Tanner High School has its truck and tractor pull.

Athens Bible School has its musical explosion.

Now, Clements High School has its rodeo.

These events are becoming known in Limestone County for helping local schools, and they usually occur before a packed house.

“We’ve raised $40,000 in three years for Clements athletic programs,” said Clements Rodeo Chairman Dennis Clem. “If you go down and see the beautiful baseball field and the girls softball field at the school, it will show you where the money is going.”

This Friday and Saturday, he hopes to see capacity crowds at the fourth-annual Clements Rodeo at the Limestone County Sheriff’s Arena. Performances start at 8 both nights.

“We have used a lot of money we’ve raised from the rodeo on the lighting of the ball fields,” said Clem. “We’ll use the money we make from this rodeo to continue paying our bills and supporting the Clements athletic programs.”

Prize money for rodeo events has increased this year, which is expected to draw more top rodeo names to the event.

“We’re going to have a lot of local cowboys competing this year too,” he said. “We’ve got John Russell, Keith Clem and Clint Legg in the steer wrestling event and there will be Charlie Simmons and Jamison Johnson in there competing too.”

Those local cowboys have been practicing almost every weekend and at least two nights during the week at Clem’s farm on New Cut Road.

“They have put a lot of time in it,” Clem said. “They enjoy it.”

The Professional Cowboys Association sanctions the Clements Rodeo.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children. Preschoolers are admitted free. Advance tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children, and may be purchased at Agri-City Tractor, Champion Chrysler Dodge of Athens, Preston’s Western Wear, Jiffy’s on Market Street, County Cuisine in Rogersville and Clements High School.

Gates open at 6 p.m. and Gold Rush begins at 7:30.

A John Deere 16-horsepower lawnmower will be raffled Saturday night. Tickets are $5 each. You do not have to be present to win.

In addition, there will be a Little Miss Rodeo and Little Wrangler Contest this year.

Special events include the Gold Rush, calf scramble and steer race.

Rodeo events will include bareback riding, saddle-bronc riding, calf roping, girls breakaway roping, steer wrestling, girls barrel racing, team roping and bull riding.

Clem said he expects perfect weather conditions this weekend, however, the rodeo will go on as scheduled if it rains, he said.

“It has been so dry that if we get rain it won’t hurt us,” he said. “We will have a rodeo this weekend come rain or shine.”