Spirit of Casey Tibbs Alive as Ramona Rodeo Saddles Up for 2007
By E.A. Barrera

The fun is soon to begin, as the Ramona Rodeo kicks its heels up May 17-20.

This will mark the 27th year the rodeo has been staged inside the Fred Grand Arena of the Ramona Outdoor Community Center. Festivities begin with a Rodeo Kickoff Party at

6 p.m. on May 17. Tickets will be $5 at the gate.

On Friday, May 18, the rodeo's opening competition begins at 7:30 p.m., with the gates opening at

5 p.m. In addition to the rodeo itself, there will be a free "Family Dance" following the rodeo, plus lots of other events, including the first "Lawn Mower Race."

On Saturday, May 19, the rodeo events will begin at 7:30 p.m. with all gates opening at 5 p.m. Later that night will be the main big dance with live music.

On Sunday, May 20 the rodeo will feature "Kids Day," starting at noon with the gates opening at 11:30 a.m. With each paid adult admission, one child will get in free. There will be free cowboy hats for the first 100 kids through the gate and free lasso ropes for the first 100 kids in the arena.

The final rodeo competition will start at 2:30 p.m.

Rodeo is one of America's oldest and best-loved sports. The sheer danger of a man pitted against a bull - a rider pushing himself and his horse to the extreme limits of endurance - creates an energy and excitement that is hard to match.

"It's a sport that's a gamble every minute. Sometimes the excitement gets so big a man's likely to forget about the danger," wrote world-famous cowboy and Ramona legend Casey Tibbs.

Tibbs, who passed away in 1990 at the age of 60 from cancer, was a well-known, nine-time, world champion rodeo cowboy. He traveled the rodeo circuit and delighted fans as a champion bronco rider.

It was Tibbs' fame as a rodeo rider that helped provide the impetus to the Ramona Rodeo in the early years. Tibbs came to Ramona in the 1970s, leasing 30,000 acres to raise cattle and horses. A native of South Dakota, the cowboy star rose to fame in the 1950s.

In 1955, Tibbs set the world record for 42,065 points earned, and in addition to becoming a nine-time World Champion, also earned six World Saddle Bronco Championship awards.

Tibbs even made the cover of Life Magazine in 1951 - his lean frame setting the standard for what a rodeo cowboy should look like.

He became a Hollywood stunt coordinator, as well as a writer and director. He produced a documentary film about rodeo called "Born to Buck" and would eventually earn more than $100,000 a year during the 1950s - but at the cost of 46 broken bones during his career.

Ramona's rodeo started out modestly in 1981 with only 150 contestants. Many of the spectators had to bring their own chairs to watch the competition. Tibbs had already lived in Ramona for several years and wasn't involved in the rodeo in those early days. But he was a frequent face around town and once he allowed his name and reputation to be attached to the event, he helped propel the rodeo into the success that it has become today.

It took six years for the rodeo to become a financially successful event. Organizers took the steps necessary to get the rodeo sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The PRCA's sanctioning meant an overall improvement in the quality of the show, with better livestock and top contestants.

In 1987, organizers named the event "The Ramona Rodeo/Casey Tibbs Roundup" and instituted the parade. The rodeo was moved from the July 4 weekend to May, which is the beginning of the rodeo season.

In a May 2005 feature on Tibbs for the Ramona Journal, writer Shirley Wells summed up the sentiment toward Tibbs.

It was 1989 and Tibbs was in his last days of life, suffering from terminal cancer.

"Casey waved goodbye from the arena to the crowd still lingering at the end of that year's rodeo. It was his last performance," wrote Wells. "From the time Casey left his home-site he achieved above and beyond his aspiration of becoming a rodeo star. Through his talents and goodwill he touched the lives of all ages - a hero of American legends who loved Ramona. And Ramona loved him."