Breckenridge Texan

Stephens County’s annual Frontier Days event bridges the more than 150-year gap between the area’s rough-and-tumble pioneer beginnings and today’s modern society.

At the two-day event, which starts on Friday, May 4, attendees can watch a western-style gunfight, eat lunch from a chuckwagon, play Cow Patty Bingo and watch the kids have a stick horse race. On the other hand, they can also enjoy the Miss Breckenridge Pageant, Kids Got Talent competition and Breckenridge Idol contest, as well as play disc golf, ride carnival rides and admire the entries in the Classic Car Show.

The 2018 Frontier Days will take place in the general vicinity of the Breck Trade Days barn and the Breckenridge City Park. Specifically, much of the area between Walker and Elliott streets and between Robert Avenue and South Camden Street will be used for the event. Being held in conjunction with Frontier Days is the Ranch Rodeo, hosted by the Ridge Cowboy Church at the Stephens County Arena and Ag Barn, 188 CR 245. For a map of the Frontier Days area, as well as a schedule that you can print or download into your computer or phone, click on the link toward the end of this article.

In the past, Frontier Days was mostly confined to the city park area around the pavilion, but added events and activities prompted organizers to move the event last year a few yards to the south. “We just outgrew the city park,” said Rhonda Crawford, Executive Director of the Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce. “Plus, the Breck Trade Days area has electricity. We can have all of the vendors and food vendors centrally located with picnic tables for people to sit at. The vendors were really happy with the changes we made last year.”

Crawford said that the city rolled the area, flattening out the ground to get rid of rocks, so that it won’t be a problem for elderly people or those with baby strollers. She said they are expecting 2,500 or more people to attend the two-day event.

There are some official Frontier Days events, such as the chuckwagon cook-off and Breckenridge Idol, but there are also some other events that are taking place in conjunction with Frontier Days this weekend, including a ranch rodeo, 5K run and more.

Frontier Days starts on Friday evening, May 4, with a 42 tournament and the Miss Breckenridge Pageant. Activities continue on Saturday, May 5, with vendor booths opening at 8 a.m. and the chuckwagon cookoff judging at 11:30 a.m. Saturday’s events wrap up with the 12th annual Breckenridge Idol competition. For more information on Frontier Days, call the Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce at 254-559-2301,

Here is a schedule of events and activities:

42 Tournament
The 42 Tournament will begin with registration at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 4, at the Breck Trade Days Barn. Games will start at 6 p.m. The cost will be $10 per player or $20 per team. There will be cash prizes and a gift certificate prize. The tournament is limited to the first 32 people or 16 teams to sign up. For more information, call Mike Parrack at Interbank at 254-559-3333 or the Chamber.

Miss Breckenridge Pageant
The 2018 Miss Breckenridge Pageant will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, May 4, in the Breck Trade Days Barn. There are four divisions, ranging from babies to 19 year-olds. For more information, call Shayla Speck at 254-246-2044 or the Chamber.

5K Fun Run/Walk
A 5K Fun Run/Walk will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 5, at the Breckenridge City Park, 503 E. Hullum St. Entry fee is $15 per person, and event will benefit the Team for Kids charity. Participants can pre-register at the Chamber of Commerce and at the Breckenridge Medical Clinic, 101 S. Hartford St. Registration on the day of the 5K will take place in the park. For more information, call Barbara Medina at 325-370-8912 or the Chamber.

Car Show
The Frontier Days organizers have added something new this year – a car show. The last car show in Breckenridge was in 2016, and the last several car shows were held in July. This year, it has been combined with Frontier Days and will be located in the Breckenridge City Park parking lot. Registration will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, May 5. There is no entry fee, and awards will be given in each class, for the Top 10 and “People’s Choice.” There will be prizes for the Best of Show, Furthest Distance, Best Paint and Best Engine. Car Classes include Pre-1955, 1956-1959, 1960-1979, 1980-1999 and 2000-Present. Truck classes are Pre-1980, 1981-Present and Diesel. There are also classes for Competition Cars, Motorcycles and Rat Rods. The awards will be announced at 3 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call the Chamber.

Soccer Games
Throughout the day on Saturday, May 5, the Breckenridge Youth Soccer league will be playing games at the fields located north of the Breck Trade Days barn.

Gunfighter Shows
The first of the Lone Star Lead and Lace gunfighter shows will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 5, at Frontier Town, which will be located between the carnival area and the vendors. Additional shows will be at 1:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Lone Star Lead and Lace is a group of Texas volunteers who dress in Old West-style clothes and present gunfight shows.

No Brakes Skate Jam
New to the lineup this year is the No Brakes Skate Jam skateboard competition. Registration will begin at 11 a.m., and the contest is expected to continue until 6 p.m. The awards are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The event will take place at the skateboard park in the City Park, 320 Old Caddo Road, just east of the Breck Trade Days barn. The competition will be open to all ages. There is a $5 entry fee, and there will be $800 in prizes and cash awarded. Additionally, there will be raffles throughout the day. The contest will include three divisions and two-minute jams.

Pet Parade
Update: The Pet Parade has been canceled by the Stephens County Humane Society due to a lack of volunteers.
The Frontier Days Pet Parade will kickoff with registration at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 5, in the area near the pool entrance. The parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. All dogs must be on a lease and have current vaccinations. Additionally, all dogs must get along with other dogs, or they will be disqualified, and all humans will have plastic bags and will need to clean up after their pets. The contest categories include: Best Costume, Biggest Pet, Smallest Pet, Best Owner-Pet Look Alike, Best of Show (adult dog), Best of Show (puppy) and Best of Show (rescue dog only). More more information, call the Chamber.

