sheriffs rodeo

The dirt will be flying for the 20th straight year this weekend when the Jimmy Arrington Memorial Rodeo returns to the Cullman County Agricultural Center Friday and Saturday night.

The rodeo, which features competitive riding and roping in a variety of categories, will kick off at 7:30. on both nights, with the doors to the Agricultural Center opening at 5:30.

Tickets for this year’s rodeo are $10 for adults, and $8 for students ages 6-18, and will be available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis on both nights.

The rodeo’s free Special Needs expo will also be held Thursday morning at the Ag Center, and will see more than 1,000 children in attendance for a day of rodeo exhibitions, cowboy games, and other activities that bring kids up close with animals and professional riders.

As the signature fundraising event for the sheriff’s office each year, the rodeo raises money not only for gear and equipment for deputies, but also for area schools. Previous rodeos have netted more than $15,000 at a time, which the sheriff’s office later distributes to local schools to advance special needs and other projects.