By Mari Radtke
A joint effort by the Caledonia Ramblers and the G&W Feeders 4H groups gained support from the O’Brien County Fair Board to hold a rodeo at the arena on the fair grounds. The free event was a huge success!

Bull Riding 2

Barrell Racing 1

Barrell Racing 2c

Clowning Around C

Bull Riding 1

Buckin Bronc

Riders To The Rescue C

Watch Out C

Bull Riding 1

Barrell Racing 3c

Honey Creek Rodeo membership comes from all over Iowa and also enjoys members from Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Illinois.
The mission of Honey Creek Rodeo is to teach rodeo. They start with children. Their method is to match livestock size to the size and skill of the rider. Bucking bulls and ponies of miniature size are used for children. The animals used grow as the kids grow. This gives the kids the opportunity to learn tricks and secrets of rodeoing more slowly and with more safety. Matching size and skill creates a more controlled environment.
Avoiding scheduling conflicts with other programs can’t always be done,” Rose Genter, manager, said of their effort, but they do watch schools and other organized events.
More importantly than knowing rodeo, Honey Creek Rodeo works to teach youth personal growth. “We are here to try to teach. More importantly being good human beings. We teach taking care of the animals, each other, the grounds were we rodeo, the camaraderie,” said Rose. “There are more low points (in rodeo) than high points. There are more falls than covering a ride. We help with improvement and coping. How to grow up to be a productive, positive human,” she went on to explain.
Honey Creek Rodeo put on 2 shows at the O’Brien County Fair, which is standard. There was the early “slack” rodeo for non traditional entrants or events. Later a full rodeo with riders of all ages was held. Bucking broncos, roping and many other traditional rodeo events from competitors of all ages was held. 4H officials and board members estimated the crowd size to be comparable to a Figure 8 crowd, about 800 people. The arena was surrounded with packed bleachers and rows deep lawn chairs. The turnout expresses the community’s response to new ideas and events.
Congratulations to the 4H groups and the O’Brien County Fair Board for a job well done.