{"id":168,"date":"2026-07-14T13:25:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T19:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/?p=168"},"modified":"2026-07-14T13:25:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T19:25:55","slug":"willow-creek-muddy-boots-rodeo-bbq-bash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/?p=168","title":{"rendered":"Willow Creek Muddy Boots Rodeo &amp; BBQ Bash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When: Friday\u2013Sunday, July 25\u201327, 2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where: Willow Creek Rodeo Grounds &amp; Fairgrounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhere the dirt flies, the ribs smoke, and everyone\u2019s boots get properly muddy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Friday Night \u2013 Boot Stompin\u2019 Kickoff<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>6:00 PM: Gates open with a <strong>Junior Rodeo<\/strong> (calf roping, barrel racing, and mutton bustin\u2019 for the kids)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>7:30 PM: All-you-can-eat <strong>Smoked Brisket &amp; Rib Feed<\/strong> (sponsored by the local 4-H and three competing BBQ teams)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>8:30 PM: Live country music with <strong>The Haywire Band<\/strong> + mechanical bull riding (with prizes for longest ride)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Saturday \u2013 Main Rodeo Day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>All day:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Professional rodeo events: Bull riding, saddle bronc, steer wrestling, team roping<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kids\u2019 petting zoo &amp; pony rides<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vendor row with handmade leather goods, cowboy hats, fresh lemonade, and kettle corn<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Water balloon toss &amp; watermelon seed spitting contest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>11:00 AM: <strong>Biggest Watermelon Contest<\/strong> (weigh-ins and judging)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2:00 PM: <strong>Tractor Parade<\/strong> through town (decorated tractors, antique farm equipment, kids on mini tractors)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4:00 PM: <strong>Muddy Boot Obstacle Course<\/strong> (for adults and teens \u2013 expect lots of laughter and dirty clothes)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>7:00 PM: Evening rodeo finals + fireworks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>9:00 PM: Dance under the stars with a DJ spinning classic country and line dancing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sunday \u2013 Family &amp; Recovery Day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Morning: Pancake breakfast cooked on giant griddles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>10:00 AM: Church service at the rodeo arena (on hay bales)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Afternoon: Horseback riding demos, roping clinics, and a \u201cMeet the Rodeo Stock\u201d area<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3:00 PM: <strong>Pie Auction<\/strong> (proceeds go to the local volunteer fire department)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>5:00 PM: Closing ceremony with awards and a \u201cThank You Farmers &amp; Cowboys\u201d speech<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Special Features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Free admission for anyone wearing cowboy boots or a cowboy hat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cMuddy Boot Club\u201d \u2013 get your boots stamped after completing the obstacle course for a free drink ticket<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Family-friendly during the day, livelier at night<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Camping spots available on the fairgrounds for the full weekend experience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When: Friday\u2013Sunday, July 25\u201327, 2026 Where: Willow Creek Rodeo Grounds &amp; Fairgrounds \u201cWhere the dirt flies, the ribs smoke, and everyone\u2019s boots get properly muddy.\u201d Friday Night \u2013 Boot Stompin\u2019 Kickoff Saturday \u2013 Main Rodeo Day Sunday \u2013 Family &amp; Recovery Day Special Features<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":171,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=168"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173,"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions\/173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monticelloiowaheritagecenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}