Randolph County Fair set to open in Sparta
<p class="p1">EDITOR'S NOTE: To see a full list of the rodeo participants, click HERE.
<p class="p1">After three years away, the rodeo returns to the Randolph County Fair in Sparta.
<p class="p1">The two-day event, which is sanctioned by the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA) and the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association (MRCA) takes place Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.
<p class="p1">Gates open at 5 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children.
<p class="p1">"We had a lot of discussion about it because the rodeo does cost a lot of money to bring in and get the arena set up," said Lucas Lehde, a member of the Fair Board and Rodeo Committee chairman. "The Fair Board members have decided it's a good thing for the public and a good thing for the fair and hopefully, we'll have a lot of support."
<p class="p1">The competition will feature several different events, including bull riding, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, break away roping and steer wrestling.
<p class="p1">"The bareback riding and saddle bronc and bull riding are both rough stock events," Lehde said. "You get 50 points for the horse and 50 points for the rider.
<p class="p1">"There are two judges and each judge will give 25 and 25. It's how the horse bucks and how the rider handles the horse bucking in how the rider attains scores."
<p class="p1">Bull riding is a similar event.
<p class="p1">"Bull riding, it's just how well the cowboy rides the bull and handles the bull's moves," Lehde said.
<p class="p1">The break away roping will include both genders, as there is also a cowgirl part of the event.
<p class="p1">"Cowgirl break away roping is similar to calf roping," Lehde said. "A calf would get a 10-foot head start on the cowgirl.
<p class="p1">"When the calf breaks the neck barrier, the cowgirl is free to leave the chute. When the rope jerks off the saddlehorn, that's what stops the time."
<p class="p1">Entries for the event were due Tuesday, but Lehde is expecting participants from around the region and out-of-state.
<p class="p1">The Randolph County Fair event will be a money event that will help competitors prepare for their finals in Lake St. Louis in October for the MCRA and Oklahoma City in January for the IPRA.
<p class="p1">"The IPRA, those cowboys are from all 48 states, Australia and Canada," Lehde said. "They'll be competing for money for the finals."
<p class="p1">Also anticipated to compete is the 10th-ranked bull rider in the nation in Ryan Essenpreis, who is from Lebanon, and the 10th-ranked saddle bronc rider in Keith Brauer Jr., of Belleville.
<p class="p1">Cowboys from Sparta and Marissa are also expected this weekend.
<p class="p1">Popular events returning this year include the Mud Bog (July 16), Truck Pull (July 24) and Tractor Pull (July 24).
<p class="p1">"The Mud Bog has been a staple for at least five years," Lehde said. "A lot of people come through it. It's not only fastest time, but also distance."
<p class="p1">As of this writing, fair organizers are still anticipating to have a carnival July 14-16 and 21-23, but were having difficulty contacting the carnival company.
<p class="p1">"We have signed a contract with American Dream AMS carnival," Lehde said. "We have had problems getting ahold of them, but they did tell us last week that they are going to be here."
<p class="p1">Lehde was asked how the budget strife in Springfield affected the fair. Last week, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a "stopgap" budget that will fund services throughout the state through the end of the year.
<p class="p1">"We have not been reimbursed from the state from last year," he said. "We don't owe anybody anything, but we have not been reimbursed."
<p class="p1">Lehde was also asked his overall hopes for this year's fair.
<p class="p1">"I really hope people come out and support Randolph County," he said. "It's for the whole county.
<p class="p1">"It's not during the week, it's on the weekends and we need people's support to keep going. We're all volunteers, we just need other peoples' support."