By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Events continue tonight for the 29th annual McCracken Rodeo in the Jack Wilson Mustang Arena in McCracken.
Admission is free for Thursday’s rodeo slack which starts at 8 p.m. with 36 bullriders signed up and more competitors to follow. Wednesday night featured national barrel racers.
There are nearly 300 cowboys and cowgirls competing this week, according to rodeo volunteer Roger Legleiter, which is “up from previous years.”
Allen McCloy of McCloy Rodeo Company, Morse, Texas, has been the McCracken rodeo stock contractor for 23 years.
“Slack is–you get so many contestants that you can’t run them all in a performance–it’s overflow. We don’t want to turn anybody down and we still want to limit our performances to 2 to 2.5 hours. So we take about 10 to 12 contestants from each event during the rodeo, and the extra we run in slack,” McCloy explained.
“We do that tonight (July 9) and it’s free,” he added.
The two nights of KPRA Open rodeo kick off Friday night with the gates opening at 5 p.m. both evenings. Kids events start at 7 p.m. and the rodeo performances get underway at 8 p.m.
“Generous sponsors and individuals from 40, 50, 60 miles away” from McCracken have consistently contributed their time, thought, energy and funding to the success of the award-winning rodeo, Legleiter said. “It’s also a reunion of sorts.”
“We just have a lot of fun. Everybody pitches in…there’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” he added. Brenda Legleiter, Roger’s wife, heads up the concession stand and lines up the volunteers to work it.
There are five young women competing in the Rodeo Queen and Princess contests Saturday morning at 9 a.m. The two winners will be crowned by their predecessors, Mikaela Brackney and Abbie Schwab, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday just before the second night of rodeo begins.
A rodeo dance will be held on the grounds after the rodeo both nights.
Other Saturday events include a golf tournament, cancer benefit run/walk, trail ride, and a 12:30 p.m. dinner meal hosted by McCracken High School alumni.
Tickets are available at the gate or in advance in McCracken–Charlie’s, and Midland Marketing; Ness City–G&L Pharmacy; LaCrosse–Farmers Bank & Trust, Nekoma State Bank, LaCrosse Abstract & Title, and State Farm Insurance; Hays–Vanderbilt’s; and WaKeeney–Keyser True Value. Adult tickets are $10 at the gate or $8 in advance. Children’s tickets (ages 5 to 12) are $7 at the gate or $5 in advance.