Those who live in the Hand Hills area and have been involved in rodeo know the name Fred Ewing. Fred was involved in the Hand Hills Rodeo, many other rodeo and chuckwagon events throughout the province.
To honour Fred, this year’s championship belt buckle for the Hand Hills Little Britches Rodeo is presented in his honour. Jenny Finnimore, one of the organizers of the Little Britches Rodeo shares how the honour came about. “Fred’s three daughters, Pam, Angie, and Roberta, reached out to us last year. Fred passed away just a couple of months before our rodeo last year. They asked if they would be able to give a donation of the buckle, so that we could give it away in Fred’s honour. It went over really, really well last year and when we reached out to the family, they were on board to do it again.”
The Hand Hills Little Britches Rodeo gives kids of all ages the chance to compete according to Finnimore. “The whole motto for our ‘Little Britches’ is it is 100 percent for the kids. If is for kids if they can pretty much walk or ride a horse to 18 years old, the can enter. We have quite a few different events and prizes every day. We make sure that the winners get paid out in cash but every kid that enters our rodeo gets a welcome prize. There are few different events that have extra prizes, as well. No kid goes home empty handed. The point of it all is to make sure the love of rodeo starts young and continues as they get older.”
The events at the Hand Hills, like the rodeo and the dances, is all about the community. “I love the fact that when you talk to somebody and they ask what the Hand Hills is, it is about the family. There is not a dance you go to that says kids are not welcome. Everything involves the whole family and because of that we get a really great following in our community.”
The Little Britches Rodeo starts on Saturday, September 6th at 10 AM. They have numerous vendors and a full concession with proceeds to help both DARTS in Drumheller and the Hanna Museum. They have a pancake breakfast prior to the event, starting at 8. To come and watch, there is no cost to spectators. For all the information, visit the Hand Hills Little Britches Rodeo Facebook page.
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