Press Releases

ANNUAL PARKER RANCH INDEPENDENCE WEEKEND RODEO SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, JULY 4th

Waimea, Hawai‘i’s Big Island ~ Parker Ranch has celebrates their 48th Annual Independence Weekend Rodeo and Horse Races on Sunday, July 4, 2010 at the Parker Ranch Rodeo Arena in Waimea.

Fast paced rodeo action begins shortly after the 9:00 a.m. grand entry parade and continues non-stop until 12 noon. The line-up of rodeo events, featuring Parker Ranch cowboys joined by paniolo from ranches all around the Big Island, is full of excitement. Spectators enjoy thrilling horse races, ribbon mugging, ranch mugging, dally team roping, the unique-to-Hawai‘i Po‘o Wai U and more.

This event is an opportunity to see Hawai‘i’s cowboys in action while enjoying local food, keiki (children) activities with the “kids favorite,” pony rides, and new this year, try your hand at roping practice. Hawaii High School Rodeo contestants will teach kids to rope a wooden, make-believe steer. For those who enjoy having a memento, Parker Ranch commemorative logo items will be conveniently available at the arena at the Parker Ranch Store booth. The Parker Ranch Rodeo was first held just three years after Hawaii became a state in 1959 and has always been highly anticipated by visitors and the local community.

Tickets for the Sunday, July 4th event are $5 per person in advance or $6 at the gate. Presale begins June 1st at the Parker Ranch Store at the Parker Ranch Center, Waimea. Children 10 and under are free. For more information, call 808-885-5669 or visit
ParkerRanch.com.

The rodeo grounds are 37 miles by car from Kona International Airport and 57 miles from Hilo Airport on Highway 190.

Parker Ranch Inc. is a highly respected cattle ranch known for quality beef, producing ten million pounds of beef each year and ranking as the 5th largest cow-calf operation in the United States. Visitors can enjoy parts of the ranch through horseback or ATV tours offered by Cowboys of Hawaii at Parker Ranch. For those a little more adventurous, a hunting program is also offered within controlled areas of the vast ranch.