
DATE: Friday, September 12, 1997            TAG: 9709110233

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 04   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DOUG BEIZER, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   99 lines

TWO RODEOS GALLOP INTO TOWN THIS FALL AT PRINCESS ANNE PARK

Cowboy hats, chaps and bandannas will be in ample supply this fall at Princess Anne Park when two rodeos perform there during two weekends.

The first, the Tidewater Western Riders World Championship Rodeo, begins today and continues through Sunday. Then the Bill Pickett Invitational Black Rodeo returns Oct. 3 to 5.

Both rodeos will feature sanctioned events like calf roping, bull riding and cowgirl barrel racing. They will also offer other family-oriented entertainment like clowns and trick riding.

The World Championship Rodeo has been visiting Princess Anne Park since 1988 according to Donna Snow, president of the Tidewater Western Riders.

``It's called a world championship rodeo because we have contestants who compete from all over the United States,'' she said. That means contestants can earn points at the rodeo to be eligible for the International Profession Rodeo Association finals in Oklahoma City in January. Cowboys earn a point for every dollar won.

Each performance will include the seven sanctioned rodeo events, which are: saddle bronc, bareback bronc, calf roping, steer wrestling, cowgirl barrel racing, team roping and bull riding.

Snow said she hopes the rodeo attracts about 18,000 people over the weekend. The Sunday afternoon performance will be a children's day with special events such as pony rides, clowns and a puppet show. Performances are aimed at families and will be alcohol free.

Each performance will include a Calf Scramble, where 100 children between 6 and 12 will try to rope one of five calves and lead it to the center of the ring. The entry fee is $2 and the winner receives a ribbon and a western belt buckle. ``The calves usually end up winning,'' Snow said with a chuckle.

Besides its annual rodeo, the Tidewater Western Riders club holds clinics and small shows throughout the year. About 75 people are members of the club. But according to Snow, the World Championship Rodeo is the group's biggest event.

``What we really love about this rodeo is that we're really giving to the children,'' she said. ``We're putting this rodeo on for the Children's Hospital and we're hoping to give up to $30,000. The most we've given out of our rodeo one year was $15,000.''

The Bill Pickett Invitational Black Rodeo held a successful event last year at Princess Anne Park and this year's should be even bigger, according Freddi Moody, president of the African American Cultural Council which is presenting the rodeo.

It's the kick-off event for the council's '97 Festival of Pride, which also includes the Youth Gospelfest on Oct. 11 and a blues and jazz concert on Oct. 12. Both music events - which are free - are from noon to 7 p.m. on the 24th Street stage at the Oceanfront.

And like the other planned events, the rodeo is designed to raise cultural awareness. Also, said Moody, it pays homage to often-ignored black cowboys. The rodeo is named after one of those cowboys, Bill Pickett, an old west black cowboy who is credited with inventing some of the cow-roping techniques seen in modern rodeos. Many of those techniques will be used by competitors as they participate in the event, which includes standard riding and roping competitions and entertainment such as a family of trick riders.

Moody said students from all over the area have been invited to the event's Student Day Oct. 3. About 1,500 students attended last year and she expects that number to rise this year. She said education is the main priority of the Cultural Council.

``Our role is to put on historical and cultural events for the community, we're not a human rights organization or a civil rights organization, we're historical,'' Moody explained.

She said one of the things her group is trying to do is establish a black museum in the area. Coinciding with that theme, she hopes the rodeo will more clearly explain a small part of American history. ``We found a lot of children, and adults, were not aware that there were black cowboys,'' she said. ``They were not aware of the significant roles that blacks played in the old west.

An exhibit with photos and historical facts on blacks in the old west will accompany the rodeo.

Most importantly, Moody hopes the rodeo helps break down color lines like it did last year.

``The kids were so excited last year, it didn't make a difference what color they were,'' she said, ``they all were just totally excited.'' The Bill Pickett Invitational Black Rodeo is Oct. 3, 4 and 5. The Oct. 3 show begins at 10:30 a.m. and is reserved for students and senior citizens. Tickets are $5. The Oct. 4 and 5 shows begin at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12.50 at the gate. Tickets for 12 and under are $7. Call 460-3093. MEMO: The World Championship Rodeo is today through Sunday with events

starting at 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. The gates

open two hours earlier. Tickets for adults are $10 in advance and $12 at

the gate. Tickets for 12 and under are $5 in advance and $6 at the gate.

Call 721-7786. ILLUSTRATION: File photo by STEVE EARLEY

A bull-rider comes out of the gate during a practice session before

the start of the Bill Pickett Invitational Black Rodeo at Princess

Anne Park.

File photo

Christian Snow performed at the 1996 Tidewater Western Riders World

Championship Rodeo. The rodeo, which opens today and continues

through Sunday at Princess Anne Park, is expected to attract about

18,000 people over the weekend.