Longtime fundraiser for community center and pool draws families, contestants, for weekend fun
By Maylia Baird
For Paso Robles Press
CRESTON — The Creston Classic Rodeo returned this year on Sept. 12 for its 28th annual weekend-long event. Event performances each night started off with the national anthem and then straight into the rodeo activities, which included barrel racing, roping, mutton busting, and more. The rodeo was packed with vendors, food trucks, horse trailers, and families filling the bleachers and enjoying their food as they watched the contestants compete in the arena.
This rodeo has been around since 1996 and has a background that is special to the Creston community. The rodeo was started by the Ryan family and has served the community since by raising money for Creston’s public pool and community center. Creston used to be the only town, besides Pozo, in San Luis Obispo County without a community center, so the rodeo served as a fundraiser to help build the center. Creston has always been a tightly knit community, and citizens have worked together for decades to provide funding for their town and public places.
When asked why this event is important to him and the community, Creston Classic Rodeo Secretary Jeff Rigby told Paso Robles Press, “This event is a fundraiser for the community and so it raises money to make improvements on our community center. Thirty years ago, we didn’t have a community center. It also goes to the Creston swimming pool so that in the summertime, the kids all swim for free.”
The Creston Activities Town Center Helping Hands (CATCH) Fund first began in 1992 and the Creston Classic Rodeo donated almost $100,000 to the fund in 2009 for the community center. Organizers have been maintaining and making improvements on it since with the help of the local rodeo’s donations.
This event takes months to prepare for and for 28 years — besides providing funding for the town — has provided an entertaining event for people and their families to attend.
“It’s everything that’s good about America,” Rigby says. “It’s Western tradition.”
The contestants work very hard and practice regularly to be able to perform as well as they do. The sport can be very competitive, as each rider works hard to win, but they are also very supportive and considerate of one another.
“You know, these competitors are the salt of the earth,” Rigby adds. “They work hard, play hard, and honesty and integrity still means something [to them]. This is one of the few events that you’ll ever see where you could be roping really well, and you’re going to get a paycheck, and then some cowboy comes in and out-rope and outrides you, and people still cheer.”
The Creston Classic Rodeo values its relationships with sponsors and is always welcoming new ones. They also appreciate their volunteers and are always looking for people who can provide extra help.
The next rodeo will be held on a weekend in September 2025. Next year, the event will celebrate its 29th year. For more information about this year’s rodeo contestants, winners, and vendors, you can visit crestonclassicrodeo.org.
Feature Image: Winners of the mutton busting competition are shown at the Creston Classic Rodeo, which happened the weekend of Sept. 12-15. Photo Courtesy of Chuck and Vikki Houck