Chuckwagon Cook-off
There are seven chuckwagons entered in this year’s contest, and judging will begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 5, The chuckwagon lunch will be served at noon and will include chicken fried steak, beans, potatoes, bread, dessert, and tea or water. Tickets cost $15 each and may be purchased at the Chamber, 100 E. Elm St. Additionally, at noon, the First National Bank Weenie Wagon will have hotdogs for the kids.

Entertainment
Kyle Fambro will perform at noon Saturday, may 5, in the Breck Trade Days barn. At 7 p.m. in the Trade Days barn, Chasity Blevins and Brittany Savoy will perform.

Disc Golf
A Doubles Disc Golf Tournament will begin with registration at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at the Breckenridge City Park Disc Golf Course, which begins at the course headquarters on East Williams Street, just behind the old American Legion building. There will be a $20 entry fee per player. The contest will have two divisions – Open and Rec – and an 80 percent payout for the first, second and third place teams, with 20 percent going to the Breckenridge Disc Golf Association. Following registration, there will be a Player Meeting at 1:45 p.m. and a shotgun start at 2 p.m. There will be an optional Ace Pot for $5 per person. For more information, call Darrell at 254-246-0032.

Cow Patty Bingo
The annual fundraiser Cow Patty Bingo will begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, when the cow will be let loose onto the soccer fields at the park. Tickets will be sold in advance for $10 each; only 300 are available. Wherever the majority of the first cow patty lands will determine the winner. The winner will receive 50 percent of the total sales, and the remaining proceeds will benefit the Breckenridge High School Class of 2020. The winner does not have to be present to win. For more information, call Carrol Kanady at 254-559-0443 or the Chamber.

Stick Horse Race
The annual Frontier Days Stick Horse Race will begin with registration at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, in the Frontier Town area, which will be set up just east of the Carnival. There will be no entry fee, and riders will be divided into four classes: Little Buckaroos – ages 3 and younger; Broncos – ages 4-6; Buckaroos – ages 7-10; and Townspeople – ages 11 and up. Ribbons will be given to first, second and third place, and prizes will be awarded to the Overall Winner in each class, the Best Dressed Stick Horse Rider and the Overall Team Winners. For more information, call the Chamber.

Kids Got Talent
Breckenridge’s second annual Kids Got Talent contest will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at the Breck Trade Days barn. The competition is open to children under the age of 12, and there will be up to 20 contestants. The entry fee is $10 each, and cash prizes will be given for first, second and third places. For more information, call the Chamber.

Breckenridge Idol
Eleven contestants will compete in the 12th season of Breckenridge Idol. The event is set to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, in the Breck Trade Days barn, at 301 Dunigan St. This year’s participants are Maria Freeman, Jacob Glick, Michael Hilari, Savannah Leal, Kim McCoy, Tyler Moses, Kalee Nickell, Halie Pate, Krista Sharpe, Sarah Shumate and Farrell Stuard. The winner will receive $1,000 cash and five hours of studio time at Roughwood Recording Studio. Second and third place will receive $350 and $150, respectively.

Carnival
A carnival will once again be a part of Frontier Days. It will be set up south of the soccer fields, on the corner of Robert Avenue and Hullum Street. It is scheduled to open Friday night, May 4, and continue through Sunday evening, May 6. Wristbands will be available for $20 on Friday night (6-10 p.m.) and Sunday (1-5 p.m.). Individual ride tickets will also be available for purchase.

Ranch Rodeo and Concert
In conjunction with Frontier Days, the Ridge Cowboy Church is hosting a Ranch Rodeo at the Stephens County Arena and Ag Barn, 188 County Road 245, on Saturday and Sunday, May 5-6. The event will start at 10 a.m. Saturday with an Open Ranch Rodeo for four-man teams to compete in wild cow milking, branding, mugging and penning. The entry fee will be $1,000 per team, and there is a 100 percent payout guarantee. The rodeo events will continue at 7 p.m. Saturday with the Bronc Fling, which will include Open Ranch Bronc ($150), Open Saddle Bronc ($150), Open Bare Back ($150), Junior Ranch Bronc – ages 13-17 ($75) and Pony Ranch Bronc – ages 8-12 – Ride Your Saddle ($50). On Sunday, the Youth Ranch Rodeo will begin at 2 p.m. and will be open to teams of three members age 17 or younger plus one parent of a team member; the youngest team member will rope first. The fee will be $300 per team, and the events will include Rope, Mug and Tie; Rope, Drag and Brand; Sort, Rope and Doctor; and, a Wild Pony Race. For more information, call Will Barrett at 817-598-6700.

The Ridge Cowboy Church also will present a concert by Shane Brooks from 9 p.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. Sunday at the arena. Tickets will cost $10 in advance at the Chamber of Commerce or $15 at the door. All proceeds will go to the church’s ministries.

For a downloadable/printable schedule and map of Frontier Days activities and events, click the link below:
2018FrontierDaysSchedule

Story by Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

Cutline, top photo: Frontier Town, which will be located between the carnival and vendor areas, will be the site of several gunfighter shows and the annual Stick Horse Race on Saturday, May 5, during the 2018 Stephens County Frontier Days. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)