McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

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February 7, 2010

Benefit concert proposed

Planners hope to raise money to pay prison rodeo costs

By James Beaty

The announced cancellation of this year’s Oklahoma State Penitentiary Prison Rodeo has resulted in a flurry of suggestions.

Why not hold a benefit concert — either to raise enough money to go ahead and hold the rodeo later this year, or enough to pay for some much-needed repairs for the prison’s rodeo arena?

Discussions are under way on two fronts. The McAlester Chamber of Commerce has a committee that’s been looking into raising funds for the arena repairs.

Meanwhile, District 18 state Rep. Terry Harrison, D-McAlester, has been working on his own to try and help put together a benefit concert to go ahead and hold the rodeo, typically held either in August or September.

“We’ve got some people that are upset,” Harrison said about the cancellation of this year’s prison rodeo.

He wondered about spending money to upgrade a rodeo arena if there’s no rodeo to be held in it.

“Why spend a lot of money for the arena, if it’s just going to sit there?” Harrison said.

The state representative said he’s been in contact with a friend of a major Red Dirt artist who expressed interest not only in performing himself, but who also said he might be able to bring some other artists in as well.

“He thinks he might be able to get some artists together for a concert at the Expo Center” or maybe the prison rodeo arena, said Harrison

“We’re in the very early planning stages,” said Harrison, who added that he was contacted by a friend of the artist, who had offered his help.

Since Harrison said he hasn’t yet spoken to the artist or his management personally, he didn’t want to publicly identify him at this point.

However, Harrison considers the offer serious enough that he has contacted the Oklahoma Department of Corrections about the matter.

“I called the DOC today,” Harrison said. “We need to know how much they need to raise.” He said the DOC is crunching the numbers and will get the information to him.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce met Thursday with Vicki Jones, of the Choctaw Casino; Darren Newsome, of the Sertoma Club; Kathy Wall, of McAlester Main Street; McAlester Mayor Kevin Priddle and Jerry Lynn Wilson, of the Southeast Expo Center.

Stephens said during the Thursday meeting that any fund-raiser involving the Chamber would be directed at repairing the arena, not for raising money to go ahead and hold the rodeo this year.

Although some names have been floated as possibilities, no artists had been signed or contacted on behalf of the Chamber as of the Thursday afternoon meeting.

Asked how much of a budget the McAlester Chamber of Commerce had available for a fund-raiser, Stephens said “zero.”

Nevertheless, through contact with the Choctaw Nation, the group got an idea of what it might cost to sign some major acts for a fundraising event.

All of the dollar amounts were in six figures — from $100,000 to $300,000.

The discussion evolved into looking at holding a fund-raising event at the city’s Southeast Expo Center, as opposed to the rodeo arena, and possibly making it an all-day, family-type event, including a carnival.

Regardless of whether a concert is held to raise funds for the rodeo arena repairs, one thing is certain.

Repairs to the OSP prison rodeo arena are needed.

“Some of the seating needs to be replaced,” said OSP spokesman Terry Crenshaw.

Inside the arena on Friday, splits where the concrete has settled and separated were visible on some of the stairs, seating and aisles of the arena’s south side.

“Some of it has settled over the years and become unlevel,” Crenhsaw said. “It’s a facility that’s going on 70 years old.”

Meanwhile, Harrison is hopeful that the fundraiser to get enough money to go ahead and hold the rodeo will move forward.

“It’s very doable,” he said.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.

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