Dustin Dunn of DD Rodeo is a rodeo promoter in this area and has been around horses for a long time. He plans and promotes rodeos in Greenwood, Mena, Lavaca, even Oklahoma and wherever there is a fairground.
Dustin said he started about five years ago promoting rodeos as he enjoys them and seeing all of the smiles. He has the bucking horses and a friend has the bucking bulls.
The Greenwood Rodeo is June 28-29 at the fairgrounds and is partnered with the Greenwood Round-up Club ( CRRA, ARA, ACRA). There will be events starting at 6:30 each evening with live music and cash prizes for winners in each category, which will include kids.
According to Dustin, “I put on a rodeo almost every weekend somewhere between Arkansas and Oklahoma. The rodeos in Oklahoma have always been going, but Arkansas rodeos have not been as popular the last 30 or so years. I organize and promote 8-10 rodeos each year.”
Dustin and his team look for small towns that have a fairground, which make it an ideal location for a rodeo. Lavaca will be having a rodeo August 16-17 this year; they also had a rodeo in March and had over 30 bull riders, 20 bronc riders and more. In addition, the rodeo royalty sold over 5500 tickets, which brings in alot of revenue for small towns. Recently, there was also one in Waldron and Mena.
DD Rodeo is always looking for advertisers, promoters and sponsors to bring a family-fun rodeo to town.
For those performing in the rodeos, the rodeo “buckle” is a proud part of rodeo where they can proudly display on their belt. They must have a membership, obtain their own sponsors and participate in half of the rodeos to receive a buckle.
A lot of people who wouldn’t normally wouldn’t get out in the community will come to a rodeo. Dustin says, “If the sponsors are in the town where we’re having the rodeo, we will promote it so that the crowd will support those businesses. It’s a win-win.”
“We are like a big family, that’s what the rodeo used to be and we’re bringing it back. Everyone helps everyone, nobody is alone.”
It appears that goat tail undecorating is fun for the smaller kids. Now don’t go getting that visual because it’s not that! It is merely removing a ribbon previously placed on the tail.
Before a rodeo, there’s a lot of work involved in getting the animals ready. For the horses, not all will buck. Dustin says, “A horse is either born to buck or not. I’ve had horses that wouldn’t buck at all, it wasn’t in them. And, I’ve had others that will buck every time. For the bulls and calves, they love to buck, so it’s not a problem.”
With the ability to obtain a semi and cattle trailer, it is much easier to haul all of the animals and equipment needed to put on the rodeo.
Dustin and his team invite everyone to make plans to attend a rodeo in their area. “There’s no income for this, just pure enjoyment of seeing kids and adults get excited about these events, a return to simpler times. It’s a great place to bring the family and enjoy each other’s company. Contact me on my social media to sponsor a rodeo in your area or to participate.”
Get out and enjoy!
