Embrace Our Rodeo Tradition

Dear Editor,

Oakdale started out as a town of ranching and horse breeders. When a local group of horsemen started the Oakdale Saddle Club, they bought a couple acres of land, (previously called Clover Roundup), but the locals now refer to it as the Oakdale Rodeo Grounds. My great grandfather, Russ Sousa, was a member of the saddle club. He and the other members named Oakdale “The Cowboy Capital of the World.” After time and many rodeos, Oakdale cowboys won the title by defeating Stephenville, Texas in a fundraising raffle for the National Day of the American Cowboy. The rodeo is one thing that our town is very proud of, other than the fact that getting across town takes thirty minutes instead of ten on rodeo weekend. I grew up around the rodeo and I would sit in my dad’s lap and cheer on the cowboys as they rode by on their horses or they were bucked off bulls. The Oakdale Rodeo is a tradition to many, as the whole town shuts down for the weekend. People from all over the United States come to our tiny town to share the experience. From the Saturday morning rodeo parade, to entering the gates of the rodeo grounds, all the way into the night at the famous saloon, H-B, cowboys and cowgirls are having the time of their lives.

Sincerely,

Emily Stepp

Thanks To Generous Community

Dear Editor,

This is an open letter to community members.

Thank you so much for your generous donations. It has really touched all of the children’s hearts to feel so loved by their community. At this time in history it is so imperative to show children how much they are loved and cared for by everyone in the community. You have done this in a way that has touched every class at Knights Ferry School. I hope you know how much your generous donations positively impact our students and your community! Your donation is helping fund computers, robotics, field trips, science specialists, music lessons and supplies for our students in and outside the classroom. Each student in the school has written a letter, kindergarten through eighth grade, to show you how much your donations have personally impacted their learning experience.

In the words of student Levi Dickens – “Thank you for putting together the Knights Ferry School Auction. It helps us with a lot in class, like the new calculators and Fire HD8’s that we’re going to use a lot. The document camera was great too. Thank you a lot, we appreciate it.”

Thank you so much for your continued support of Knights Ferry School!

Best wishes,

From the whole Knights Ferry School family