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2B n Wednesday, July 15, 2020 Siloam Springs Herald-Leader S e l l e r S Trading Post, llC Siloam Springs 479-524-6457 email: mike@sellerstradingpost.net Mike Sellers • • iloam Springs eterinary Clinic 504 W. Tulsa Siloam Springs, AR 479-524-3178 siloamspringsvet.com M-F 8:30-5 Sat 8:30-NOON • Large & Small Animals • No Appointment Needed Walk-in Clinic! Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic SMALL ANIMAL CLINIC 2024 Ravenwood Plaza Siloam Springs, AR 479-373-1141 www.siloamspringsvet.com Welcome Rodeo Fans! ® ShelterInsurance.com • 1-800-SHELTER Jimmy Allen 816 S. Mount Olive Street Siloam Springs, AR 72761 479-524-4183 JAllen@ShelterInsurance.com we proudly support the siloam springs rodeo! 1134 Hwy 412 West Siloam Springs, AR 479-524-5800 We Serve WELCOME RODEO FANS! Siloam 62nd Annual Springs Harvey Trogdon has served as president of the Siloam Springs Riding Club for 17 years. Throughout his time as president, Trogdon has remained low key. Here Trogdon opens up about his time as president and how it has evolved over the years; as well as some of the changes for this year's rodeo. Always a fan Trogdon has been a fan of rodeo since he was about seven or eight. He was born in Pryor, Okla., and raised in Westville, Okla. He remem- bers going to his first rodeo with his aunt as a boy. Trogdon doesn't remem- ber a lot about the rodeo. He does remember being dazzled by the events and eventually learned to team rope. Rodeo was a part of his family life too. Trogdon also remembers his stepfather serving as president of the now defunct Watts (Okla.) Riding Club and it having an impact on him. "When I was a kid, my stepdad was president of the Watts Riding Club, that's been a long time ago," Trog - don said. "I asked him, 'Why do you do it?' He said, 'To give you kids somewhere to go play. That's why I do it.'" This thing called rodeo Trogdon competed in lo- cal rodeos as a team roper but could never afford to join the sanction. Despite not being able to be a part of the circuit, Trogdon still enjoyed going to the shows. Rodeo continued to be a part of his family. His old - est daughter competed for a little bit, however it was Trogdon's granddaughter, Samantha Curran, who kept the family tradition alive. "My granddaughter start - ed riding up here when she was three or four years old," Trogdon said. Curran went to the junior rodeos and ended up as a breakaway roper, Trogdon said. Curran won the Col - cord Rodeo at the age of 16 and was crowned princess of the 2004 Siloam Springs Rodeo at the age of eight. When asked what his fa- vorite events are, Trogdon said he enjoys watching bull riding and mutton busting, but if he was competing, the event would be team roping. Club President Trogdon became presi- dent of the riding club for the same reason his stepfa- ther devoted his time to the Watts Riding Club: So his kids would have a place to play. He credits a lot of the success not on himself but on those who have stepped up to volunteer. "I've seen a lot of good people come up here and work along side of me," Trogdon said. "I've still got a lot of good people with us." Trogdon mentioned Kar - en Davis, Kari McReynolds- Hutchins and Lee Reed and his wife Karen. Over the years Trogdon has seen changes at the riding club. He has seen more female riders in recent years than he has in the past, Trogdon said. He still sees a lot of bull riders but Trogdon has seen a resurgence of horse riders within the last year. One of the most popular events is still mutton busting. "You just can't run enough mutton busters," Trogdon said. "Those little kids love them. We run somewhere between 20 and 30 sheep a night." Most recently, the club put in a new announcer's stand and new pens for the animals, he said. As much as the club has seen, very little prepared them for what would be required for this year's rodeo. Siloam Springs Rodeo 2020 This year's rodeo proved to be challenging in different ways due to the coronavirus pandemic. In order to put on the rodeo, several activi- ties like the play night, the dance, the Gold Members Dinner and the Handica- pable Rodeo were canceled due to the social distancing, Trogdon said. "It's hard to explain to a kid why you have to be six feet away from your buddy," Trogdon said. He also plans to limit people in the announcer's booth to three, the entry fee collectors will be separated, and the riding club will not run a concession stand this year, due to the coronavi - rus, Trogdon said. This year, Trogdon plans on having a vendor come in and put in concession trailers. "It kind of worked out with this covid deal because there is so much more that we would have to do if we ran our own concessions," Trogdon said. There will also be lim - ited seating this year and he plans on having hand sani- tizer stations set up, Trogdon said. Despite the hurdles he is optimistic. "If we can get through this year and this covid deal leaves out, then we'll be big - ger next year," Trogdon said. Kids a motivation for club president Marc Hayot/Herald-Leader Harvey Trogdon, president of the Siloam Springs Riding Club, poses in front of the rodeo arena. Trogdon has been president of the riding club for 17 years and enjoys giving kids something to do. By Marc Hayot Staff Writer n gthomas@nwadg.com Also, the following regu- lations are in place, ac- cording to a June 26 post on the Siloam Springs Rodeo and Riding Club's Facebook page. • Masks need to be worn to your seat. Once you are shown to your seat then you may remove it. • If you are practicing social distancing walking around, no mask is neces - sary. If you are closer than 6 feet to anyone you need to wear a mask. • Seating will be stag- gered at every other row and families will be seated together. If the row is des- ignated no seating there will be someone watching over that. • We will have desig- nated entry and exit gates on each side of the arena. Please obey the signs! • Lawn chairs and blankets are acceptable as long as you distance properly. "We certainly never dreamed of this hap - pening," the post stated. "Hopefully by next year we can be back to our nor- mal. This is the only way we can have our rodeo per our health department. We really want to have a great rodeo as usual and for everyone to be safe! Thank you in advance for your cooperation." Tickets are $10 for adults 13-and-up, while children ages 7-12 are $5 and children 6-and-under get in free. Thursday night is Kids Night with any kids 12-and-under receiving free admission with a paid adult. Mutton busting is night - ly at 7:30 p.m. Entries for mutton busting and junior barrels begins at 6 p.m. at the north conces- sion building. The Kids Grand Entry will be at 7:45 p.m., fol- lowed by the Main Grand Entry at 8 p.m. The Butler Creek Boys are scheduled to sing the national anthem each night. The rodeo will also fea - ture rodeo clown Michael "Goobie" Smith and the Ozark Rounders all three nights. Events being held are bareback, saddle bronc, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, team rop - ing, senior barrel racing, ladies breakaway, ranch saddle bronc and junior barrel racing. Davis said signage will be up directing people to handwashing and sanita - tion stations. Graham Thomas/Herald-Leader Tiedown roping will be among the events featured at the rodeo. Rodeo Continued from Page 1B W e certainly never dreamed of this happening. Hopefully by next year we can be back to our normal. This is the only way we can have our rodeo per our health department. We really want to have a great rodeo as usual and for everyone to be safe! Thank you in advance for your cooperation. — From a June 26 post on the Siloam Springs Rodeo and Riding Club's Facebook page Community Blood Center of the Ozarks www.cbco.org Bentonville 479.464.2506 Springdale 479.927.1200 Save a life eveRY DROP TellS a STORY ThiS SpaCe COurTeSy NWa DemOCraT-GazeTTe