Around Town: Aug. 13, 2025

By: Ernie Wren
Southern Boone has some momentous events lined up the second half of this month, starting with the Hartsburg American Legion’s Fried Chicken dinner on Saturday from 4-7pm.

Later on Saturday is the “Southern Boone Honky Tonk Fundraiser” organized by the Southern Boone Chamber of Commerce from 7-10pm at the Optimist Club.

You can expect live country music, line dancing, two-steppin,’ dance lessons, and Southern-style food- boot-stompin’ fun all around!

Presale tickets are $25 and $35 at the door. Presale table for 8 is $150 and $200 at the door.

Certainly some good ole fashioned small town entertainment!

You can purchase tickets through Eventbrite via the Chamber’s event listing: “Southern Boone County Chamber of Commerce presents Southern Boone Honky Tonk Fundraiser.”

Also being hosted by the Chamber of Commerce is the annual “All-Staff Luncheon via a drive-thru format at the Southern Boone School District Central Office,” signaling that school is back! The event is scheduled for Thursday, August 21, 2025, and will take place in the Central Office parking lot. The Chamber of Commerce and Central Bank of Boone County are great partners in education; their support is greatly appreciated!

Then we move in to the “Cattlemen Days Rodeo” Friday, August 22, where the rodeo starts at 8pm (gate opens at 5pm). On Saturday, August 23, the rodeo starts at 8pm, but don’t miss the rodeo parade which kicks off at 9am Saturday morning, downtown Ashland. The rodeo is located at the Ashland Optimist Club/ Cedar Valley Riders Saddle Club Arena.

Highlights & activities include a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo, featuring events like bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing, and bull riding, using top-tier stock. There will be live music and dancing following the rodeo each night. Online reserved seating is available via ETIX on the official website. Seating is reserved, with a cap of 3,200 seats per night plus 240 standing-room-only tickets near concessions. Ticket Price: $25 per person, which can also be purchased at the door.

It’s great to see how this event has addressed many of the public concerns shared in the past, such as lack of organized seating, people standing up by the rails blocking the views, etc. Will there be bumps? Maybe. But rest assured they are trying to do everything possible to make this a wonderful (and easy) family event to enjoy.

August Trivia: The full moon in August is often referred to as the “Sturgeon Moon,” named by the native American tribes, for the abundance of sturgeon fish in the Great Lakes during the month. The sturgeon fish are considered “living fossils” as they haven’t changed much over two hundred million years, well before the dinosaurs. They can live over one hundred years, grow as long as twenty feet, but don’t reproduce until about 20 years of age, which is why they were almost hunted out of extinction.