If you are wondering if the 2018 Silver Spurs Rodeo is fun for the whole family, I spoke with The Big Boss, Dusty Holley to get the answers. His family started back in 1821 making him a 7th generation Florida cattleman, his son is the 8th. So it’s safe to say that his family knows how to put family fun into a rodeo. Dusty has a deep heritage in Osceola County and roots into Silver Spurs. His grandparents inducted into Silver Spurs 10 years ago, mom grew up around the rodeo, and she still runs concession, as well as wife and kids. His brother is a pickup man, and you can find Dusty on the floor during the event.
Family Friendly?
When I asked him about what makes the 2018 Silver Spurs Rodeo family friendly, this is what he shared with me. “You get two and a half hours of live action. There’s no script. You never know what is going to happen. It’s a lot of fun with professional rodeo cowboys competing for the largest purse of money east of the Mississippi River. They are serious and want to win. The event is overly family friendly beginning with a pledge and a prayer. The barrel men or rodeo clowns interact with the crowd all night. There is a calf scramble for kids. Kids 10 and under are free. The 2018 Silver Spurs Rodeo just screams family. It is safe for the kids. We just want you to have an all American family experience. It’s the whole point.”
Giving back.
Dusty shares, “We certainly have to raise money and we do charge an admission fee. There is a cost to put on a rodeo, but we give back to the community.”
The proceeds from the Monster Bulls event this past weekend went to The Florida Hospital. This coming weekend’s proceeds will go to the Guardian ad litem, which helps foster children to be placed in homes within the community. The monies also go to scholarships and sponsorships in the community. Towards nonprofits like Heroes for Horses through the Wounded Warriors.
2018 Silver Spurs Rodeo
140th Silver Spurs Rodeo – February 16-18, 2018
One of Osceola County’s longest and most treasured traditions is the Silver Spurs Rodeo. Hosted every 3rd weekend in February, this event features all seven traditional rodeo events: bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, tie-down roping, and barrel racing. In between all the rodeo action, there will be an act by the rodeo clown and our famous and fast Silver Spurs Quadrille team who perform a square dance on horseback.
A crowd favorite, and beloved Silver Spurs tradition, during the halfway mark of our performance, we invite children (between the ages of 6 to 10) to participate in our Calf Scramble where they come onto the dirt and chase a calf’s tail for a $5 prize. Well known as one of the best indoor rodeos of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), the Silver Spurs Rodeo in February draws contestants from all over the nation, many national champions, to compete for $100,000 in prize money. Tickets starting at just $15 per adult and kids 10 and under are free.
Bring in the Queen
The three rodeo queens shared the excitement the week means to each of them. Miss Silvers Spurs – Lacie Stark fought for a title for years. Determined and now wearing her title with pride, for as put it, “I was tired of playing in the dirt and being a cowkid. I want to be a rodeo queen.” She was 10. Not winning that year, or the next, or even the next. She didn’t give up.
Junior Miss Silver Spurs Hallie McTyre and Little Miss Silver Spurs Bailee Jeannin are both are as excited about the rodeo as they are about showing their pigs at the fair which is right outside of the Silver Spurs Rodeo. Both in the same weight class, they are so cute to be equally as supportive as they are competitive.
Via silverspursrodeo.com
They recognize that they are role models to young girls, so I asked what each of them hoped girls would see take away from seeing them at the 2018 Silver Spurs Rodeo.
Lacie – “It is extremely family based. I was part of the Silver Spurs Quadrille team when I was 5, and both my bother and sister were on the team. My grandparents were on the very first Quadrille team. So really the club as a whole is very family based.”
Bailee – “For girls that want to run for Little Miss you get a chance to ride on the big blue float for it’s been a huge tradition since the beginning.”
Hallie – “Being part of all this has been so good for me because before I ran for Little Miss is was so shy I wouldn’t talk to anyone.”
All events take place at Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Heritage Park. Tickets are $15; kids 10 & under are free. Parking is free. A Silver Spurs Rodeo ticket is also good for free admission to the Osceola County Fair.
I attended Monster Bulls with a media pass provided to me by Silver Spurs to share my experience. All opinions are my own.
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