cullmantoday
2016 CULLMAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S SPECIAL NEEDS RODEO
The Cullman County Sheriff's Office kicked off their 2016 Jimmy Arrington Rodeo experience on Thursday morning with over 1,000 special needs children from across Cullman County in attendance.
Special needs students from County, City, private and church schools plus representatives from Cullman Child Development Center and clients from the Margaret Jean Jones Center arrived around 9 am at the Cullman County Agricultural Trade Center. Approximately, 400 teachers and volunteers along with 40 deputies and command staff were also on scene.
The students were entertained non-stop by Dusty the rodeo clown and Woody from 'A Toy Story'. The children got the opportunity to participate in traditional competitive rodeo events such as barrel racing, bronco riding, calf roping, steer wrestling and team roping.
The children also got to interact with real-life cowboys/cowgirls and other rodeo stars such as 2016 Rodeo Queen, Mary Ashley Rohrscheib. After being the Queen of last year's rodeo, Rohrscheib has amassed a huge following of starry-eyed fans and autograph seeking devotees among the special needs students.
For many, the highlight of the special needs rodeo was the hay rides conducted inside the arena. Those rides were originally planned for outdoors. However, due to frigid temperatures ushered in by a Thursday cold front, the hay ride action was forced indoors.
Sheriff's deputies and other staff members assisted students who required guidance entering and exiting the hay trailers and the red dirt arena floor.
Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry was often the central figure in many aspects of the event:
"Our special needs portion of the Rodeo is the heart of the Jimmy Arrington Rodeo. With over one thousand children and at least 400 or so volunteers and teachers, the event has come off almost exactly as planned. When you see a few deputies with tears in their eyes, you know everyone is emotionally touched in a very positive way. This Rodeo is often the highlight of many of these kid's year. Lots of these kids would never experience a rodeo if the Sheriff's Office did not fully support of it. Seeing the joy, wonder, and excitement in these special needs kids faces is huge."
Proceeds from the rodeo go toward local city and county Cullman schools with special needs students. Last year’s rodeo, netted $500 each to 31 Cullman area schools. That is, $15,500 total, and established a $5,000 scholarship to pay for one year at Wallace State Community College for two students studying criminal justice."
Proceeds also fund events like the Sheriff’s Citizens Academy, firearms training classes and purchasing tablet computers for all 11 school resource officers.
The sheriff’s rodeo began in 1998 under the direction of former Cullman County Sheriff Tyler Roden. The late Jimmy Arrington was a sheriff’s investigator with 27-year invested in the department. Arrington was seminal in starting and then directing the rodeo. Arrington died in 2006 from leukemia, the Sheriff’s Office named this rodeo in honor his memory.
cullmantoday.com/2016/12/10/2016-cullman-county-sheriffs-...
2016 CULLMAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S SPECIAL NEEDS RODEO
The Cullman County Sheriff's Office kicked off their 2016 Jimmy Arrington Rodeo experience on Thursday morning with over 1,000 special needs children from across Cullman County in attendance.
Special needs students from County, City, private and church schools plus representatives from Cullman Child Development Center and clients from the Margaret Jean Jones Center arrived around 9 am at the Cullman County Agricultural Trade Center. Approximately, 400 teachers and volunteers along with 40 deputies and command staff were also on scene.
The students were entertained non-stop by Dusty the rodeo clown and Woody from 'A Toy Story'. The children got the opportunity to participate in traditional competitive rodeo events such as barrel racing, bronco riding, calf roping, steer wrestling and team roping.
The children also got to interact with real-life cowboys/cowgirls and other rodeo stars such as 2016 Rodeo Queen, Mary Ashley Rohrscheib. After being the Queen of last year's rodeo, Rohrscheib has amassed a huge following of starry-eyed fans and autograph seeking devotees among the special needs students.
For many, the highlight of the special needs rodeo was the hay rides conducted inside the arena. Those rides were originally planned for outdoors. However, due to frigid temperatures ushered in by a Thursday cold front, the hay ride action was forced indoors.
Sheriff's deputies and other staff members assisted students who required guidance entering and exiting the hay trailers and the red dirt arena floor.
Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry was often the central figure in many aspects of the event:
"Our special needs portion of the Rodeo is the heart of the Jimmy Arrington Rodeo. With over one thousand children and at least 400 or so volunteers and teachers, the event has come off almost exactly as planned. When you see a few deputies with tears in their eyes, you know everyone is emotionally touched in a very positive way. This Rodeo is often the highlight of many of these kid's year. Lots of these kids would never experience a rodeo if the Sheriff's Office did not fully support of it. Seeing the joy, wonder, and excitement in these special needs kids faces is huge."
Proceeds from the rodeo go toward local city and county Cullman schools with special needs students. Last year’s rodeo, netted $500 each to 31 Cullman area schools. That is, $15,500 total, and established a $5,000 scholarship to pay for one year at Wallace State Community College for two students studying criminal justice."
Proceeds also fund events like the Sheriff’s Citizens Academy, firearms training classes and purchasing tablet computers for all 11 school resource officers.
The sheriff’s rodeo began in 1998 under the direction of former Cullman County Sheriff Tyler Roden. The late Jimmy Arrington was a sheriff’s investigator with 27-year invested in the department. Arrington was seminal in starting and then directing the rodeo. Arrington died in 2006 from leukemia, the Sheriff’s Office named this rodeo in honor his memory.
cullmantoday.com/2016/12/10/2016-cullman-county-sheriffs-...