SADDLE UP! 33rd TEXAS BLACK INVITATIONAL RODEO

Grab your cowboy hats, boots and buckles, and ride on over to the 33^rd Texas Black Invitational Rodeo as the beloved event returns Juneteenth weekend on Saturday, June 18, at 7 p.m. at the Fair Park Coliseum. (Doors open at 6 p.m., and the Grand Entry Parade begins at 6:30 p.m.)

Presented by the African American Museum, Dallas, the rodeo offers an exciting family-fun night as approximately 300 African American cowboys and cowgirls compete for cash prizes in bronc and bull riding, calf and steer roping, barrel racing, a Pony Express relay race and more.

Kicking off with the Grand Entry Parade at 6:30 p.m., the fast-paced evening of thrills provides guests with a glimpse of the historical contributions that African Americans made in the settling of the western United States. The event also includes on-field kids activities, trick lasso performances, concessions, music and more.

“The Texas Black Invitational Rodeo – which sold out early last year – is the perfect way to celebrate Juneteenth,” said Dr. Harry Robinson, Jr., president and CEO of the African American Museum, Dallas. “And as exciting as the competition is, the event also serves as a wonderful opportunity to tell the often-forgotten stories of Black cowboys and cowgirls who played a vital role in shaping the American West, especially in Texas.”

Members from the Dallas Chapter and the North Dallas Chapter of the National Panhellenic Council will serve as grand marshals.

Sponsors are the Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, Frost Bank, KIPP Texas Public Schools, Trinity Review Services, Judge Staci Williams of the Texas 101st District Court, City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, State Fair of Texas and OVG360.

Media partners are Fox 4 and More 27, Majic 94.5 and 97.9 The Beat,and I Messenger, Texas Metro News and Garland Journal.

Rodeo tickets are $10 and $15, and VIP seats are $25 and $30 (plus applicable fees) at fairparktix.com. Tickets also are available at the museum and at the Coliseum the day of the event. (However, last year’s event sold out early.)

The Coliseum is located in Fair Park at 1438 Coliseum Dr., Dallas, Texas 75210.

HOE DOWN BARBEQUE DETAILS

The public is also invited to the annual Hoe Down, featuring barbeque fixings and live entertainment at the African American Museum, Dallas on Friday, June 17, at 7 p.m. Texas urban country-western singer KimaLee Dawn, who was the first Black Texas Rodeo Queen, will perform that evening along with a deejay. Hoe Down tickets are $15 per person. For tickets and details, go to the Museum or call 214-565-9026. The Museum is located at 3536 Grand Ave, Dallas, TX 75210.

About the African American Museum, Dallas. The African America Museum, Dallas was founded in 1974 as a part of Bishop College. The Museum has operated independently since 1979. For more than 40 years, the African American Museum has stood as a cultural beacon in Dallas and the Southwestern United States. Located in Dallas’ historic Fair Park, the African American Museum is the only museum in the Southwestern United States devoted to the collection, preservation and display of African American artistic, cultural and historical materials that relate to the African American experience. The African American Museum incorporates a wide variety of visual art forms and historical documents that portray the African American experience in the United States, Southwest, and Dallas. The Museum has a small, but rich collection of African art, African American fine art and one of the largest African American folk-art collections in the United States. Learn more at aamdallas.org.