Get Your Cowboy On

   2015 marks the 66th year of the annual Homestead Championship Rodeo, a tradition that grew out of a group of seventeen founding members who wanted to showcase this unique western sporting event.

  It is one of the oldest annual professional sporting events in South Florida and the only PRCA Rodeo in Miami-DadeCounty.

  Homestead’s rodeo is one of nearly 600 sanctioned annually by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).

  The PRCA is the largest and oldest rodeo-sanctioning body in the world, ensuring that every event is managed with fairness and competence and that the livestock used is healthy and cared for to the highest standards.

  The PRCA has 4.7 million loyal attendees across the USA, including the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, December 4th through 13th that is aired nightly live from 10 pm to 1 am EST on CBS Sports Network channel.

  Organizers are expecting some of the PRCA’s brightest stars from the WNFR to also be contestants at this year’s Rodeo.

  The Rodeo week kicks off on Wednesday January 21 with the Mechanical Bull “Buck Off” Competition and Rodeo Bingo at Harris Field’s Doc DeMilly Rodeo Arena. The event runs from 5pm to 10pm. Teams and solo riders will compete for the title & trophy. Rodeo Bingo benefits three local charities, This is the Dog, Patches & This Is For the Kids, Inc.

  Four-time PRCA Rodeo announcer of the year Wayne Brooks is scheduled to be a part of the festivities. Spectator admission is free. This event is your last chance to purchase advance discount Rodeo tickets.

  On Thursday, January 22, 2015, the festivities continue with Family Night and the Little Miss & Mister Homestead Rodeo 2015 Contest at the Sally Woods Harris Field Pavilion from 6pm until 9:30pm.

  Family fun, kid’s dance performances & Country D.J. line dancing, and a charity raffle highlight the events for the evening. Food and snacks will be available.

  The evening culminates in the 2015 Miss Rodeo Homestead Queen Coronation. Admission is free.

  Friday, January 23 is “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” Night at Harris Field’s Doc DeMilly Rodeo Arena. The Rodeo performance begins at 8pm. The Homestead Rodeo will be raising breast cancer awareness and funds benefiting the local Susan G. Komen Foundation chapter.

  Everyone is encouraged to wear Pink to show their support. For more information, you can visit www.toughenoughtowearpink.com.

  The Homestead Rodeo will have the 2005, 2010, 2013, and current 2014 PRCA Announcer of the Year Wayne Brooks as the rodeo announcer again this year.

  Brooks is widely regarded as one of the best in the business. The PRCA specialty act for all three rodeo performances will be Rodeo Clown/Barrel man Mark Swingler. Well respected in the rodeo industry, Swingler has been entertaining PRCA rodeo fans for over 22 years. His acclaimed specialty acts & brand of slapstick comedy will have the crowd cheering for years.

  The Homestead Championship Rodeo will continue the WPRA Junior Division barrel racing as part of their three performances. Added to the rodeo in 2013, this event has become a crowd favorite.

  For the 2015 Rodeo, the U.S. Marine Corp. Mounted Color Guard will perform at all three rode performances as well as in the Parade. They are the last remaining Mounted Color Guard in the Marine Corps today.

  Saturday, January 24 is the annual free Rodeo Parade through Historic Downtown Homestead, starting at 11am. This year’s parade theme is “Horseshoes, Barrels and Bulls”.

  The parade has been a local fixture for over twenty years and is a tradition anticipated by the City of Homestead and South Dade residents every year. The parade is free to all and entrants are encouraged to have fun representing their organizations, clubs or bands.

  There will also be an award for the first place Battle of The Bands winner, the first and second place Non-Profit Float winners, and the first place For-Profit Float winner. The parade is a show of horses, air-boats, motorcycles, trucks and a creative community.

  A float is judged on the creativity of the float’s decor, how well the float represents the theme of the parade, and the overall appearance. The Battle of The Bands participants are expected to have 20 members or more, must be in uniform, and they must stop in front of the judge’s stand and give a one minute performance.

  The parade line up will begin at 10am on Flagler Ave in Homestead with the parade set to start at 11am. The parade will follow the traditional route that starts at Krome Ave. and Flagler Ave., head north on Krome Ave, then east on Campbell Dr. and back south onto Flagler.

  When the parade is over, head over to the Rodeo Grounds at Harris Field for the Saturday Rodeo which will run from 2pm until 4pm.

  Fans are encouraged to arrive on time to watch the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team perform precision jumps into the arena for the Saturday & Sunday performances.

  Sunday, January 25 is the final day of the 2015 Rodeo performance at Harris Field Doc DeMilly Rodeo Arena begins at 2pm.

  This performance is scheduled to salute the Men and Women of our Armed Forces. The goal is to help raise funds and awareness for a local military related charity. Rodeo fans are encouraged to wear red, white and blue & make a small donation to show their support.

  For more information about the PRCA and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, visit their website at www.prorodeo.com and download their mobile app. 

  All events are subject to change. The running order of the actual daily PRCA rodeo event performances is determined by the stock contractor and is not published in advance.