SECOND ANNUAL PINCKNEY RODEO TO RAISE FUNDS FOR DARE PROGRAM

Pro Cowboys, Amateurs Ready To Ride

PUTNAM TOWNSHIP - The Pinckney area will become a little more country
when the rodeo comes to town next week.

The second annual Pinckney Rodeo, a fund-raiser for the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education (DARE) program for Pinckney Community Schools,
will feature professional and amateur cowboys who will ride bulls and
wrestle steers.

The event will be Sept. 25 at TMZ Farms on Patterson Lake
Road.

"Rain or shine, we are going to play," said Cathy Johnston, one of the
rodeo's organizers. "Cowboys are going to be there to make their
money, and they're going to have their game faces on."

The goal is to raise at least $7,000 to fund the DARE program for the
school district's seventh-graders during the current school year. The
money would pay for books, other educational materials and a portion
of the salary of the Livingston County sheriff's deputy designated for
the program.

Under the DARE program, a uniformed officer makes regular visits to
schools to teach children strategies for avoiding drug and alcohol
use. It shows kids the consequences of using drugs and teaches them
different ways to say no when someone offers them drugs.

The program was suspended in Pinckney schools this year because of
budget cuts. The Sheriff's Department wants community support to restart it.

"I'm a big supporter of the DARE program," Livingston County
Undersheriff Bob Bezotte said. "I think it has a big impact on the
youth, especially when they are impressionable."

Getting to kids at that critical phase of their life helps them make
better decisions in several different areas, from saying no to drugs
and alcohol to interacting with law enforcement, he said.

If kids have positive interaction with law enforcement while growing
up, they will be more likely to continue to respect it, Bezotte said.

"It's very important for the officer to get involved with the kids and
local leaders and law enforcement to work toward the same goal.

The rodeo started last year to help raise money for the construction
of Unity Park in the Putnam Township Square in downtown Pinckney. It
attracted 2,000 people and raised between $15,000 and $20,000.

"It was a fun event, and the community liked it so much we decided to
make it an annual event," said Kevin MacRitchie, who owns the 80-acre
TMZ Farms with his wife, Renee.

The MacRitchies raise farm livestock like cattle and exotic animals
like buffalo. The rodeo will be on 20 acres of the farm while the
MacRitchies' herd is penned off on the rest of the property.

The event will be a full-blown rodeo, featuring bull riding, saddle
bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, team roping and steer wrestling.
Organizers are expecting a mix of amateur and professional cowboys
from all over the Midwest to compete for cash prizes.

The rodeo also will feature family activities and events for kids.
There will be a craft show, pony rides, live bands and a petting zoo.
Several local merchants will have tents.

The rodeo brings positive attention to the community, said Mary Jo
Cartwright, president of the Pinckney Downtown Development Authority.

"It's a big thing for Pinckney to be known for something like
this."

* Jon Zemke is a Metro Detroit free-lance writer.