CC Championship Rodeo April 22 and 23

 LINDEN—It is nearly rodeo time in Cass County again.

The 16th Annual Cass County Championship Ro­deo will be held April 22 and 23. The rodeo will be held at the fairgrounds on Hwy. 8 North near F.M. 1399. Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children five years and younger.

The excitement begins nightly at 7:30 p.m. with the Mutton Bustin’ competition. Signups are in-person the night of the event. Registration is $10.

The rodeo begins at 8 p.m. and will feature bare­back riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, breakaway roping, steer wrestling, team roping and barrel racing.

One of the most popular events of the night is the Critter Scramble. Children, ages 10 and un­der, are placed in the rodeo arena with goals, rab­bits, chickens, ducks, guineas and pigs. What they catch, they get to keep (if the parents approve). There is no charge for the critter scramble.

The rodeo association is not just about putting on a good show, but also supports giving back to the community.

Joe Early, treasurer for the rodeo association said that a portion of Friday night’s proceeds will be donated to the Cass County Relay for Life.

Early said that the ro­deo also awards a schol­arship, to a graduating senior from each of Cass County’s seven high schools. The 2015 re­cipients were: Atlanta, Kayla Shelton; Avinger, William Cody II; Bloom­burg, Danielle Flow; Hughes Springs, Kevin Gibson; Linden-Kildare, Reid Bynum; McLeod, Destiny Littlejohn and Queen City, Jacob Law­rence.

The rodeo associa­tion will also be an ac­tive participant in this year’s 46^th Annual Wild­flower Trails of Texas Festival.

On the day of the fes­tival, April 23, the rodeo association will host the Children’s Area. The area, behind Tex­ana Bank, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will feature bounce houses, a giant slide and water bal­loon wars. All you can jump armbands will be sold for $10. Water bal­loons are three for $2. The association is also sponsoring a Steak Cookoff Association-sanctioned Cass County Rodeo Steak Cook Off on April 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Down­town Square. To enter the cookoff go to www. steakcookoffs.com. Competition categories include: steak, one-bite challenge and kids pork chop (Ages 5-17). Prizes will be given in all cat­egories.

The association is also bringing Cody Cooke and the Bayou Outlaws Band from Shreveport, to perform on the Down­town Square during Wildflower Trails from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.