Jeff has always been a good friend of our family and we are excited that his band was available to play at this year's rodeo. His following is far reaching and we are hoping that everyone will have an opportunity to stay and enjoy the great music," Dopps said.

This year the rodeo committee has partnered with the Mountain Home Boosters, 266th Range Squadron, American Legion Post 101, and Mountain Home Optimist Youth to provide concessions for the 2nd Annual Daniel Dopps Memorial Rodeo.

The June 22 performance will be dedicated to "Honoring our Armed Forces", and June 23 will be "Tough Enough To Wear Pink," an initiative sponsored by Wrangler as a 2007 fundraising effort for breast cancer research.

The rodeo committee is asking everyone who attends that night to wear a pink shirt, or hat, or any apparel with the color pink, to help support breast cancer awareness on Saturday night.

A drawing for a Montana Silversmith "Tough Enough To Wear Pink" watch and necklace will be held during the rodeo. Raffle tickets will be on sale at the rodeo. All proceeds will be donated to the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Pre-Rodeo events will start at 7:30 p.m. (sign-ups start at 7 p.m.), with the family favorite event of the Calf Scramble, where all children under the age of 12 are invited to join in for an opportunity to win some money. For the smaller buckaroos the rodeo will feature a Goat Tail Untying event.

The rodeo committee is encouraging all spectators to enter the park from the access road behind Motion Storage and the airport. "This year we have increased our volunteers to help move the flow of traffic coming to the rodeo. We will be using Marathon Way for contestant's coming to the rodeo," Dopps said.

Advance tickets are on sale now and available at Mountain Home Auto Ranch and D & B Supply (Mountain Home only) and Sunset Sinclair C.

More information is available on-line at www.3dmemorialrodeo.org

For additional information or questions, contact Ramona Dopps at (208) 598-0456.

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