Hoppel's Arena in Beaver Creek will be the site of a Fourth of July weekend rodeo that will honor all veterans and promote Wrangler's Tough Enough To Wear Pink breast cancer awareness campaign.
The event is being organized by arena owners Carl and Patty Hoppel of 40891 state Route 518, Lisbon (West Point), with the arena located on the scenic Beaver Creek. Local members of the rodeo committee are Chuck and Deanne Bell of Richmond and Ed and Cathy Woods of Bloomingdale.
The rodeo will be held Friday and Saturday, beginning both days at 7 p.m. All veterans will be honored with free admission to the annual rodeo on Friday with proper veteran ID required for admittance.
Article Photos
Rodeo committee members Ed and Cathy Woods of Bloomingdale show off a barn quilt made by sisters Dr. Polly Modransky and Rebecca Corso. Tickets are on sale for the drawing which will be conducted Friday at Hoppel’s Arena in Lisbon, the site of a two-day Fourth of July weekend rodeo honoring all veterans and promoting Wrangler’s Tough Enough To Wear Pink breast cancer awareness campaign.
"On this Independance Day weekend, we want to thank our servicemen and women who fought for liberty and those who paid with their lives. We know they will protect and defend us and will always stand proud and free. They believe in the virtues of America -- respect for humanity," Cathy Woods said.
"Our service men and women face without fear those who threaten our country and freedom. Because of them we are truly grateful for their unselfish commitment. The rodeo committee and the community appreciate their dedication and loyalty to our county and would like to honor them before the rodeo with a special presentation. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to them and their families," Woods said.
At Saturday's rodeo, the committee is asking those in attendance to wear pink for breast cancer awareness.
Advanced tickets are $8 each. Gate prices are $8 for children ages 3-10 and $12 for adults. Children under 3 are admitted free.
Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chair or blankets for on-lawn seating that overlooks the setting and arena.
The contestants compete in such events as calf roping, barrel racing, bronc riding and bull riding. Local and regional cowboy and cowgirls compete for points to qualify for the top spots in year-end finals. More than 150 contestants will be entered in the two performances this weekend.
For information phone (740) 944-1910, (740) 765-5455 or (330) 424-2051 or visit the website www.hoppelsarena.com
Saturday's events will include a drawing for a 4-foot-by-4-foot barn quilt painted and donated by area residents Dr. Polly Modransky and her sister Rebecca Corso. The square, entitled "Cactus Star," is the 156th barn quilt they have made.
Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. They can be purchased in advance by calling (740)765-5455, (740) 944-1910 or (330) 424-2051.
The winner need not be present but the barn quit creators request they receive a photo of the quilt once it is hung by the recipient so they can add it to a keepsake book.
The drawing for the barn quilt is part of Wrangler's "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" Breast Cancer awareness campaign. This year all proceeds of the campaign benefit the Columbiana County Health Department's mammogram division, according to Cathy Woods who said Bonnie Hoppel was instrumental in recent years in writing a grant for the benefit of those in need of this screening.
"If the spectators wear pink along with the contestants, it should be very colorful," Cathy Woods said. "We have pink and white barrels for the girl's barrel racing, pink lighting in the announcer stand, luminaries and other pink decorations and promotions, including the barn quilt. The barn quilt will look great on a garage, barn, storage building or wood fence. Just use your imagination," she said.
Tough Enough To Wear Pink, the grassroots cowboy campaign fighting breast cancer since 2004, celebrated its seventh anniversary this year by surpassing the $12 million dollar mark in funds raised since its inception. Hundreds of volunteers and regional rodeos across the U.S. and Canada made this achievement possible, according to its website.
For information about the campaign, visit the website at www.toughenoughtowearpink.com.
