by Alicia Erickson, Director of Alumni Relations
The DSU Rodeo Council and Blue Hawk Rodeo Team are pleased to announce their annual Cowboys & Candlelight fundraiser will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at the Roosevelt Grand Dakota Lodge (formerly the Ramada Grand Dakota Lodge). This year’s event will raise dollars to support the DSU Rodeo Team.
The event will present the Arena of Excellence Awards to Ryan and Susan Hanna. This couple met at Dickinson State University when they both competed on the Blue Hawk Rodeo Team. Ryan in steer wrestling and Susan in barrel racing, goat tying, and breakaway roping. Today, they ranch by Berthold, ND, with their two children, Hayes (15) and Maysa (11). Susan is a preschool/Title 1 teacher with Lewis & Clark Elementary. Ryan ranches and is known throughout the region as a pickup man. The family enjoys continuing to support their western lifestyle by attending rodeos and making it a family affair.
According to Jade Boote, a member of the Blue Hawk Rodeo Team, “Cowboys and Candlelight is a great fundraiser for the DSU Rodeo Team as it allows our community members to come out, meet, and support our DSU Rodeo Team.”
Rodeo has a rich tradition at Dickinson State since it has been a club sport at Dickinson State University since 1957. “The DSU Rodeo Team and Club currently has 35 members with students from across North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Montana,” stated Jade. “We compete in the Great Plains Region which is made up of 10 schools from North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Our season is split, so we travel to 6 college rodeos in the fall and 4 college rodeos in the spring. For a school of our size, Dickinson State University does a great job in competing amongst the big schools like NDSU, SDSU, Iowa, and Nebraska. Without the support of our community in providing scholarship dollars, we wouldn’t be where we are today. This event is a major part of our fundraising efforts as we rely heavily on our wonderful supporters. Their support allows us to be competitive with scholarships, keep practice cattle, make improvements to our program and go down the road competing. We couldn’t do what we do without this event.”
Last May, they were named the 2018-2019 NIRA Great Plains Region Rodeo of the Year honors.
Tickets for the event are $60 and include a prime rib dinner along with a dance featuring RG Wild Entertainment. They can be purchased by calling the DSU Department of Agriculture at (701) 483-2185 or the DSU Heritage Foundation at (701) 483-2557.
