History of Rowell Rodeo’s Grand Entrance

photo courtesy of Darrell Lavin/ lavinphotos.com

Brooke Fagundes races down the hills behind the Rowell Ranch Rodeo grounds as part of the annual Grand Entry. This year’s opening ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 18.

A lone rider perches atop Harry’s Hill. A massive American flag is saddled next to her right leg as she grips the flagpole in her hand, the other tightly wrapped around the horse's reigns. The crowd below cheers and claps in anticipation when suddenly… the rider thunders down the hill at full speed and bursts through the gates and into the arena. 

Since the 1950s, the Rowell Ranch Rodeo has included a procession into the rodeo grounds to signify the beginning of each day's events. Once the rider arrives and the crowd settles down, the announcer leads the group into the National Anthem for a very Americana-type experience.

And while the tradition has evolved from a slow parade of contestants to the current downhill charge, the experience of the Grand Entry should not be missed.

“To have that kind of power coming down the hill at such a speed… it’s a rush,” Cindy Rosser told the Forum. “You gotta have a good horse that’s sure-footed, and hopefully, there’s no rocks or divots in the way.” 

Cindy hung up her spurs in the late 2000s. Since then, the Grand Entry rider has been Rowell Rodeo cowgirl legend Brooke Fagundes.

“There’s just something about that hill,” Rosser says.

Rosser spent 20 years making the descent from the hills above Rowell Ranch. Her mother, Linda, was the first to lead the procession into the Grand Entry, although the early days were more like a slow parade than a full downhill charge. Originally, the ranchers and participants gathered on the east side of the park and marched into the arena.

Several decades ago, Cotton Rosser (Linda's husband and Cindy's father) was the rodeo’s stock contractor and friend to Harry Rowell. Cotton and long-time Castro Valley resident Cecil Jones were trying to think of a way to make the rodeo’s grand entry that much more spectacular. They both looked at Harry’s Hill, and that’s how the idea began. Jones led a few Grand Entry rides of his own.

Eventually, Cindy took the reins from her mother and drove down the hill as part of the Grand Entry for many years. 

“I’ve done this opening ceremony since I was 14,” Rosser says. “I’ve done lots of things. I’ve jumped through paper horseshoes, come out of a cowboy boot, ridden through a Liberty Bell on horseback. The entry with the flag was just another one of those things that we did to entertain the crowd.”

The Rowell Ranch Pro Rodeo runs May 17 to 19. The Grand Entry will be held daily (Friday, May 17 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, May 18 at 3 p.m.; and Sunday, May 19 at 1:30 p.m.). 

Visit www.rowellranchrodeo.com to learn more and to purchase tickets.  Tickets are also available at the gate on the day of the performance.