Organizers for this year’s intercollegiate rodeo at Southern Arkansas University’s Story Arena hope to establish a new tradition with each night of the rodeo hosting a different theme to incorporate participation with fans and students.
The SAU Rodeo begins at 7 p.m. nightly this Thursday through Saturday. Admission is $10 for adults (13 and older), $5 for youth (ages 6-12), $5 for SAU students (with ID), and free for ages 5 and under.
A “Meet the Team” opportunity will be each night from 6:15-6:45 p.m. for SAU Rodeo fans to get to know the team members, get autographs, and even get photos with these student athletes.
Thursday night’s theme is “Throwback Thursday,” and guests are encouraged to wear retro-cowboy attire. According to Megan McCurdy, Story Arena manager and past Mulerider mascot, retro-cowboy means bright colors, crazy prints, old-time western, “you name it!”
Friday night is “Pink Night.” Although October is over, McCurdy said they still want to encourage breast cancer awareness with the stands being full of fans dressed in pink.
The final night of the rodeo Saturday will be “Pride Night,” and spectators are invited to dress in support their favorite teams. Of course, this means SAU supporters should wear their favorite Mulerider outfits. In fact, SAU fans can stay cross the highway following the Mulerider Football game that kicks off at 2 p.m. in Wilkins Stadium to catch some SAU Rodeo action.
SAU’s men’s and women’s rodeo teams are nationally competitive, with SAU qualifiers annually to the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. Earlier this year, Mulerider Loni Pearce became the goat tying national champion with a great run in her fifth trip to the CNFR.
This is the third SAU Rodeo hosted in the $4.4 million Story Arena, located on the north side of SAU’s campus in Magnolia. It is an 80,000 square foot covered rodeo-style arena with a dirt floor and seating for approximately 1,100. The nearly 6,800 square-foot Farmers Bank Arena Reception Center features the ticket booth, concession stand, men’s and women’s restrooms, a grilling porch, a covered concourse and large plaza, covered walkways to the arena, an outdoor fireplace, an office area, a conference room and a tribute to Farmers Bank’s century of support for SAU. To find out more, visit https://web.saumag.edu/story-arena.
Thursday night, there will be a shuttle bus running from the Reynolds Center parking lot to Story Arena. The shuttle will run at 6:15, 6:30, 6:45, 7:00, 7:15 and will be bringing students back at 9:00 and 9:15.
