WINNSBORO, La. – The sport of rodeo has a great history in this eastern Louisiana berg.
The tradition continues during the 57th annual Deep South PRCA Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Thursday, July 31-Saturday, Aug. 2, at Deep South Rodeo Arena in Winnsboro.
“It is a very established rodeo that’s been around a long time,” said Andy Stewart, the rodeo’s announcer from nearby Collinston, La. “We saw a lot of great cowboys from that area over the years that come to that rodeo.
“It’s very community oriented. It’s a grassroots, downhome-type rodeo that has a great history.”
That history is mixed with a top-notch production from the crew at Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo, the livestock contractor for the event. Together, it makes for a phenomenal experience for contestants and fans.
“Pete brings some really good stock to our rodeo, and that’s really good for us,” said Skipper Stinson, a key member of the committee that produces the annual rodeo. “That helps make our rodeo better. The better the cowboys and the better the stock, the better the rodeo is going to be.”
That’s something folks in Winnsboro have come to expect.
“We get a lot of the circuit cowboys to come, and we get a lot of the great guys from our area,” said Stewart, who has been nominated five times as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association announcer of the year. “The thing that Pete Carr and his crew provides at this rodeo is professionalism and production.
“This is a very small arena and a very small community, but we bring in a great production and great animals. It’s a great, professional show.”
It shows in the product. Last year, some of the top names in the game came away from Winnsboro with Louisiana cash. Texan Jake Brown scored 85 points to win bareback riding on Carr’s Ragin Angel, a horse that has bucked at the NFR each of the past two years. Heith DeMoss, a five-time NFR qualifier from Heflin, La., won the saddle bronc riding crown on Carr’s Miss Rodeo.
Those are just a few of the big names who make the Deep South Rodeo so strong.
“When the DeMoss boys come, it really boosted the whole crowd because they like to see our guys ride,” Stinson said. “They bring a lot of their friends to ride with them.”
That says a lot about the Winnsboro rodeo, the community and the great animal athletes that are part of the mix.
“This is just a great little rodeo,” Stewart said. “One thing that Winnsboro does is they have one of the largest kids rodeos in the South the weekend before the ProRodeo, and some of the kids get to ride during the actual rodeo. That’s pretty cool.”
It all adds up to a great show for rodeo fans.