Bulls, broncs and world champion riders will come to town in April as the Statesboro Kiwanis Club invites Hedrick Rodeo back for the third year in a row.
While owner Danny Hedrick doesn’t usually offer the same show twice in a row at the same location, he makes an exception this year because folks requested a return of Pork Chop the clown, known as “The Biggest Little Man in Rodeo.”
The 4-foot-tall comedian brought lots of laughs last year when the rodeo came to town. The year before, the first year Hedrick brought rodeo to Statesboro, Rusty McCrae wowed the crowd with his antics.
Having the same show two consecutive years “is not normally done,” Hedrick said Thursday as he visited Statesboro to prepare for the April 5 and 6 shows.
“We try to keep things different because we want to be so different (year to year) that people come to see what’s new,” he said.
While Pork Chop, who will be married a week before the Statesboro rodeo, plans to return, the rest of the rodeo show will be different from years past, Hedrick said.
The bulls and horses will be different, and the other performances, including trick riding, will be new.
Last year Hedrick’s son and daughter performed riding tricks, but this year his wife, Jessica Hedrick, will control three horses in an unusual Roman riding exhibition.
Tickets will be on sale son at Anderson’s General Store and via Etickets.com, said Statesboro Kiwanis Club member and rodeo chairman Don Poe.
Tickets will be $12 in advance and $15 at the gate, and 4,000 will be available.
The first year the club held the rodeo, both shows played to a sellout crowd. Vendors offer a variety of items and food concessions will be available.
The new Miss Rodeo USA will visit Statesboro a week before the rodeo and will be on hand during each night’s performance to meet and greet fans.
The rodeo is a Professional Rodeo Association event and draws world champions, Hedrick said. Each night will have 120 to 150 competitors, and events include bareback and saddle bronc riding, ladies’ barrel racing, tie-down calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping and bull riding.
The fun events will include a calf scramble where children chase a calf and try to remove a ribbon from its tail, as well as a steer dressing event where teams attempt to put clothing items on a hefty steer.
There will also be a bungee jump ride, pony rides for kids and a mechanical bull on hand for would-be riders to try their luck.
The night is “good family entertainment,” Hedrick said.
A parade before the rodeo each night will include local riders who wish to participate. Local riders will also compete along with veteran champions.
Gates open at 5 p.m., with the rodeo starting at 7:30 p.m. each day, Poe said.
Local riders interested in competing should contact Hedrick at (865) 556-9154. A call-in registration for the rodeo will take place April 1.
Holli Deal Bragg may be reached at (912) 489-9414.