CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Buc Days Rodeo is a popular event, full of excitement and the thrill of watching cowboys and cowgirls in action that keeps people coming back for more.
"We put in about 1,500 tons of dirt. It's about 10 inches deep all over the bottom of the floor in the arena,” Bill Lathrop, a member of the Buc Days Rodeo Committee said.
Lathrop is one of the founding members, but his role is so much greater than that.
"We started it out just as a dream,” Lathrop said. “Buc Days was just a carnival and a parade on a Saturday night 31 years ago."
Lathrop remembered all the hard work that went into creating the rodeo event back in 1992. For him and his family, it meant a lot.
"My mother's family owned a circus when she was a kid,” Lathrop said. “Rodeo has always been big in our family, and we've always been around it. We embraced this event in the very beginning of it and saw what the potential could be with the others. We have a lot of pride in what this event has become."
It all started at Memorial Coliseum, filling 3,000 seats, then success came knocking at the door.
"We sold out and Fred Dots came in and said, they're scalping tickets outside, and we were all so proud,” Lathrop said.
Now, the rodeo has become a Buc Days tradition for families across the Coastal Bend, drawing in more than 30,000 fans. Cowboys and cowgirls from all over the world are invited to participate in the events.
"We added the PBR three years ago and we're able to start adding days to the event, if we keep selling out,” Lathrop said.
By expanding the rodeo, Lathrop told KRIS 6 News there will be more money to put towards scholarships for local students, a cause he is happy to support and continue.
