Attendance was up at the 80th Santa Maria Elks Rodeo this year.
The grandstands were full for all four days of the rodeo and Midway tickets were up as well, according to an Elks representative. This was the first time in the rodeo's history that the stands were full on Thursday night.
In addition, the six Elks Rodeo Queen candidates raised a total of $892,648 for community youth programs. Seventeen-year-old Michael Jamison, who represented VTC Enterprises, was crowned the 2023 Queen.
More than $160,000 was also raised for the Golden Circle of Champions, which helps raise awareness and funds to fight pediatric cancer.
Watch the 2023 Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Parade:
