Rodeo attendees say the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo has a special quality — born out of the sense of community it fosters.
The event is fun for all ages — and it also serves as a fundraiser for kids battling cancer.
“As you can see this is the jersey I will wear. This jersey is actually special I wear it tonight only. It’s the Golden Circle of Champions themed jersey for these kids that are fighting pediatric cancer which we’re here to fight,” said rodeo clown, Matt Merritt.
Rodeo clown Matt Merritt, attends rodeos across the country and says this one is a standout.
“…and right now we have a very special dinner for our Golden Circle of Champions, our families battling pediatric cancer, that are local families that we honor and that we give back all weekend long," said rodeo media coordinator, Johnna Clark.
With the rodeo celebrating its 80th year organizer, Johnna Clark, says there are all kinds of surprises in store for guests.
“Well you might have to come and see but those specialty acts are going to be really kind of next level and off the chart and there will be just a lot of surprises and it’s just always a lot of fun we have diamond giveaways every night there’s just always something,” said Clark.
Including many exciting bull and horse riding events.
“We had a bull out here at Santa Maria Elks Rodeo, It was pretty nasty. He threw me up maybe 8 or 9 feet in the air and came crashing back down and got up and they took him out of the arena. It was pretty wild. There’s no telling was you might see out here at the Elks Rodeo," said bull fighter, Cole Oder.
If you’re hoping to visit the rodeo this weekend pre-sale tickets for the grand stand are sold out, however they do have a few tickets available for walkups at the box office two hours before the show each night. There is also entertainment on the midway so even if you can’t get a ticket you can still join in the excitement at the rodeo this week.
