First annual Bull Blast, held at Hootin an Hollarin, is judged a huge success


Photo by Donna J. Vincent Rough Stock Unlimited employees Shai Meek and Brady Brown, perched on the fence, watch a bull rider’s attempt to stay on for eight seconds during the first annual Bull Blast held Friday, Sept. 17, at the Gainesville Saddle Club Arena.

Photo by Donna J. Vincent Bullriders and Rough Stock Unlimited stock contractor Kevin Meek and employees doffed their hats as announcer Shaun Garren prayed before Emory Warden sang the National Anthem to start the Bull Blast held the Friday of Hootin an Hollarin.

Gainesville Saddle Club president Monty Hambelton met with Gainesville FFA adviser Jon Wilson last year hoping the saddle club could help host an event in Gainesville that would bring more people to Hootin an Hollarin and also help Ozark County FFA chapters. Hambelton, who was president of Gainesville’s FFA chapter during his high school years, said he was extremely pleased with the turnout at the event.

Ozark County FFA chapters hosted their first annual Bull Blast at the Gainesville Saddle Club Arena on Friday, Sept. 17, during Hootin an Hollarin. Around 670 people paid the $5 admission to watch the bull-riding competition. Organizers Monty Hambelton, president of the saddle club; Kevin Meek, stock contractor at Rough Stock Unlimited; and Ozark County FFA advisers Jon Wilson, Paula Bodenhamer, Jordan Griggs and Buck Comstock said they were all pleased with the amazing turnout. 

“We’ve never done an event quite like this before, so looking around and seeing all the people there, we were very encouraged,” said Dora FFA adviser Paula Bodenhamer. “I really want to send our compliments to the Hootin an Hollarin committee for letting us have the Bull Blast on Friday night. Afterward, lots of people made it up to the square to square dance and eat at the vendor booths.”

Gainesville FFA adviser Jon Wilson agreed. “I’m very thankful that the Hootin an Hollarin committee agreed to let us do that on the Friday night of the festival,” Wilson said. “We appreciate their cooperation. I feel it was a great benefit to the Ozark County FFA chapters and to the Hootin an Hollarin event. There were lots of people who left the rodeo grounds to go up on the square, whether it was to get something to eat, look at vendor booths or square dance.”

More than a year ago, Gainesville Saddle Club president and former Gainesville FFA chapter president Monty Hambelton approached Jon Wilson and asked if the Ozark County FFA chapters would be interested in helping host a major event, like a bull-riding competition, at the saddle club arena, with all proceeds going to help FFA students. Originally, the event was going to be held in 2020, but it, along with Hootin an Hollarin and many other events, was canceled due to the covid pandemic.

“We had started doing some work on it last year,” Wilson said.  “The saddle club was wanting to have an event that added to Hootin an Hollarin, brought more people to the community and benefited our county FFA chapters. Monty asked me if I would get in contact with all our ag teachers and see what they would be willing to do. They all thought it was a great idea, and that’s how it got started.”

Members of the Bakersfield, Dora, Gainesville and Lutie chapters went out in their part of the county and sold ads and sponsorships for the event. “So we basically covered all of Ozark County, part of Mountain Home [Arkansas] and some of West Plains,” Wilson said. “Everybody did their part, and I thought it was very positive. I was excited about the number of students we had working at the Bull Blast. We had kids at the gate. We had kids at concession. We had kids that set up and tore down. Everyone was working together, from all the schools, and it was pretty cool to see that.”

Lutie FFA adviser Buck Comstock was also very pleased with how the event unfolded. “I feel like the FFA Bull Blast was a huge success for all involved,” Comstock said. “It promotes great interaction between our local FFA chapters and our communities. We had a great turnout and look forward to the opportunity to do it again next year.”

Bakersfield FFA adviser Jordan Griggs agreed with his fellow advisers. “We made a great team, and all the students and advisers worked very hard on this,” he said, adding that the event wouldn’t have been possible without all the chapters working together.

All proceeds from sponsorships, gate admission and concessions will be divided up between the four schools. “We’ve been meeting on this since probably June, and we laid some expectations and ground rules and how it was going to benefit our chapters,” Wilson said. “We’re still working on figuring the total net profit. We still have a few bills coming in. The generosity of our community was amazing, and we’re all very grateful.”

Money earned from the Bull Blast will go toward various FFA events, such as student registration, transportation and lodging at the FFA national convention Oct. 27-30 in Indianapolis, chapter banquets and other activities.

The FFA advisers expressed their appreciation to the Hootin an Hollarin committee, the Gainesville Saddle Club, the city of Gainesville, businesses who bought sponsorships and rodeo contractor Rough Stock Unlimited. “Monty and his brothers, and Kevin Meek and his bunch were tremendous,” said Bodenhamer. “Those guys stepped up and did a really great thing for our kids.”

Ozark County Times

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