The festivities for the 80th Annual Elks Rodeo will kick off with the time-honored tradition of the Beard-A-Reno Contest. According to this year’s Chairman, Chuck Biely, entrants may enter the contest at the Elks Rodeo Office, at 2325 Skyway Drive, Suite H in Santa Maria starting Feb. 20 at 9 a.m. through April 7 at 5 p.m. All category winners will be awarded at the official dinner on May 20 starting at 4:30 p.m.
A custom-made silver belt buckle will be awarded to the winners of the 7 ‘whisker’ growing categories, including longest beard, blackest beard, whitest beard, reddest beard, best mustache, best attempt and best all-around.
– All beard-growing entrants must be 21 years of age or older.
– All beard-growing entrants must be clean-shaven at the time of registration. Mustaches are exempt and do not need to be shaved.
– Registration fee for all entrants is $30 and includes a BBQ beef rib dinner, beans, salad, and entertainment.
– All persons will be required to show a valid ID at the entrance.
General public tickets for the Beard-A-Reno dinner will also go on sale on Feb. 20. To purchase tickets, go to https://www.elksrec.com. It is recommended to get tickets early as the event usually sells out quickly.
For more information call the Elks Recreation Office at 805-925-4125 or visit https://www.elksrec.com/.
The Elks Recreation Foundation was established in 1943 when it held its first fundraising event, a dance at the Veterans Memorial Building. The funds raised from that event were used to stage the first Elks Rodeo in 1944. The initial two-day event was preceded each day by a mounted parade from the Vet’s Memorial Building to the Santa Maria Fairgrounds. The first rodeo netted Elks Recreation nearly $3,000 that first year, and a long history of fundraising to support local youth sports and recreation was born. Since that time, over $15 Million has been distributed to local youth recreation programs through the Annual Elks Rodeo Queen Contest.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
