The Sikeston Jaycees do more than simply plan and run the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo. Now, they’d like to tell you about it in their new book about the rodeo's history.
The Story of the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo: 60th Anniversary Edition contains pictures and text that illustrate the rich history of the rodeo. Daniel Beck, co-chairman for the 60th Annual Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo, and Charles Francis co-wrote the book. Charles Francis works at Acclaim Press, a company in Sikeston that published the manuscript.
Beck said the book required significant research.
“Mostly just personal interviews with people, and the Standard Democrat offered quite a bit of news articles we looked into,” Beck said. “And Acclaim Press, the people who published the book, did quite a bit of research for it as well.”
Beck said he enjoyed learning more about the rodeo's beginnings.
“The Jaycees have been around since the ‘30s,” Beck said. “I can’t remember the year the chapter started, and then in the early ‘50s a man named Art Saunders, who wasn’t a Jaycee at the time but was a family member of someone who was, had the idea for the rodeo.”
The book tells the story of the rodeo from 1952 to present day. Beck believes the book gives a valuable insight into preparation for the rodeo and the way that Sikeston and the rodeo have helped each other grow over the years.
