The 4th Annual D.J. Allen Memorial Bull Riding and Mutton Bustin is set to take place from 6 PM – 10 PM on Saturday, August 17th at the Earl Q. Wilson Arena in Brownwood.
The event will include a silent auction and snack bar. Attendees are allowed to bring in coolers, BYOB. All proceeds pay for the event and any remaining funds are donated each year to the Brown County Youth Fair in Allen’s memory.
The evening will kick off with the first set of bull riders, then the mutton bustin followed by the final set of bull riding. Buckles will be awarded to the bull riding champion, co-champion and to the mutton bustin champion. The Mutton Bustin’ competition will be open to 15 entries for contestants 6 and under. The entry fee for this event is $20.00. The Bull Riding competition will be an open bull riding with a $100.00 entry fee. This year, $2,000 has been added to the bull riding prize.
Gate fees are $8 for adults, $4 for children 7-18, and 6 and under are free to watch the event. Box seats are $75 for 8 chairs.
Sponsorships of the event are available for businesses or individuals. Banners which will be displayed on the arena are available for $150. Chute sponsorships are also available as well.
The event is dedicated each year to the memory of D.J. Allen, a 22-year-old bull rider who was killed in a car accident on the way to a bull riding event. According to his parents, Joann and Meridath Sayles, the event is a way to honor him and the sport he loved. Each year they organize the event themselves and hope to gain sponsorships to be able to continue the event. Their hope is to develop the event into the premier bull riding competition in the region.
“This is the only thing we could do to keep his name alive and honor him,” said Mr. Sayles. “God blessed him with the talent that he was given and DJ knew it, he used it and was blessed to have touched so many lives.”
Mr. Sayles stated that Allen was known all over the west Texas area for his bull riding and that after graduating from Cahoma High School, he received a full scholarship to Howard College in Big Spring where he graduated in 2007.
After Allen went to college, his parents decided to move to the Lake Brownwood area. Allen decided after college to follow them to the area. He worked full time during the week and went to rodeos every weekend to make his dream of becoming a professional bull rider a reality.
Mark your calendar for August 17th and plan to enjoy some great bull riding. To enter the competition, sponsor the event or for more information please call 325-998-7716.