By Woodrow Polston
The Prairie Classic Ladies Breakaway and Team Roping event was held on Saturday at the Vandalia Area Fairgrounds. The event was presented by ADM Nutrition and Feeders Grain. It was organized by local feed sellers Brady and Tessa Chasteen of Vandalia.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., the Ladies Breakaway started as ropers entered the arena. Team roping started after that event and lasted until after 6 p.m.
“We had about 120 entries for the event,” said Brady Chasteen. It wasn’t quite the turnout that we were hoping for, but everyone had a good time. It was a great opportunity for us to get our bearings ahead of doing the event again next year. There was a total of $9,500 in prize money awarded by the end of the day. Prize buckles were also awarded to winners of the events. We had entries from out of state, including one lady who came out from the Chicago area. Most of the entries were from various places in Missouri. We had drawings throughout the day and giveaway bags of feed. We are really thankful for Frank Wallace and everyone who helped make the event a real success,” he added.
Cattle for the event was provided by Josh Phillippe of Columbia, Mo., and the calves were provided by Jeremy Kempker of Eugene, Mo. Sponsors of the event included Graf and Sons, CMC Distributing, Kuda’s Auto Repair, Pearl Motor Co., Pogue Ford and others. Chasteen said that everyone was happy to be a part of the event.
“Everyone seemed to really enjoy taking part in the event. There aren’t a lot of roping opportunities in the area. The day went well, and the only complaint was that it got a bit dusty on us, but that is to be expected,” said Chasteen.