It’s rodeo time at L.E.A.D. Academy

PACE — The third annual L.E.A.D. Academy FFA Harvest Celebration & Rodeo will take place Nov. 22-23 at the Santa Rosa County Horse Complex, 3360 Joppa Road.

The festival announcement coincides with the Santa Rosa County Commissioners approving L.E.A.D. Academy to manage the horse complex for the next five years.

The Professional Cowboy Association’s Rodeo starts at 7 p.m. on both days. The Harvest Celebration opens at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

“Tickets are on sale now for $10, or $12 at the gate,” said Mitch Lambeth, FFA adviser.

Advanced tickets sales are available at both Manning Feed stores, both L.E.A.D. campuses, Deep South Sales and Cantonment Mercantile.

This year’s celebration will feature the PCA Rodeo by Bo Campbell Rodeo productions. It will also feature Tim “Wild Thang” Lepard and Team Ghost Riders, a team of monkey rodeo riders on dogs.

“One of the most popular events is the Golden Buckle King and Queen of the Rodeo competition,” said Melanie Perritt, marketing and development director.

The king and queen nominees come from varied local assisted living facilities. The academy sends out notice to those facilities and asks for nominations. The nominees attend the festival and rodeo, where they will compete in a talent contest. Audience applause will determine the winners.

Something new to this year’s coronation is the crowning of a Golden Buckle Prince and Princess. Nominees for those crowns come form the Southeastern Youth Rodeo Association.

The SYRA is having their rodeo starting at 9 a.m. Nov. 23, at the June Ates Arena, 8690 Bobby Brown Road.

“We are supporting the youth rodeo by advertising their events in our promotions,” Lambeth said.

The festival will have door prizes, food and retail vendors and pony rides for children. Another kids’ activity includes mutton busting, where children 6-years-old and under try to ride a sheep. A calf scramble is scheduled for older kids where they attempt to take a ribbon tied to a calf’s tail.

The festival is one of L.E.A.D. Academy’s main fundraising efforts. The school is building their main campus on 30 acres called the Joppa Road project. The school has finished two classroom buildings and a third is nearing completion.

“The barn is coming together at the back end of the property,” Lambeth said. “It will have eight to 10 pig stalls and a concrete floor. We plan to house pigs for FFA kids that live in suburbs and don’t have room at home to care for the animal.”

The school will show cattle and pigs at the barn.

For more information, call 850-889-7080 or go to www.leadacademylions.com/.