sheriffs rodeo

It’ll be a different hoedown this year than the ones locals have come to expect over the past two decades. But there’s a silver lining, perhaps, in getting to watch the 22nd annual Jimmy Arrington Memorial Rodeo from the comfort of home.

For the first time ever, the annual event — sponsored by the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office — will be an all-online affair this year, with guests swapping their typical on-site turnout at the two-day competition for a cost-free public webcast. The program is being produced by Tennessee-based 46 Entertainment, and will feature multiple cameras covering the dust-kickin’ action from a variety of angles.

In other words, viewers at home will get the full look and feel of a high-quality production of a live sporting event, rather than some watered-down static footage like the kind taken by a smartphone camera. The feed will be hosted on the official Facebook page of the sheriff’s office, as well as embedded online at cullmantimes.com.

Keeping with tradition, this year’s rodeo will still take place over two days, beginning on Friday, Dec. 11 and continuing on Saturday, Dec. 12. The annual special-needs rodeo, a program of fun activities aimed at the area’s special-needs children at local schools, will still take place today, though it will also be streamed remotely for kids to view from home.

Sheriff Matt Gentry said at a November press conference that he made the decision to take the rodeo online after consulting with local school officials and other leaders about the public health concerns that still linger over exposing large groups to public contact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gentry added that all special needs students will still receive their customary free t-shirts, bandanas, and Chick-fil-A gift cards — items they’d have received if they’d been able to attend the event this year in person.

There’s no charge to view the rodeo action on Friday and Saturday, and the feed is set to go live on both evenings sometime between the virtual “gate-opening” at 7 p.m. and the kickoff of the main event at 7:30 p.m.