Phillips Rodeo celebrates 43 years
Community, Featured, Featured Stories, Lifestyle, Sports June 19, 2022
Family fun, sweet tea are the hallmarks of Phillips Rodeo in its 43rd year
Phillips Rodeo returns to Gordon County for its 43rd year. Gates open at 6 on June 24 and 25 with action starting at 8.
As Garth Brookes sang, it’s the boots and mud, dust and blood. It’s the white in the knuckles and the gold in the buckle.
It’s the rodeo and it will bring more than eight seconds of fun at Phillips Arena in Resaca on June 24 and 25.
Phillips Rodeo tips its hat to Gene Autry and Roy Rogers
“It’s one of the first rodeos in Georgia,” said Bridgett Phillips, daughter-in-law to Larry Phillips, who first brought the rodeo to Northwest Georgia.
“He wanted to bring that atmosphere to Northwest Georgia,” she said. “No one in his family ever rodeoed.”
She added that Larry Phillips grew up watching Gene Autry and Roy Rogers and he wanted to preserve that area of entertainment.
Cowboys rode out the pandemic at small town rodeos
She said because many Georgia rodeos closed or took time off from the circuit,
Phillips Rodeo is part of the PCA tour and features eight rodeo events: bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, barrel racing, breakaway roping, steer wrestling, team roping, and calf roping.
she was certain that Phillips Rodeo is the oldest in the state. Even COVID didn’t stop the cowboys and cowgirls from coming to Phillips’ Arena.
“We had record attendance during COVID,” said Phillips. “The small town rodeos kept going, while the big ones cancelled. We brought in new fans.”
Phillips rodeo marks 41 years in Bartow County
They also hosts the Bartow County Rodeo, an event that surprised her with the growth.
“If you don’t get there early, it’s standing room only,” she said of the event, which is celebrating it’s 41st year on July 8-9.
Bridgett, an Oklahomoa native, and her husband of almost 30 years, Danny, met on the rodeo circuit in Peotone, Illinois, where she was barrel racing and he was competing in calf roping and team roping.
She said the arena they use for the rodeo only gets used for the rodeo because their ranch is an operational one, raising horses and cattle. Increasing the number of events requires using space needed for the livestock and to raise hay.
Tough Enough to Wear Pink
In 2008, Bridgett was diagnosed with breast cancer and the rodeo became the “Tough Enough To Wear Pink” rodeo to raise awareness about the disease and the importance of early mammograms.
Phillips Rodeo is also hosting a raffle sponsored by Drifters Trading of Eton, which is selling tickets for a chance to win a Bush Hog. Proceeds goes to help Sassy’s Hope, a local group that provides gas cards and other assistance to local cancer patients.
Read about Sassy’s Hope here.
Spectators can expect all eight rodeo events: bareback riding, bull riding, calf roping, team roping, barrel racing, breakaway ropers, saddle bronc riders, and steer wrestlers. There will be funnel cake and concessions available, including Phillips’ Ranch sweet tea, and souvenirs.
The rodeo is part of the Professional Cowboy Association so spectators may recognize some of the competitors and there may be some locals competing as well.
At a glance:
Who: Phillips Rodeo
Where: Phillips Ranch
475 Mt. Zion Rd. NE
Resaca, GA 30735
When: June 24&25
Gates open at 6 p.m.
Rodeo starts at 8 p.m.
Costs: General admission $15
Children 5-9 $10
4 and under are free.
Who: Phillips Rodeo
Where: Bartow County Saddle Club Covered Arena
43 Saddle Club Lane
Cartersville, GA 30120
When: July 8&9
Gates open at 6 p.m.
Rodeo starts at 8 p.m.
53rd Annual Mountain Moonshine Festival
Community, Featured, Featured Stories October 13, 2020
Mountain Moonshine Festival in Dawsonville
During the 4th weekend in October, KARE For Kids of Dawsonville, GA proudly presents
the 53rd Annual Mountain Moonshine Festival! They welcome over 100,000 visitors to
experience vintage race cars, revenuers, and more authentic moonshine-hauling cars than
you’ll ever see gathered in one place anywhere in the US! With a huge car show with judging
and awards, a parade, many great vendors, kids activities, two stages of entertainment, and great
food, there is something for everyone!
The weekend kicks off on Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 am with the start of the Car Show. At 10 am the
12th Annual Moonshine Run will be leaving from Bearden’s Funeral Home in Dawsonville to travel
the routes the moonshine runners raced through in years past, traveling to R.M. Rose Distillers in
Dillard, GA. Expect to be back in the City of Dawsonville by mid-afternoon just in time to
attend the Moonshine Festival activities. On Saturday, Oct. 24 at 9 am, a parade of vintage
race cars and moonshine era cars will present 2020 Grand Marshal David Ragan followed by
Opening Ceremonies and this year’s Moonshine Hall of Fame inductees will be announced.
Live music, arts and craft vendors, food, children’s activities, and exhibits continue through
Sunday evening, Oct. 25 at 5 pm. You can purchase Mountain Moonshine Festival souvenirs,
taste real moonshine at the Dawsonville Distillery and tour the GA Racing Hall of Fame.
This festival is a reunion of sort for many well-known race car drivers and owners, so you
never know who you may see milling around! The event is free; parking is $10 per car.
Shuttles will be running. Bring your entire family, your cameras, and be prepared to stay
all-day or weekend to see what Dawsonville and the North Georgia mountains have to offer.
The Mountain Moonshine Festival adheres to Covid-19 guidelines, including social distancing, wearing face coverings, and hand sanitizing.
For more information, 706-216-5273 or www.kareforkids.org. All proceeds go directly to helping children in need in Dawson County.
We Thank You & Are Most Grateful for Your Support!!
