From spurs to spray paint, Boley Rodeo gets a creative touch

We are literally just weeks away from the Boley rodeo on Memorial Day weekend, and as the thousands of cowboys roll into town, the upgrades will be very noticeable.

“I immediately saw that there needed to be some investment into the arena itself,” said Karen Ekuban director of the Boley Legacy consortium. 

Ekuban and her group took the planning of the rodeo last year and made some noticeable upgrades. This year guests can look forward to a continuation of what they’ve come to expect.

“We added this building here, and then we also added bleachers,” said Ekuban. 

Also new this year is art, scattered throughout the grounds in some unusual places.

“One of the main goals that we wanted to do was support local artists,” said Natalia King, with the Boley Rodeo.

They are calling it trash or treasure. Local artist showcasing their talent on the trash bins that will be positioned around the grounds.

“When people come to the space and they see the art, they are just going to want to love on the space more and take better care of the space,” said Kendal Santiago, with the Boley Rodeo.

Nearly 20 artists, each bringing their own supplies and creative vision. They all agreed to donate their time and talent, excited to be a part of such a historic event.

“Behind the scenes we were working really hard on giving them a stipend or a check and we were able to come up with the money and we were able to pay our artist,” said King.

It's a tremendous honor for the artist to contribute their talents to a tradition-rich rodeo that dates back to 1903.

“It’s everything, it’s phenomenal, and I’m blessed to be a part of it,” said artist Ricco Young.

For information about the rodeo and all the week’s activities, visit www.thetownofboley.org/rodeo