Published: May 04, 2008 04:38 pm            

CAC rodeo raises more than $250K

Annual event a success, organizers say

Celebrities and locals gathered April 25-26 to support the Children’s Advocacy Center’s annual Cowboy for Kids weekend, and organizers said they are happy with the results.

“The board of directors and all our volunteers were very pleased for the event,” said Amber Witte, CAC board president. “We’re very thankful for all the sponsors who turned out to donate money for such a great cause.”

The Roping the Stars dinner April 25 featured former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek as the keynote speaker and professional rodeo announcer Charlie Throckmorton as master of ceremonies. About 900 people attended the dinner, which raised money through dinner tickets, a silent and live auction.

The next day a record 84 children competed in the stick horse rodeo, an event Johnson County Sheriff Bob Alford said is his favorite.

“They range anywhere from 2 to 10,” Alford said. “That’s just such a fun thing. You’d think that they were at the national finals rodeo, watching those kids.”

Saturday was the main event, the Professional Bull Riding events. About 4,500 people attended. Nearly 100 cowboys competed in the rodeo. Most of them were past champions or had been in the finals of PBR events numerous times, Throckmorton said.

“We had some very top names in professional bull riders,” Alford said.

Harve Stewart of Stephenville won the bull riding event, in which 42 cowboys competed.

The celebrity team roping category had eight teams of two enter, and Roy Cooper and Ted Nuce were the winners.

In the steer saddling competition, 12 teams of three entered. The Cleburne Fire Department team won.

Organizers will take a few months break before beginning plans for next year’s rodeo, Witte said.

“It takes a good six or seven months to plan the rodeo,” she said. “We’re excited about it, and the community’s excited about it.”

About $250,000 was raised by the weekend’s events.

“I think it’s just a blessing,” Alford said. “That’s the only way to put it. I think everything was fantastic.

“Without the community support it doesn’t happen. The community has to get behind it, and that’s what happened. Plus a lot of hard work by the staff and board of the CAC and my office.”

        

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