Dirt from bucking broncs and bulls will fill the air at the 580 Sports Complex’s rodeo arena for the Riata Roundup Rodeo. The rodeo action is set for April 22-25.
This edition marks the second consecutive year the event is hosted by the County of Lampasas Rodeo Association, in coordination with Diamond Cross Rodeo.
The four-day rodeo event will begin with a crawfish boil and county team roping on April 22 at 6 p.m.
The April 23 offerings will feature a special kids’ rodeo from 5-7 p.m. that includes a dummy roping contest for all children. Also, youngsters will have the opportunity to meet rodeo cowboys and stop by a petting zoo.
Alexis Thompson, secretary/ treasurer for the County of Lampasas Rodeo Association, said the new youth night serves a larger purpose.
“It was more to add something for kids that have special needs or disabilities that don’t get to do a whole lot of things in town that they may want to do,” Thompson said. “This was an opportunity to get them involved, and get the community to come out and support it. If you’ve ever seen anything like it, it is a blessing to watch.”
The official rodeo action gets underway Friday night April 24 with mutton bustin’ at 6:30 p.m. Registration opens at 5:30 p.m. The rodeo follows at 7 p.m., along with the kids’ calf scramble.
The entry fee for Friday’s action is $15 for adults and $10 for children. Military and first responders receive free access with proper ID.
Saturday’s events kick off April 25 with slack at 9 a.m. Once again, mutton bustin’ action begins at 6:30 p.m., with registration opening at 5:30 p.m. The rodeo and senior calf scramble follow at 7:30 p.m.
“Diamond Cross has been the stock contractor before we took it on, and those guys put on a show,” Thompson said. “I love seeing the kids smile, the community together, talk and just watch [the rodeo] and have fun.”
For both nights, attendees may bring their own coolers for a $10 charge.
Presale tickets are available online at lampasasrodeo.com/ riata-roundup-rodeo. Advancesale tickets are $5 cheaper than door prices and are available until April 13.
Attendees can expect a strong group of talented cowboys on Friday and Saturday nights. Thompson said last year’s Riata Roundup ranked in the Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association top-15 highest paying shows. This year’s edition has $15,000 added money. Cowboys come from far and wide to chase the bag in Lampasas.
“About 95% of our competitors are from out of state or out of the county,” Thompson said. “We only maybe have one to two percent of competitors that are in Lampasas.
We get more from out of state than we originally expected.”
The County of Lampasas Rodeo Association is looking to grow the rodeo presence at the 580 Sports Complex. The group would like to increase the seating capacity and host more events.
“We are looking at doing some summer roping series, trying to get in a barrel racing series out there, and just trying to promote the arena and get people using it the way it is intended to be used,” Thompson said.
