Annual rodeo brings motorists off the road

SIKESTON, MO. -- The whir of an approaching siren, the flashing lights in the rearview mirror, the heart-pounding anticipation as the police officer slowly strolls to the driver-side window.

Someone driving along Interstate 55 at Sikeston on Saturday is going to get a ticket -- to the rodeo.

In a tradition dating to the early 1950s, a police officer will stop a vehicle Saturday in what Sikeston officials call a "friendly abduction." The driver and occupants will be asked to accept gifts from the town and local merchants, a day of VIP treatment and a trip to the 50th annual Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo.

The people of Sikeston and nearby Miner say "southern hospitality" begins there. The friendly abduction is part of that hospitality, rodeo organizers say.

Randy Tuttle, Sikeston Jaycee's rodeo general chairman, said a record 44,000 people are expected for the four-day rodeo that began Wednesday.

But none will be as visible or welcomed as the "kidnapped" guests. Sheriff Bill Ferrell said his patrolmen have certain "victims" in mind: "We try to profile a family we think will coordinate well with the rodeo," he said.

Participation certainly isn't mandatory. Ferrell said in the past officers have had to stop families three or four times -- complete with lights and sirens -- before finding one that can stay in town that night.

"Sometimes they are en route to a funeral or they just can't take the time to pull off," he said. "And sometimes we stop someone with a bad attitude."

Pansy Glenn, director of Sikeston-Miner Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the friendly abductions have been part of the rodeo since it began in 1952, but were stopped a few years ago. The idea was revised last year, when a family of four from Ripley, Tenn., was pulled over. They were in town to visit outlet stores.

At first, the parents thought they were being accused of a crime. "We told them they were the kidnapped family and they said 'Wait, these are our kids,"' Glenn recalled.

After the initial confusion, the family enjoyed roughly 24 hours of special treatment, and similar plans are in place for this year.

Rodeo T-shirts and boxer shorts, a meal at the Redneck BBQ, even copper bracelets celebrating the 50th anniversary of the rodeo are all part of the package.

At the rodeo itself, the guests will be recognized before the crowd. They'll dine at the Cattle Barron, an elite area for main sponsors. Afterward, they'll watch steer wrestling, calf roping and bull riding from box seats. They can also stay for country singer Trace Adkins' show after the rodeo.

"Once they're here, they're going to enjoy it," Tuttle said. "They don't realize what they're in for."

The rodeo raises money for charities. It is expected to raise about $85,000 this year.