Starch your jeans and polish your boots to get ready for this weekend! The 60th annual Round Up celebration is coming up, bringing fun traditions and exciting novelties with it. Always beginning on the second weekend of July, this year’s Round Up will be on July 10-12. The Mason Chamber of Commerce and Rodeo Association organize this fun tradition, one of the most anticipated celebrations of the year.
The Round Up festivities will kick off with the rodeo on Friday night. Gates at Fort Mason City Park open at 5:00 p.m., offering plenty of time for spectators to peruse the many vendors set up for shopping and snacking. At 7:00 p.m. the rodeo begins, commencing with exciting events such as Mutton Bustin’, a calf scramble, Barrel Racing, Bull Riding, and more. This event promises many laughs as Leon Coffee, Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer, returns to the arena as the commentating rodeo clown. Spectators can also count on an exhilarating show as competitors from all around exhibit their skills. Grupo Cruzsante will wrap up the day with a Tejano dance on the Slab, beginning at 9:00 p.m.
The fun continues on Saturday with the Round Up Parade at 10:00 a.m on Thursday 7pm - Mason County Team Roping at Rodeo Grounds Friday: 7pm - Rodeo 9pm - Dance and the Slab Saturday: the Mason County Square. Local floats entertain onlookers with color, candy, music, and refreshing water guns as they circle the Mason Court house. “My favorite part of Round Up is the parade,” said Tanya Brewer from the Chamber of Commerce. She loves that Mason is one of the few towns to still allow can dy to be thrown in parades. A small change, however, will be that candy throwers must stand three feet away from the float to distribute candy in order to increase the safety of onlookers and candy chasers. The Arts and Crafts Festival follows the parade at 11:00 a.m. The festival includes something for everyone with live music from No Boundaries, water activities for kids, and local vendors and artisans. A new Round Up attraction will also make an appearance at the festival at 12:00 p.m. A Wild West Shootout reenactment put on by the Concho Cowboy Company Reenactors will take place on the west side of the Courthouse to highlight thrilling aspects of history during this celebration of tradition and fun. The excitement continues with the rodeo finals at 5:00 p.m., promising a continuation of Friday’s exhilarating competition. Heading back over to the Slab, the Chaser Crouch Band will conclude the Round Up weekend with a lively dance in Fort Mason City Park at 9:00 pm.
“[Round Up] is a great way to bring the community together and remind people of our unity,” says Taylor Krull, new executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. Rodeos, parades, dances, arts and crafts: don’t miss out on the excitement of this year’s 60th annual Round Up! Rodeo Tickets Available at Gate.
