Renowned horseback riders from across the nation will compete in the Brown Family Ranch’s largest rodeo yet in rural Gary this weekend.
The 11th Annual Gaming Show Rodeo will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Brown Family Ranch, 2246 Mississippi St. in Gary. Competitors of all ages will perform in timed events, roping and speed and agility courses.
About 150 competitors from Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, Texas, South Carolina and more are expected to converge at the annual rodeo, which began as a bonfire among fellow equestrians and farmers.
“Each year it gets bigger and bigger,” Chris Brown, a co-owner of Brown Family Ranch, said. “Last year, we totaled 120 competitors both days, and last year was our first year of making it a whole weekend. This year is supposed to be even bigger than that, so we have definitely seen awareness of what we do here spread across the country. This whole rodeo used to be a small one day event and now it’s this big camaraderie of people.”
The rodeo will also include food vendors, live music, mini pony rides, face painting, bounce houses and local vendors. Southern soul musical artist Kevin “K James” Edwards will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, followed by the annual bonfire lighting at 9 p.m. Shortly following the bonfire lighting, the ranch will put on an extensive fireworks show.
Horses, broncos, cattle, sheep and goats will be included in the competitions, with some activities geared toward school-aged cowboys and cowgirls. As a child, Chris Brown recalled his father and grandfather teaching him about how to ride and care for horses, which ultimately led him to his current career.
“I was 7 years old when I learned to ride and it changed my life tremendously,” Chris Brown said. “I learned from my dad and grandad…. It changed my life because it brought me that much closer to loving horses and loving the sport of horsemanship. With horses, it also taught me patience. That amount of time and the practice it takes you to ride will ultimately teach you patience, which I use in my day to day life.”
Chris Brown said much of the ticket sales goes toward the Brown Family Ranch Community Outreach Scholarship Program, where the family gives two to three scholarships to graduating seniors or college students for higher education tuition.
More Top Picks Best Insulated Coffee Carafes
Education and youth programs have become a focus of the ranch led by co-owner Nakisha Brown, Chris Brown’s wife. Every summer, the Brown Family Ranch Equestrian & Agriculture Summer Camp runs from late May through mid-July, geared toward local children.
“We do a multitude of different things here, like our summer camps where the kids meet at the ranch and learn about agriculture and equestrianship,” Chris Brown said. “We also do arts and crafts, teach them about nature and show them how to care for the animals on the premises. It has so much of a positive impact on these kids, not just in the community that our ranch is held in, but all around Northwest Indiana.”
The family also offers private horseback riding lessons and educational ranch tours to schools, churches, organizations, businesses and community groups. They also hold an Easter celebration, a fall hayride event and a winter wonderland fundraiser, where they will raise funds to donate Christmas presents to families in need.
The Brown Family Ranch’s story began more than 50 years ago when Johnny Brown bought the property to care for gaited horses, a breed of horses known for their distinct walk and intelligence. He passed it down to his son, Charles Hall, who owned the land as a private ranch. Charles Hall later bequeathed the property to his wife and children when his health declined, family said. Currently the 4-acre ranch is run by Louise Litt-Hall, Chris Brown and Nakisha Brown.
Before Charles Hall died five years ago, Chris Brown said he had one wish for the ranch that he wanted his family to carry out.
“We took over about two years after he passed,” Chris Brown said. “When he was alive, it was a private ranch. Once his health started diminishing, I was basically running it, back then. One of the last things he asked me to do is open the ranch to the public and teach those who are less fortunate about equestrianship and farming.”
This past August’s damage-causing storm brought havoc on the ranch, and clean-up efforts have been ongoing since. Brown said the rodeo is something they have remained steadfast in making happen, even after enduring a natural disaster.
“We sustained a lot of damage,” Chris Brown said. “It tore the roof off one of our units and we had five sections of fence to repair, plus numerous trees to be cut. We just got done with all the work the past couple of weeks to get back to what it originally was. It hasn’t been easy, but people have come to help us, voluntarily, on their own, and we are forever in their debt.”
Over the years, the event has become a local small business market with vendors selling artisan-made apparel, accessories, crafts, homemade country desserts, fresh eggs and barbecue. Tickets can be pre-purchased online at brownfamilyranch.org and are $20 for adults and $7 for children 5 and under, cash-only at the door. Individuals are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to the event.
“I think this provides something very unique,” Chris Brown said. “Most of the time, the average person thinks they have to go to a rural place to see something like this. Who would have ever thought that we could see a full on rodeo right here in your own city. Whoever thought you’d see someone teaching people how to ride horses, right here in your city. So it’s a very special, positive thing we are doing here in Gary …we want everyone to be a part of it.”
Anna Ortiz is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
More Top Picks Space Heaters