Rodeo at Cal Expo to raise funds for The Firefighters Burn Institute
Sac-Town Rodeo returns to Cal Expo Saturday and Sunday to raise funds for burn victims, their families, and firefighters throughout Sacramento and Northern California.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Sac-Town Rodeo returns to Cal Expo Saturday and Sunday to raise funds for burn victims, their families, and firefighters throughout Sacramento and northern California.
“Where tradition meets tribute,” the two-day, family-friendly event brings high-energy rodeo action in support of a good cause. Events include bull riding, bronc riding, mutton bustin’, cowboy poker and more.
David Halimi, executive producer for Sac-Town Rodeo, spoke on how his brother and he founded the event.
“He wanted to support the heroic actions of our firefighters, so I agreed to do that [Sac-Town Rodeo] last year, and we sold out the first year! It was well received by the community,” Halimi said.
The rodeo supports The Firefighters Burn Institute, an organization connected to a deeply meaningful piece of Sacramento history. In 1972, a jet crashed into Sacramento’s Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor, a tragedy that killed 23 people and left many others with serious burn injuries. The organization was founded a year later in December to provide support for the specialized burn treatment for the survivors and many others in the years since.
“We didn’t have a burn unit in Sacramento, so in 1974 we had a fire captain named Cliff Haskell and he founded us and was able to create a burn unit,” said Sarah Valentine, the events and marketing manager for The Firefighters Burn Institute. “We’ve been helping ever since and we’ve expanded our mission to more programs and help for all burn survivors.”
Sac-Town Rodeo is happening Saturday from 6 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. and Sunday from 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at the Cal Expo Rodeo Arena. Tickets and more info are available at sactownrodeo.com.
If you’d like to support or get involved with The Firefighters Burn Institute, more information can be found at ffburn.org.
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