Ocala Shrine Rodeo

This is the time of year members of the Ocala Shrine Club go into high gear putting final touches on the Ocala Shrine Rodeo, the club’s major charitable event of the year. The 26th annual event takes place this year on August 29, 30 and 31 with a special preview event on Thursday, August 28.

“This is a professional rodeo,” Public Relations Chairman Larry Koblentz said. “Rodeo cowboys get points toward national finals.”

The Ocala rodeo is a sanctioned Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) event. Events include bull riding, steer wrestling, bronco riding, team roping, barrel racing and tie down roping.

One of the high points of the Ocala Shrine Rodeo for members is the special rodeo for the nearly 200 physically challenged children who are sponsored by the Ocala club. These Marion County children are receiving or have received medical care at Shriners Tampa Orthopedic Hospital or the Shriners Burn Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

These children are invited to attend the rodeo, and about 30 are selected to participate in a series of rodeo events appropriate for their special needs. Kids are paired with a rodeo professional and guided through such events as goat riding, roping dummy steers, riding a hand-rocked bull or taking a real horseback ride.

“The kids all get a cowboy hat, bandanna, contestant number, lariat rope and T-shirt,” Koblentz said, adding that each also gets a trophy. “They’re all winners.”

In previous years, this special rodeo took place on Sundays before the regular performance, but members thought the heat would be less severe in late afternoon. This year the event is scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m. and is free. Each year, a Rodeo Princess and Rodeo Buckaroo are selected from the young patients and will be introduced at this Thursday event. Last year’s princess was Megan Simons, and the buckaroo was Joshua Logsdon.

Because the rodeo is completely produced by the club, it keeps members working throughout the year, Koblentz explained. From hiring specialty acts to selecting concessions to obtaining sponsors to selling tickets, the club members do it all. They also oversee at least 200 volunteers at each performance.

“When we finish this rodeo, we’re already working on the next one,” he said. “All proceeds from the rodeo go to the Shriners children’s hospitals.”

The club has raised $1.2 million from the rodeos over the years, Koblentz said. He calls the work provided by the 400-member club a “labor of love” because proceeds go to such a worthy cause.

“There is no charge for treatment at any Shriners hospital,” Koblentz said.

Shriners all across the country help support the hospital programs. The hospital budget in 2008 tops $275 million.

The first hospital was established in 1922 to treat young victims of polio. The network has grown to 22 hospitals in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and now specializes in orthopedic problems, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate care. The closest Shriners hospital is in Tampa.

Koblentz dubbed himself a “professional Shriner.” A retired Navy man, he has held various positions in the Ocala club since he arrived in 1985. He has been president, secretary and treasurer, and now serves as membership and public relations chairman. He is also an emeritus member of the Ocala Shrine Club’s motorcycle unit. The Ocala club operates under the auspices of the Morocco Shrine Center in Jacksonville, which oversees a large portion of Northern Florida. Koblentz also served on the Morocco board and is past potentate, which is the highest office a Shriner can hold within the region. The Morocco Temple is one of nine Temples in the state of Florida.

The 26th annual Ocala Shrine Rodeo takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 29-31, at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2220 NE Jacksonville Road, in Ocala. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m.; on Sunday at 2 p.m. Gates open two hours before each performance.

Tickets are $15 at the gate, $13 in advance.  Children five and under are admitted free.  On Sunday, children 6 to 11 are admitted for $1.

Box seats cost between $16 and $20. For advance box seats, call Pam Fried at 352-229-3115.
Among the outlets selling general admission tickets are Wishful Thinking in Ocala, Gainesville and Fruitland Park and all Seminole Feed Stores. For recorded rodeo information, call 352-402-8808.

Elizabeth Wilson is a freelance writer in Gainesville. She may be contacted through the editor: editor@towerpublications.com