Janene Scully / Times Staff Writer | Posted: Thursday, June 5, 2003 12:00 am
With recently hung banners and newly planted trees, the Santa Maria Elks/Unocal Event Center stands ready to see some action starting tonight.
The 60th Annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo kicks off four days of events with a first performance at 7 p.m.
With the start of the rodeo, the ticket outlet, which spent the past few weeks at Crossroads Shopping Center, has moved to the rodeo grounds, east of Highway 101 at the Santa Maria Way exit.
Depending on the performance day and seating location, ticket prices range from ,4 to ,25. Tickets remain for all performances, including the finals on Sunday.
Wednesday, workers were busy hanging banners advertising rodeo sponsors and welcoming fans. Another delivered a load of wood for barbecues. A truck sprayed water on nearby hillsides for dust control.
"We/re all very eager," said Corrie Aud/, Elks Rodeo secretary. "We/re all really working together to get everything situated and we/re anxious to get going."
Food and beverages are available for sale on the grounds.
Jackets, especially for evening performances tonight and Friday, are recommended.
"It/s going to be cool," said Aud/.
AccuWeather/s forecast calls for low clouds and then partial sun all four days with high temperatures ranging from 67 degrees today to 71 degrees Sunday, and lows in the mid-50s.
Friday evening/s performance includes the crowning of the 2003 Elks Rodeo queen from among eight candidates and sponsoring groups who have spent the past six weeks in a fund-raising campaign. Last year/s rodeo queen, Santa Ynez Valley/s Jennifer Domingos, will crown her replacement.
In the past 60 years, proceeds from this effort have raised approximately ,7.5 million for youth recreation.
Friday the rodeo dance will take place at 9 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 1309 N. Bradley Road.
Saturday/s and Sunday/s performances may require sunscreen to start off the day. Action those days begins at 2 p.m. All four days include usual rodeo events plus youth riding sheep in the usual mutton bustin/ event.
The parade hits Broadway at 9 a.m. Saturday, traveling south from Mill Street to Enos Drive. Several blocks of Broadway will shut down about 7:45 a.m.
The rodeo banquet will occur at 7 p.m. at the Elk/s Lodge. A few tickets remain.
In the days leading up to this weekend, volunteers have worked full days to ready the arena.
"There/s a lot of people that have put a lot of work in that," said Bob Lopez, an Elk of 11 years and volunteer worker.
Among the improvements is the addition of trees to Memorial Lane, which now boasts 42 liquidambar trees purchased in the memory of deceased Elks. The memorial lane sits near the veterans monument at one of the rodeo grounds entrances.
"It will keep on going throughout the rodeo grounds 77 we still have room for another 30 to 40 trees," said Lopez.
Trees remains available for ,100 apiece.
"It will give us more trees for the environment and make our grounds look a little more beautiful," added Lopez.
* Staff writer Janene Scully can be reached at 739-2214 or by e-mail at janscully@pulitzer.net.
June 5, 2003