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Eddie Adams, director of the Chamber County Agricultural Arena, spoke on several upcoming events set to take place at the arena at the Chambers County Commission Meeting on Monday.

For the third year in a row, the Alabama High School Rodeo Association and the Alabama Junior High School Rodeo Association are hosting their annual kickoff rodeos on Sept. 3-4. Contestants will come from all over the state of Alabama, as well as multiple teams who will come from Tennessee, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. Adams noted that the event will be very good for Chambers County.

“The rodeo is going to have families coming in from all over, so there will probably be several hundred people coming to the county,” he said. “They will be staying in hotels, eating at restaurants and visiting throughout the whole county, so I think the event will bring in some revenue. It is also a big feather in our cap that [the AHSRA] keeps coming back to our facilities.”

Adams also noted that the rodeo is open for members of the community to come and spectate. There is no fee for attendance, however donations are accepted for those who wish to support the students.

“We always welcome people to come out and watch and support these kids,” Adams said. “It will just be some good, clean, family entertainment for everyone to enjoy.”

In addition to this event, Adams also noted that there will be a ranch rodeo hosted by Spring Hill Ranch Rodeo Productions during the first week of November. Different from a traditional rodeo, the ranch rodeo will feature teams of working cowboys and events that reflect the day to day life of ranchers, such as stray gathering, doctoring and branding, sorting and wild cow milking. Each ranch that decides to participate will host a team of four of their cowboys to compete.

“Ranch rodeos are really exciting to watch because it lets people see a little of what it’s like to live and work on an open ranch,” Adams said. “We are hoping that this year we will have around 14 teams to participate.”

Also coming up at the Arena on Aug. 27, the Montgomery-based Me and Mines Foundation is hosting a Western Party Family Day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will feature a number of fun events, live music, character meet and greets, games and food. Christal Nelson, Director and CEO of the Me and Mines Foundation, said that she hoped that the event would be a fun event for families to come together. It will also serve as a fundraiser for the foundation’s programs.

“This event is really just to get kids out and to bring families together for a fun time” Nelson said. “While everything during the event is going to be free, we are accepting donations, which will help Me and Mines to continue to serve the youth.”

According to Nelson, the family day will be  open to any family with school-aged children. For those interested in contributing or attending as a vendor, contact Nelson as (334) 734-3884.