Business buy Bulls to boost Rodeo in Wilson County
Lebanon, TN – There’s a bunch of bull in Wilson County, and it’s all in good fun, and to help promote the National Junior High Rodeo Finals at Ward Agricultural Center June 19-25, 2016. The Wilson County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau wants to remind everyone that local businesses may purchase the decorative bulls from the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce for $250 for one year or $400 for two years. Businesses may then decorate the bulls, and many have chosen colors and accessories that reflect their services and/or products. So far, county officials said 67 decorative bulls have been bought. But time is running out fast! Since the rodeo is coming up within a few days, this bull market won’t last long. This unusual promotion has gotten the attention of several local media, with WKRN-TV Channel 2 coming to Wilson County on Tuesday, June 7, to do a story about the decorative bulls to air on the news station this week.
Even if you don’t want to buy a bull yourself, you can still join the fun! Take a selfie with a decorative bull and share it with us! The Wilson County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is encouraging local residents and visitors to take selfies with the bulls and share those pictures on social media. You can connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/VisitWilsonCounty/. Follow us on Twitter @VisitWilson. We’re on Instagram: @wilsoncountycvb, and Snapchat: wilsoncvb.
This social media push is part of a larger effort by the CVB which is planning first-time comprehensive social media coverage of one of the largest youth rodeos in the world. The rodeo is expected to bring more than 50,000 attendees and more than $10 million in economic impact for Wilson County.
Social media coverage will include live video streams from YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, and Periscope, as well as videos, photos, television news stories, and information posted throughout the competition. Contestants and attendees can interact, share videos and images about their experiences on the CVB’s official Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds. To interact with your social media channel of your choice, all you have to do is go to the WCCVB website, www.visitwilsoncounty.com, and you’ll find icons to help you follow us!
To assist with check-in on June 16, contestants will be able to view a live web stream from the check-in area at James Ward Agricultural Center. The stream will be broadcast on the CVB’s YouTube channel, and www.visitwilsoncounty.com.
Reigning Tennessee High School Rodeo Association Queen Summer Weldon, an 18-year-old from Martin, Tenn., will be reporting live and blogging from the competition, in the “Summer at the Rodeo” series. Weldon has been barrel racing, pole bending, and ribbon roping for nearly a decade, and has the knowledge and experience to show what it takes to be successful at a rodeo that includes more than 1,000 young people from around the globe. You’ll see updates from Summer as the excitement builds before the finals and during the competition, at www.visitwilsoncounty.com.
The National Junior High Finals Rodeo consists of seven days of rodeo competition with more than 1,000 young people from sixth, seventh, and eighth grades vying for college scholarships.
About the NHSRA’s National Junior High Division
Created in 2004, the NHSRA Junior High Division was established to bring the excitement of the sport to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and to serve as a feeder system into the high school ranks of the Association. Today, all 48 states and provinces that belong to the NHSRA also produce a Junior High Division as well, with over 2,500 members in total now competing. Junior High Division students compete in a variety of events, including barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping, tie-down roping, chute dogging, team roping, ribbon roping, and junior bull riding, bareback steer riding and saddle bronc steer riding.
Each year, the “best of the best” from each state and province qualify for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo. Approximately 1,000 competitors show off their talents in the event and compete for thousands of dollars in scholarships and prizes. For more information, visit http://www.nhsra.com.