The “Rope” Of Rope, Ride And Ribbit

Excitement is building in the Mother Lode for the upcoming Mother Lode Roundup and other large events this May.

Al O’Brien, Media PR Marketing Director for the Roundup, was Wednesday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”.

Rope, Ride & Ribbit is three events within a week. First, the Mother Lode Roundup Parade and Rodeo on the Mother’s Day weekend (May 12 & 13th), followed by the Amgen Race on Wednesday May 16 and concluding with the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping From Jubilee from Thursday May 17th – 20th.

This 2012 Mother’s Day weekend marks the 55th anniversary of the Mother Lode Round-up and the 65th anniversary of the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Posse, founded in 1948, who started presenting the Mother Lode Round-Up in 1958. This big rodeo and parade was established as a rewarding partnership between the Tuolumne County business community and the Posse and continues to be based on that partnership today.

Because of the generous support of the local business community, local government and law enforcement entities, and the hard work of the posse men and their families, and many, many volunteers, the Round-up continues to be one of the finest spring rodeos and celebrations in California.

Every year over 350 of pro rodeo’s finest cowboys and cowgirls are attracted to this rodeo which is now part of the PRCA Heartland Rodeo Series which celebrates small town rodeos throughout America. Saturday’s parade is recognized as one of the largest parades for entries in California. Thousands of visitors are drawn every year to the Round-up weekend.

The Mother Lode Round-Up is a traditional western family, and hometown reunion that celebrates and pays tribute to the regional agricultural heritage and the Possemen in our past that kept this special event alive. People from all over the region look forward to a fun, great time celebrated during the beautiful spring season in the Sierra Nevada foothills. This event is a celebration of memories of simpler way of life and rodeo as it used to be. 

Plenty of events will lead up to Roundup weekend: 

Monday April 30th

Local Event Sign-up at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds from 7am until all of the events are full. This includes calf scramble, kiddie rodeo, local team roping, stickhorse, boot race, etc.

Saturday May 5
Queen Horsemanship
10:00 AM
Mother Lode Fairgrounds
FREE ADMISSION

Sunday, May 6
Queen Pagent
5:00 PM
Elks Lodge
$10.00 at the door
Hors d’oeuvres & No Host Bar

Wednesday May 9
Band Review
6:00 PM
Sonora High School

Thursday, May 10
Calcutta
6:00 PM
Sheriff’s Posse Grounds
Rawhide, Road, Jamestown
Hors d’oeuvres and no host bar
FREE ADMISSION

Saturday, May 12
Parade
10:00 AM
Downtown Sonora

Rodeo
2:00 PM
Mother Lode Fairgrounds
$18:00 Regular Admission
$15.00 Presale
$7.00 Child (7-12)
Under 7 FREE

Dance
8:00 PM
Mother Lode Fairgrounds
$10.00 Regular Admission (Unused Adult Rodeo Tickets accepted)

Sunday May 13
Wrangler Family Day
All Day
Mother Lode Fairgrounds

Mothers Day Breakfast
8 AM – 12 noon
Mother Lode Fairgrounds
Admission $7.00 per person

Cowboy Church with Coy Huffman
10:00 AM
Grandstands
Mother Lode Fairgrounds

Rodeo
12:30 PM Kiddie Rodeo
2:00 PM Rodeo
Mother Lode Fairgrounds
$18.00 Regular Admission
$15.00 Presale
$7.00 Child (7-12)
Under 7 FREE

For more information, log onto http://www.motherloderoundup.com/

The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard each weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:47, 7:47 and 8:47am.