RODEO ENTERTAINERS NAMED

SIKESTON -- Tanya Tucker, Sawyer Brown, Mark Chestnutt and Mark Collie will headline the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo August 5-8.

The announcement was made Thursday at a news conference.

The rodeo will also feature bull fighting, wild horse racing, rodeo clowns.

The rodeo, now in its 40th year, is one of the largest in the United States and draws competitors from across the nation. Last year, the four-day event drew about 35,000 spectators.

Tucker, who will perform Aug. 5, has just released a greatest hits album and the first single, "Daddy and Home," is a tribute to the singer's father.

Tucker's performance will be followed by the Aug. 6 performance of Sawyer Brown. The country rock band consists of Mark Miller, Duncan Cameron, Jim Scholten and Gregg Hubbard.

Country newcomer Mark Chestnutt will take the stage Aug. 7. The singer, from Beaumont, Texas, released his first album last year, which produced several top ten singles on the country chart.

On the last day of the rodeo, Aug. 8, Mark Collie will perform. His new album is called "Born and Raised in Black and White."

Rodeo Chairman Gary Laster said a new event in this year's rodeo will be wild horse racing.

"This event will bring a lot of the west back to this area of the country," Laster said. "There is a lot of this seen in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona."

Tickets for the rodeo go on sale April 1 and are $10 for bleacher and $15 for box seats. They can be obtained by writing the ticket office at Rodeo, P.O. Box 5, Sikeston, Mo. 63801. The ticket office opens June 27, but tickets can be ordered at any time.