40th Rodeo To Be Held This Week

Mike Wentworth, the 2023 International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA) top-performing clown will entertain the crowd at the 40th annual Shady Dale Rodeo this Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8, with the fun starting at 8 p.m. in Shady Dale.

It is with pride that the Shady Dale Rodeo welcomes Russie Skinner, a longtime resident of Shady Dale, to sing the national anthem. Mrs. Skinner is a pillar of her small town, said the rodeo press release.

She works countless hours on the Shady Dale Rodeo ticket line and as a volunteer for the annual FFA Tractor Pull. She is an accomplished singer who attends Providence Baptist Church regularly, blessing them with her incredible contralto voice. A mom, she and her husband, Christopher, have a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Jacob.

The Shady Dale rodeo grounds are located about eight miles north of Monticello off Hwy. 83.

The award winning Shady Dale Rodeo is produced by the Masonic Lodges of Jasper and Morgan counties. The rodeo will feature over 300 cowboys and cowgirls from far and near competing for $35,000 in prize money, matched against the toughest livestock from the Southern Rodeo Company.

Tickets can only be purchased at the gate. Children under five are admitted free; kids six to 12 are $10 and adult tickets are $25. Parking is free. A variety of concessions are available from award winning BBQ, hot dogs, hamburgers, boiled peanuts and the favorite, Farm Bureau ladies homemade cakes, pies, cookies and other sweets.

The proceeds from the rodeo are awarded to the Scottish Rite Care for the hearing impaired, the Shrine Burn Hospital, the York Rite Eye Foundation, the Masonic Children’s Home in Macon, Jasper County Mentor Program, Food Bank, ML&J fund and to provide college scholarships for the education of local youth.