SIKESTON RODEO FEATURES MAJOR COUNTRY STARS

The 40th Annual Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo again will include an impressive list of country stars.

Scheduled for August 5-8, the rodeo is the nation's largest that weekend and typically draws more than 35,000 people.

In addition to rodeo action, popular country stars are the featured stage entertainment each night.

"We really do think this is probably one of the best lineups we've ever had," said rodeo publicity chairman Matt Vowels.

Performers include Tanya Tucker, Sawyer Brown, Mark Chesnutt and Mark Collie.

The ticket office opens June 27, but tickets went on sale via mail in April. Vowels said box seats for the Saturday night performance of Mark Collie already are sold out.

"This is the fastest the box seats have sold out for three or four years," he said. "And overall ticket sales have exceeded the past few years."

The rodeo has a history of featuring top entertainment. Past performers include Randy Travis, Garth Brooks and Travis Tritt. The stars are booked well ahead of time, and in several instances, have "made it big" by the time they perform at the rodeo. Most nights sell out.

"It's the 40th largest rodeo in the country and the biggest one that weekend," Vowels said. "Most of our fans are repeat fans. In fact, 75 to 80 percent of the people who come here have been here before."

Vowels said reasonable ticket prices has something to do with the repeat business. Most tickets are less than $15, considerably less than the $25 to $30 cost of concert tickets at large arenas or concert halls. And for the same price you can enjoy a top-notch professional rodeo, he said.

"What's really kept our fans coming back is the price and the quality of the entertainment," he said. "In fact, last year we thought we were going to have an off-year because of the economy, but we continued to sell even more tickets. It's just a really good price for some great entertainment."

Vowels said the recent surge in country music's popularity likely has also helped the rodeo draw new fans.

"That's helped our rodeo out a lot," he said. "People know they can see a lot of new acts, and performers who are on the charts."

The rodeo draws people from across the country. Some featured events are the Wrangler Bullfight, which matches a fast, funny clown against a 1,600-pound fighting bull.

Tickets can be obtained prior to June 27 by writing for a rodeo program to Rodeo, P.O. Box 5, Sikeston, Mo. 63801. The ticket office telephone number is 471-7196.