Rodeo Nights – an annual fundraiser for the Southeastern Firefighters’ Burn Foundation – is scheduled for April 20-22 at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. The eighth annual event is sponsored by Joseph M. Still Burn Centers, Inc. Gates open Friday and Saturday at 5:30 p.m., with rodeo action starting at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, gates open at 12:30 p.m., with the rodeo beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Rodeo admission at the gate is $14 for adults and $8 for children ages 5-12; children under 5 years are admitted free. Advance tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids, and are available at all Georgia Bank & Trust locations, Boots Bridles and Britches, Tractor Supply Co. in Thomson, BP locations in Augusta and Thomson, SOHO Augusta in Surrey Center, and online at www.crosscreekrodeo.com.
Coming back to Rodeo Nights 2012 is the children’s area filled with pony rides, inflatables, face painting, stick horse races and more. There’s also a special Whippersnapper Stampede for kids, which runs from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 12:30 until 2 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to the Whippersnapper Stampede is $10 for adults and $5 for kids, and each ticket includes admission to the rodeo.
Among the special events scheduled for the Whippersnapper Stampede on Saturday and Sunday: stick horse races, face painting, turn-out tug-of-war, dunk-a-firefighter dunking booth, autographs with rodeo clown, and a dance contest. There’s also a special competition, featuring teams of three trying to saddle a wild horse.
This year, Rodeo Nights welcomes Jessica Blair – a trick rider who will be the featured act during intermission.
All proceeds from Rodeo Nights benefit the Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, which provides compassionate assistance to families of patients being treated at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta.
SFBF provides free lodging, meals, transportation and other essentials for family members, and pain medications and anti-scarring garments for patients upon their discharge from the Burn Center. Burn survivors are given free admission to the rodeo and recognized during each performance.
For more information about Rodeo Nights or the Burn Foundation, call 706-650-BURN (2876).
