The Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Department hosting bucking extravaganza

MARBLE FALLS — All bulls, all night could make for the most exciting action around this weekend at the Charley Taylor Rodeo Arena during the Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Department’s Rodeo.

And that’s no bull.

The gates open at 6 p.m. Saturday with the action starting at 7 p.m. The rodeo grounds are located on U.S. 281 about four miles south of Marble Falls. The event benefits a building fund for the firefighters.

To make things interesting, the J.D. Nix Rodeo Co. out of Kerrville is hauling in 40 bucking bulls for the extravaganza.

“It’s an all-bull riding event,” said Terry White, chief of the volunteer fire department. “It’s been something we’ve been wanting to do. There have been people in the area who wanted to do just bull riding and we thought it could be a niche we could fill.”

This is the department’s first rodeo event, but they hope to have one every year.

Unlike most rodeos which feature several events ultimately leading up to the bull riding, this one opens with bull riding and ends with bull riding.

“Bull riding is probably one of the biggest draws in a rodeo,” White said. “Here we’re just packing it all into one night.”

While extreme sports seem to be all the rage these days, bull riders have been participating in the original extreme sport — bull riding — for decades. Unlike other such sports where it’s all about the individual athletes’ ability to maneuver or perform, success in bull riding depends on two athletes — the rider and the bull.

Riders can earn up to 100 points for a ride. Judges look for two things when determining a riders score.

One is how well the rider matches the bull’s moves. A rider who maintains better control during the ride and keeps a good body position will earn a score higher than a cowboy who is jerked willy-nilly by the bull.

The judges also give points based on the bull’s performance. 

And it’s not always the biggest bull that earns the most points for a rider. Judges look for how powerful and fast the bull is during the performance. A bull that comes out of the gate executing lots of front-end drops, spins, bucks and body rolls will probably earn a rider more points than one that simply bucks straight out of the gate and runs down the arena.

Also, the rider can only have one hand strapped to the bull. If the rider’s second hand touches the beast, he (or she) earns a no ride. 

All this is for naught if the cowboy gets thrown off before eight seconds expires.

That’s why some consider bull riding the longest (for the rider) but most exciting (for the fans) eight seconds in all sports.

While the bull-riding event offers a couple of hours of excitement for spectators, it’s also a fundraiser for the volunteer fire department.

“We’re trying to build a new station on Avenue U behind the EMS station,” White said. “And (the bull riding event) is our starting point for fundraising.”

The Marble Falls volunteers and the city of Marble Falls Fire Rescue department are two separate entities, White said.

The volunteer department started in 1936 in order to serve the greater Marble Falls community. In the last decade, the city created its own department, but there remains a great need for a volunteer unit, officials said.

“The city Fire Department responds to calls within the city limits,” White said. “We cover anything outside the city limits, which is about 165 square miles.”

The volunteer department’s area includes east to the Travis County line, south to the Blanco County line, west to the boundary with the Granite Shoals Fire Department and north to the boundary with Burnet Fire Department.

“We still provide mutual aid for the city (of Marble Falls) as well,” White said.

The 26-roster department is all-volunteer.

Along with the bull riding, the volunteers will have their trucks and other equipment on display at the rodeo Saturday.

“The kids can come out and look at the trucks,” White said. “Plus, it’s a good opportunity to talk about fire safety to the kids.”

Tickets are available at the gate and through pre-sale. By purchasing tickets before Saturday, adult fans can save a few bucks.

Pre-sale tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children. At the gate, adult tickets will be $10.

Pre-sale tickets are available at Blair’s Western Wear, 2501 U.S. 281 in Marble Falls; Crownover Feed, U.S. 281 next to Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls; and Hill Country Automotive, 605 South Water (U.S. 281) in Burnet. “It ought to be a pretty fun time,” White said.