Rodeo awareness gets a boost from 4-H club

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Becca Thon, 11, Susie Thon, 11, and Megan Spott, 9, stand proudly next to the PRCA Rodeo sign they helped make with other members of the Springbrook 4-H .

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The Springbrook 4-H club is spurring awareness for the PRCA Rodeo June 17-18 by creating a promotional sign which is now in place along Highway 65 and 130th Avenue on Bob Derrick’s farm.

The project from start to finish took a lot of time and involved many of the 4-H members, said club leader Jackie Henderson- Kumm.

There were several decisions that needed to be discussed by the group, such as what the sign would say and what kinds of materials would be used, she said.

The group decided the sign would be constructed out of five different materials: hay, wood, clothes, rubber and plastic. The plastic, which took the form of recycled milk jugs, were placed inside of the cowboy’s shirt and jeans to create more depth. The club used a rubber ball for the cowboy’s head.

Through a “parliamentary procedure” the group decided on the slogan for the sign, added Kumm. People passing by read: “Get Lassoed at the Rodeo.”

Once the particulars of the sign were determined, the club got to work. The wood for the sign was procured by Jake Van Dyk and a few club members helped operate a projector that was used to enlarge the drawings, Kumm noted. Once the drawings were enlarged and traced onto the wood, Kody Stork, a woodworking project member, cut the figures out.

The Spott family then primed the boards and once they dried, the club held two separate painting sessions. To complete the sign and ensure it can be used for years to come, two coats of urethane were applied by the Spott family, she said.

“It was a great project to bring a wide variety of skill levels and team work together,” she said. “Members learned that it was important to follow the plan set out to ensure a successful outcome and work with change at the same time.”

The club also made a St. Croix County Fair promotional sign which will be placed along County Road A, about a mile south of Boardman.

The cost of materials for both signs came to around $400, Kumm said.

The PRCA Rodeo at the St. Croix County Fair Grounds in Glenwood City will feature professional rodeo competitors going up against rodeo stock from the award-winning Barnes Rodeo Co.

Bob Barnes, stock contractor for the rodeo, is a member of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Several of the bulls and broncs that will be herded into the rodeo have competed at the National finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, according to the Rodeo’s website.

On Friday and Saturday night, the rodeo will feature bull riding, barrel racing, tie-down roping, saddleback bronc riding, steer wrestling, bareback bronc riding and team roping.

A complete schedule of the PRCA Rodeo can be viewed online at http://stcroixcofair.com/rodeo

Tags: rural scene, area news, agriculture