Est. 1996

Rodeo Benefactor: Brian & Christine Pritt

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CCR In the early 1990s, a Creston rancher’s wife and Cattlema’am had been enjoying a busy life in the communities and raising her children’s, doing what she could in her free time to preserve the heritage of Creston and build a brighter future for the generations to come. A lady friend of hers would come by the ranch a couple of times a month and they’d share dreams they had for the community and pending retired lives. The Cattlema’am was particularly fond of the sport of rodeo, putting together couples trips to the Mid State Fair for the PRCA performances, and dreaming of one day having a rodeo in Creston. She’d talk about it with her rancher husband, maybe putting up an arena and stands in the flat below the house; no dream was too big for her and her capable friends. Logistically, a personal arena wasn’t realistic so she and her lady friend put their minds together and thought of who may be able to help and where they could have such a rodeo. The lady friend’s family was longtime friends with the legendary Cotton Rosser. She knew he had portable stands and arenas exactly for these occasions. She knew of some other friends in town who had experience producing large events and was sure they’d also share their collective dream. And so, the original Creston Classic Rodeo Committee was formed.

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The Creston community has always had a can-do attitude. They have built their own church, school, jail, firehouse, maintained their own roads, and of course, lent a hand to neighbors. They’ve raised funds for a community pool built in the 1960s and maintained at their own expense. They’ve helped folks in need, scholarships for their homegrown kids, put on “Olympics” for the elementary school, hosted bike rides for thousands, and welcomed all newcomers with open arms. All Creston has built was done so with little to no money from the county or state. Creston and Pozo were the only communities in San Luis Obispo County that did not have a community center; a place to host a baby shower or wedding reception or even a fundraiser if someone wanted to offer their guests more than a soft drink. The Cattlema’am thought this was shameful and darn it, she was going to see to it that Creston got the community center it needed and a rodeo would be a perfect fundraiser to do just that.

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In the spring of 1996, the wheels were in motion and momentum was growing. The Cattlema’am was quite artistic and drew up a program. Champion belt buckles were designed. A Rodeo Queen was an absolute must so contestants were solicited and a whopping seven signed up. To the delight of the CCR Committee, entries were rolling in and the community was in full force behind this new and exciting event.

The First Ever Creston Classic Rodeo was held September 15-17, 1996. Friday night was a big team roping, Saturday and Sunday were rodeo performances, and Saturday night was a fantastic barn dance at the Loading Chute featuring Monte Mills & the Lucky Horseshoe Band. Of course, Sunday morning was Cowboy Church led by the beloved Pastor Scott Bond. Sponsor banners like Roher Hay & Feed lined the arena showing that more than just the First Ever committee believed in the cause. It was perfect. They learned quickly they’d need more water on the arena and that the Cattlema’am’s dream of a rodeo wasn’t just a reality, it would be an experience for generations to come.

As the dust settled, the arena panels came down and the sun was setting on the First Ever, an exhausted and elated committee came together one last time on that patch of dirt in the Jail House Flats. They knew it was a job well done and had a laundry list of ideas and improvements for the Second Ever.

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Hats off to the First Ever Creston Classic Rodeo Committee and what they built for our community. Robin and Trish Beers had produced and participated in rodeos and the like for years and their Arena Boss input served as invaluable and vital. Lady friend Linda Eberhardt, her husband Dave, and her son Monte had been long-time friends of Cotton Rosser and worked many events with the Flying U Rodeo Company. The rodeo network and connections made this dream a reality. And the Cattlema’am and her Rancher, well let's just say it's hard to name anyone who worked harder than Nancy and Noel Ryan to make Nancy’s dream come true.

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As we celebrate the Creston Classic Rodeo, one should look at all that’s been accomplished. This rodeo raised funds for CATCH which have renovated the old Station 43 Fire House into a community center; plans for bigger and better are in the works. The rodeo grounds are now under the ownership of Brian and Christine Pritt who espouse a deep love of this community and what it represents. They continue to work closely with the committee to make our rodeo better each year. Indeed, Jail House Flats has come a long way from the portable arena that Flying U hauled in to set up on a Wednesday and tore down under the fading light of a Sunday sunset. All of this is proof that dreams do come true and nothing is bigger than the will and the spirit of Creston.

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Written by Carin Ryan