A Local Tradition for over 50 Years

July 28th 2011 will kick off the 56th Annual Kueckelhan Ranch Rodeo. Our event is one of the most entertaining and exciting events that takes place in Fannin County each year. Thousands of people of all ages and walks of life, look forward to attending this annual event, and the experience seems to get better each and every year.

"We're probably the oldest and have been around the longest," said Haynes Kueckelhan while talking about the upcoming rodeo held on his ranch in Bonham, Texas.

"When we held our first rodeo, we never dreamed it would grow to it's present size and popularity.

"It started out as a place to practice and to have fun. My dad, Howard, backed me up and let us have competitions, and the business just mushroomed," said the tall, slim rodeo head. Haynes lives rodeoing, promotes it and gets up each morning to supervise preparation for it on his ranch. He knows what he's talking about, because he is on of the founders of the Cowboys Regional Rodeo Association. He served as President, overseeing the seven-state regional CRRA in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska.

Haynes thought back as he recalled, "That first year, we had one performance – Saturday night. An old hog wire fence with two bucking chutes for the First Invitational Rodeo. We didn't have any bleachers – church pews were borrowed from the nearby Corinth Baptist Church (which the Kueckelhan's have always attended) and the pews were set up on the back of a float trailer for the fans seats.

"That's where we have come from," Kueckelhan concluded as he gazed around the all metal arena that now seats over 5,000.

Thursday Night Musical Guest: TWO TONS of STEEL

Two Tons' rambunctious brand of country-rooted rock has been inspiring listeners in the great republic — and far beyond — for more than two decades, and with its 10th album, NOT THAT LUCKY, the band is ready to throw its weight around even more.

NOT THAT LUCKY, which reached #4 on the Americana Music Charts in Sept/Oct 2009 is the band's first studio album since 2005's VEGAS (which ranked among the top 20 Americana albums for 2006) is its fourth helmed by Lloyd Maines, Texas' most in-demand producer (the Flatlanders, Dixie Chicks, Pat Green, James McMurtry). Explaining why he always clears his schedule for Two Tons of Steel, Maines simply declares, "They're one of the best bands in Texas."

And beyond. Already familiar to fans of the Grand Ole Opry, where Two Tons has performed some eight times, and to visitors at Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame, where it appears in a documentary about country music, Two Tons tours Europe regularly and in 1997, became the first U.S. act in 37 years to perform in the national theater of Havana, Cuba. It's so beloved in its home state that Two Tons of Steel is featured in the IMAX film, "Texas: The Big Picture," and is considered an institution at the state's oldest, most revered dance hall, Gruene Hall, where its annual Two Ton Tuesdays summer series has been selling out for 14 years (and can be witnessed via the 2006 CD/DVD release, TWO TON TUESDAY LIVE!).

Lead singer-acoustic guitarist Kevin Geil does the heavy lifting when it comes to describing the San Antonio-based band's sound. "Two Tons is two tons of steel," he says. "We're kind of in your face, almost punk rock at times."

It's high-energy, that's for sure. Inspired equally by Elvis Presley and the Ramones, Two Tons combines the talents of the kinetic Geil with Dennis Fallon on electric guitar, Chris Dodds on drums and harmony vocals, and Chris Rhoades on upright and electric bass.

Scheduled to Appear NIGHTLY:

Trish Lynn and the All American Cowgirl Chicks

Wearing the patriotic colors of red, white and blue, Trish Lynn and the All American Cowgirl Chicks are an equestrian drill team, exemplifying the true meaning of their western heritage as they entertain crowds while riding for a cure for cancer.

The Cowgirl Chicks are a group of spectacular rodeo cowgirl's who reach for their personal dreams and goals by providing a top rodeo entertainment program to give back to those who are battling the deadly disease called cancer. With each performance they ride in honor of one of these victims. It gives this team a purpose of riding for others and donating their proceeds to a family or an individual in need.

For information on the Cowgirl Chicks visit www.cowgirlchicks.com

 

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