The rodeo is partnered with Hillsdale 250. Courtesy | Carie Proctor
The Great American Rodeo is coming to the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds April 24 at 7:30 p.m.
The event will be hosted by ProEdge Arena in partnership with groups hosting Freedom 250 activities happening in Hillsdale April 23-26. The event will feature bull riding, barrel racing and wild horse races.
“We are excited to bring the community the Great American Rodeo — it will definitely look like the old Wild West type of show,” said Carie Proctor, owner and operator of ProEdge Arena. “The wild horse race is something that fans love to watch, because it kind of takes them back to the roots of what rodeo is all about.”
Proctor also said there will be food vendors, a performance by Christian music artist Dylan James, and the appearance of 17-time rodeo entertainer of the year Craig Miller. An autograph session with riders and performers is also planned.
Alongside the rodeo, the organizers emphasize a Christian focus.
“Any opportunity that we have when we are in front of a crowd, we want to talk about Jesus,” Proctor said. “We are going to make sure we bring in the gospel in any way we can .”
That emphasis is shared by Western Days Ministries, which will host a free “Round ’Em Up Cowboy Bible Camp” from 5-7 p.m. before the start of the rodeo. The ministry focuses on gospel outreach within rural communities through rodeo events.
“Our hearts are for the rural and agricultural community,” said Sue Sowle, founder and board member of Western Days Ministries. “We put on bull ridings and barrel races and present the good news of Jesus at those.”
The Bible camp is designed as an interactive experience that connects rodeo activities to biblical themes.
“We design our camps as a walk-through experience, so we will set up five or so stations for people to walk through,” Sowle said. “We give them a cowboy story; this one will be about branding, where we will teach them how to brand and then talk about how that relates to Jesus.”
Sowle noted the camp is open to anyone.
“The Bible camp really isn’t just for kids,” Sowle said. “Our intention is to leave the whole community better after we’ve been there than when we got there. We just want to sow hope in people.”
The rodeo is sponsored by Hillsdale Renaissance, County National Bank, and Hillsdale Hospital and is free to attend.
“This is normally an event that you would pay $20 to $30 per person to get into,” Proctor said. “The adrenaline, the fun, and the message is all free this time.”
