Cowtown Rodeo SOUTH JERSEY’S HIDDEN GEM
When my kids were little back in the early 2000s, I was looking for interesting places to take my family, as we had already been to all of the local zoos and parks in the area. I picked up a Family Fun Guide at the local supermarket and saw a listing for a rodeo in southern New Jersey. I had never been to a rodeo before and thought it sounded fun but was apprehensive, since this was New Jersey, how good could this rodeo really be? That summer my family and I drove two hours on a Saturday night to attend our very first rodeo. Once we exited the highway, I started to understand why New Jersey is called the Garden State as sod farms and ranches were more common than strip malls and highways. We pulled into the parking lot and were surprised at the size of the event complex. In addition to the rodeo arena, there was also a flea market and a farmers market, which is open a few times a week. Parking is free and tailgating is encouraged! We bought our tickets and joined the crowd. At 7:30 after the grand entry, prayer, and Star Spangled Banner we watched bareback riding saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling (my favorite event), tie-down roping, team roping, barrel racing, and bull riding. It was amazing! The experience was complete with a wise-cracking clown, a professional announcer, and a trick roper who performed at halftime. People of all ages were in attendance from families with young children to senior citizens who were out for the evening. It seems this may have been a weekly ritual for some of the local families. After the Mutton Busting, the rodeo wrapped up by 10 pm, even though it seemed as if we just got started. That was the beginning of a summer tradition for our family and we attended as many times as we could each year after this.
BY ROBERT LANG
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