Published: July 13, 2008 05:21 pm      

Rodeo to honor “Dub”

This year’s Orange County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo takes on special meaning as the organization honors one of its own.

Organizers and posse members will remember Warren “Dub” Stine, a longtime rodeo volunteer, who died unexpectedly in March.

The rodeo kicks off at 8 p.m., Friday, and continues at 8 p.m., Saturday. Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for children ages 12 and younger. The rodeo grounds are located on FM 105 between State Highway 62 and State Highway 87.

Stine’s daughter, Liz Gillen, will be involved in a memorial tribute to her late father.

“My dad is what you would call a real cowboy,” Gillen said. “He grew up working on a ranch, which is what he did before he ever got involved with rodeos. Ranching and rodeos were all he knew.”

Gillen, 26, said her father was involved with the Orange County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo since she was a small child, which is how she developed a passion for the sport.

“He was always involved with the rodeo somehow,” she said. “He would ride with the drill team, which meant a lot to him. He even served as president of the rodeo for a couple of years. It’s just the kind of stuff he loved to do.”

Stine resided in Orange for approximately two decades and looked forward to the rodeo every year.

“There was no peace at our house the two months leading up to the rodeo,” Gillen said with a laugh. “My dad had us out there at the rodeo grounds every day possible working and cleaning and getting everything ready.”

Although a familiar face for many years at the annual event, health concerns finally prevented Stine from attending the rodeo the past several years. Gillen will ride her horse while her father’s saddled horse trails behind her.

“A lot of people knew him really well, so this is something really special for me to do,” she said.

The sheriff’s posse rodeo is a great family event featuring various rodeo style events with both youth and adults contests.

Barrel racing is just one of the many popular rodeo events, along with steer wrestling, team roping, bull riding, and calf dressing, which allows contestants to show off their fashion sense by dressing a calf in clothing, is always good for a laugh.

Contestants in the calf scramble chase down the target animal and pluck a ribbon off its tail. The ribbon can be exchanged for money after the event.

For older, but not quite old enough to be professional types of cowboys, there is the junior bull riding event. This event features bull riders 15-years-old and younger.

A drawing will also be held for a FX 110 SCR Wide Mini ATV which is a child size four-wheeler. Tickets are available for $2 each.

People interested in participating in this year’s Orange County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo can contact SYJ Productions at 409-745-1471 and registration opens at 6 p.m. Monday. Proof of a Coggins test is required for all horses.

Call 409-886-2638 for general rodeo information or 409-781-1181 for information on the calf dressing event.



Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2619 or tmann@orangeleader.com