The Silver Spurs Rodeo is a rodeo held twice per year in Kissimmee, Florida. During the late 1980s, it was one of the fifty largest rodeos in the United States, [1] and is billed as the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi River. [2] Since 1994, it has been the official state rodeo of Florida. [3]
In 1941, the Silver Spurs Riding Club was formed in Kissimmee. In 1944, at the height of World War II, the Riding Club sponsored a rodeo to encourage local citizens to purchase war bonds. [4] The first rodeo was held on July 4, 1944, [5] and in 1951, a February event was added to the calendar. [5] The February rodeo is important enough to the region's self-image that it is a school holiday (for teachers and for students) throughout the county. [6]
The first rodeo was held on land donated by Henry O. Partin, a legendary rancher in Kissimmee who, at one point in time, owned 60,000 acres of land in Osceola County. In 1949, the Riding Club bought a 15-acre parcel of land (to which they added an additional 7.5 acres the following year), and built a stadium, stands, and a concession area. [5] In 2003, the club built a new indoor stadium, the Silver Spurs Arena, which features luxury seats and bar service. [7]
During the late 1980s, the rodeo was one of the fifty largest rodeos in the United States, with a purse of approximately US$60,000. [1] By 2005, however, attendance at had dropped slightly, [2] and as of 2009, the purse had declined to approximately $50,000. [8] The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association does not list the Silver Spur Rodeo in their top 50 rodeo listing for 2009. [9] As the demographics of the region change, with more Hispanic residents moving into the area, the rodeo has moved to increase its appeal to the new residents; it held its first Latin rodeo in 2005, weaving salsa and hip-hop music into its traditional events. [2]
In 1994, the Silver Spurs Rodeo was designated as the Official State Rodeo by the Florida Legislature. [3]
Osceola County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 388,656. Its county seat is Kissimmee. Osceola County is included in the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Fla. Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Orlando is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released in July 2017, making it the 23rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the third-largest metropolitan area in Florida behind Miami and Tampa. Orlando had a population of 307,573 in the 2020 census, making it the 67th-largest city in the United States, the fourth-largest city in Florida, and the state's largest inland city.
Kissimmee is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2010 population of 2,234,411.
St. Cloud is a city in northern Osceola County, Florida, United States. It is on the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga in Central Florida, about 26 miles (41.8 km) southeast of Orlando. The population was 35,183 in the 2010 census, and 54,579 in the 2019 census estimate. The city is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford metropolitan area.
The Orlando metropolitan area, commonly referred to as Greater Orlando, Metro Orlando, Central Florida as well as for U.S. Census purposes as the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, is a metropolitan area in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. Its principal cities are Orlando, Kissimmee and Sanford. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines it as consisting of the counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole.
The current Silver Spurs Arena is an 8,000-seat, 33,946 square foot multi-purpose arena, in Kissimmee, Florida. It was built in 2003. It replaced the original Silver Spurs grand stand. Both are home to the Silver Spurs Rodeo a semi-annual rodeo event. Concerts, family shows, school graduations, and sporting events are also held there. The arena, part of the Osceola Heritage Park entertainment complex, features 12 luxury suites, four locker rooms and additional amenities.
Osceola County Stadium is an outdoor sports venue located in Kissimmee, Florida, part of the wider Orlando City SC Training Ground at Osceola Heritage Park.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). The PRCA is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.
The Osceola Library System is a public library system serving Osceola County in Central Florida. The main branch is the Hart Memorial Central Library in historic downtown Kissimmee. The system has large branch locations in St. Cloud, Buenaventura Lakes, Poinciana, and West Osceola, as well as a small branch in Kenansville.
SunRail is a commuter rail system in the Greater Orlando, Florida, area. Services began on May 1, 2014. The system comprises 16 stations along a former CSX Transportation line connecting Volusia County and Osceola County through Downtown Orlando. The SunRail system is financed by the state and federal governments and the counties it serves. SunRail is Florida's second commuter rail system after South Florida's Tri-Rail.
Frank C. Attkisson was a Florida politician. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008 and as the mayor of Kissimmee, Florida from 1996 to 2000. Attkisson was a former County Commissioner for Osceola County, Florida, having been defeated in 2014.
Irlo Overstreet Bronson Sr. was an American Democratic politician, rancher and land owner in the state of Florida. Bronson is perhaps best known for selling land to Walt Disney as part of the construction of Florida's Walt Disney World.
Ricardo Rangel is a former Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 43rd District, which is based in northern Osceola County, and includes Buenaventura Lakes, Campbell, Kissimmee, and Poinciana, serving from 2012 to 2014.
John Cortes is a Democratic politician from Florida. He served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives from 2014 to 2020, representing northern Osceola County including Buenaventura Lakes, Campbell, Kissimmee, and Poinciana.
State Road 538 (SR 538), also known as the Poinciana Parkway, is a 7.22-mile-long (11.62 km) toll road built in Osceola and Polk Counties, Florida. Construction began in 2013 and was completed in 2016. The road had been planned for decades to provide a traffic outlet from Poinciana northwest to US 17/US 92 and Interstate 4. Costs skyrocketed after land along the planned route was converted to a mitigation bank, requiring a bridge to span most of the 1.2 miles (1.9 km) stretch through the restored wetland. The road was originally planned to be built by Avatar—the primary developer of Poinciana—as a four-lane, limited-access highway; after the decision was made to build the bridge across the mitigation bank a toll was planned for the bridge segment of the road, but the collapse of the 2000s housing bubble and increased costs forced Avatar to abandon their plans to build the private toll road. About the same time, Osceola County formed the Osceola County Expressway Authority to build a loop road around the Kissimmee-St.Cloud area, which would include the Poinciana Parkway.
Henry Lee Reaves was an American farmer, cattleman, and politician. He was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1963 to 2001.
River Ranch is an unincorporated community in far eastern Polk County, Florida, United States. The community is located on the west bank of the Kissimmee River, south of Florida State Road 60. Some of the community is occupied by the Westgate River Ranch Resort, a cowboy-themed resort. There is an ownership RV park adjacent to the resort, though it has no affiliation with Westgate. Resort amenities include a golf course, petting zoo, outdoor activities such as fishing and horseback riding, a restaurant and convenience store, and cabins. The resort is also home to the community's post office, which has ZIP code 33867, and a privately operated airport. The community also includes several privately owned homes, many of which are owned by sportsmen who use the surrounding land for outdoor sports. The remainder of River Ranch is occupied by the RRPOA, A large, 44,000 acre, privately owned recreation property used for hunting, trail riding, camping and mudding, with entry by legal property owners with an active membership in RRPOA only. River Ranch is also a trailhead for the Florida Trail, which can be accessed through the Kicco Wildlife Management Area.
Orlando City B is an American soccer club that began play in 2016 and currently plays in MLS Next Pro. Owned by Orlando City SC and based at the Orlando City training facility in Kissimmee, the club plays its home games at Osceola County Stadium.
The Florida Fire Frogs were a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League from 2017 to 2020. They were located in North Port, Florida, and served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
The Lakeland Magic is an American professional basketball team based in Lakeland, Florida. The team is the NBA G League developmental affiliate of the NBA's Orlando Magic. The Lakeland team began play in the 2017–18 season and plays their home games at the RP Funding Center.