MPCC rodeo team changes event plan

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Changes are in store for the fifth annual Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team Banquet.

The event will be Feb. 10 at the D and N Event Center in North Platte – a move from the Holiday Inn Express, where it has been in years past.

“We basically outgrew the Holiday Inn,” said Dustin Elliott, MPCC rodeo team rough stock coach. “It’s a good problem to have.”

Not only will the new location provide more space, but it will also change the “feel” of the event.

“We’re trying to make it more western - not fine china and a suit and tie,” said Elliott. “We’re cowboys. We want the event to be more like a chuck wagon feed.”

Another change is that the rodeo team will be doing all the work – from setting up and tearing down to serving the food. While prime rib and Rocky Mountain oysters will still be on the menu, the team has found a new caterer in Dale and Peg Arensdorf’s Sandhills Catering company out of Tryon.

Proceeds from the banquet will be put toward scholarships and practice equipment for rodeo team members.

“Money from previous banquets has helped buy two trailers, a bucking machine and other timed event equipment,” Elliott said. “All of those purchases will be on display at this year’s banquet so people can see what their money is going toward.”

The Wranglers, the official booster committee of the MPCC Rodeo Team, will continue to serve as sponsors for the banquet.

The event will begin with a social hour and silent auction at 5:30 p.m., followed by supper and a live auction at 7 p.m.

The rodeo team will be recognized during the meal. Elliott and Garrett Nokes, the team’s timed event coach, will provide a recap of the 2017-18 rodeo season thus far and talk about the team’s goals for the future.

The Wranglers will also present a $1,000 Dual Excellence Scholarship to a rodeo team member who has demonstrated tremendous success in both the arena and the classroom.

A beef quarter donated by Bob Ryland, of Tryon, will be raffled at the end of the night. Tickets are available ahead of the banquet.