Perfect weather, lots of activities throughout the week, and plenty of top-level competition in the arena brought huge crowds to Oakdale for the annual PRCA Rodeo.
The two days of rodeo action on Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13, wrapped up a busy week that also included the Queen Coronation, the Cowgirl Luncheon, the Saturday morning parade, Cowboy Church on Sunday morning, and more. Coverage of the various activities can be found throughout this week’s issue.
While last year featured some torrential rain that left the Saddle Club rodeo grounds on East F Street a virtual mud pit, this year’s festivities played out under sunny skies. Crowds were huge, including several deep in the standing room only sections in between the grandstands and the arena.
It was also a huge crowd that lined both sides of F Street all along the parade route on Saturday, watching the nearly 90-minute parade make its way from one end of town to the other.
Taking home the All-Around Cowboy honor from the 73rd edition of the Oakdale rodeo was Paden Bray of Stephenville, Texas. Bull riding remained a fan favorite and there were plenty of local competitors taking part in the various categories.
Grand Marshal this year was Colonel Rett B. Burroughs, an Oakdale native who is career military, having enlisted in the Army as a military policeman in 1992 after graduating from Oakdale High School.
He was recognized in the Oakdale Saddle Club arena on Saturday afternoon, riding in on a stagecoach with several family members, and accepting a plaque to commemorate his selection as Grand Marshal.
“This is so surreal; I mean, I’ve been in the Army for 33 years and now I get to come home to my hometown and everyone that I grew up with, everyone that raised me around my hometown; it’s absolutely a spectacular honor,” Burroughs said. “And that fact that I’m a Cavalry soldier and I get to wear my hat and my spurs, in my hometown of Oakdale, the Cowboy Capital of the World, this is such an honor and a great feeling.”
Burroughs said being able to attend the variety of events throughout the week and ride in the Saturday morning parade was special, adding to the overall experience.
“For some kid that just graduated from Oakdale High School and shipped off to the Army, there’s not a bigger honor and I couldn’t be more proud of my hometown and my family, this really means the world to me,” Burroughs said.
