BEEBE — It was a cool, crisp morning at the Brewer Farm just outside Beebe as nearly 300 children lined up to participate in various events at the Sunshine Rodeo on Friday.
Moose Brewer, owner of the farm, announced the play-by-play of the stick-horse barrel-racing event as Becky Switzer — decked out in her Binkey-the-rodeo-clown costume — guided the children around barrels. Those who were able to walk “rode” their stick horses around the barrels; the others were pushed in their wheelchairs.
“My heart’s about to burst,” Switzer said as she paused to choke back some tears. “I see [these children] every year, and they know me the minute they get off the bus.”
A couple of students walked by “Binkey” and stopped to hug her as she continued to talk.
“I love children,” she said with a smile. “There was a little girl earlier who was sight-impaired, and she tore up my makeup. But she could feel my face and feel the fringe on my shirt. I’ve watched these kids grow up.”
This was Emily Holloway’s special-education class’s first year to attend the rodeo. The Sidney Deener Elementary School students traveled from Searcy to be a part of the annual event for physically and/or mentally challenged students.
“Everyone is really excited,” Holloway said about her students.
Joel Reagan of Romance has been one of the volunteers at the Sunshine Rodeo for several years, and he said he always enjoys seeing the children smile.
“The school groups come, and it gets the kids out to have fun,” Reagan said. “They can’t be a part of the real rodeo, but they can get on that barrel bull, and it’s just like they’re coming out of the chute.”
Fifteen years ago, the first rodeo hosted 30 kids, all from the Sunshine School in Searcy. Each year, that number has grown to include students from schools in surrounding cities.
Switzer said that when it all began, the kids from the Sunshine School were invited out to have a fun day, and the event has escalated to a full-blown “rodeo.”
“Many of our students don’t get to have experiences like this,” said Mary Lou Dunn, Sunshine School director. “It’s something that they look forward to every year. It’s really a great day, and we are already preparing for next year.”
In addition to the bronc-riding and barrel-racing, other events that were held included goat tying, which was taking a ribbon off a goat’s tail; and calf roping, which involved lassoing a roping dummy. There were also gentle horses for the kids to ride and wagons that took them on rides.
Most of the volunteers for the event are agriculture and veterinarian-technician students form Arkansas State University-Beebe.
Staff writer Jeanni Brosius can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or jbrosius@arkansasonline.com.