By LINDA CHION KENNEY
The 2023 Tampa Bay Rodeo and Family Festival is set for its three-day run at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds in Dover, where Robert Swinton, through his family-owned business, is eager to get to work.
Swinton runs 5S Bucking Bulls of Lithia, the company contracted to provide animals for the April 14-16 event, which features bull-riding cowboys and cowgirls, barrel racing, bronco busting and a “mutton bustin’” event for youngsters.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Swinton, about his company’s involvement in the local rodeo. “You always want to do something in your own hometown.” That the rodeo has found a foothold in the Tampa Bay area, “to make it that big is a blessing,” Swinton added.
Beyond the EBA-sanctioned rodeo, the April event has something to offer all ages, including the traditional festival lineup of food, games, animal viewings and live music. Featured artists this year are Randy McNeeley, a Tampa-area and Nashville recording artist, and country artists Craig Campbell (“The Lost Files: Exhibit A” released 2023) and Canaan Smith (“High Country Sound” released 2021), who tour nationally.
“Kickin’ up dust, up and down them fields” is both a line in Campbell’s “Tractor Songs,” written by Walker Hayes, and a good descriptor for what’s on tap April 14-16 at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds in Dover, at 215 Sydney Washer Road.
“The rodeo is an excellent addition for our Hillsborough County Fairgrounds,” said Betty Jo Tompkins, a member of the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds Board of Directors. “Rodeos, like fairs, are great American traditions and absolutely the epitome of family fun. We’re thrilled that the rodeo has selected the fairgrounds for its Tampa Bay venue. We’re expecting thousands of people to walk through our gates.”
With new buildings complete and ongoing, the fairgrounds has become a formidable county venue in southeast Hillsborough.
“One of the things that’s wonderful about the fairgrounds is that it offers beautiful indoor and outdoor settings for almost any event, whether it’s for 20 people or 200 or more than 1,000,” Tompkins said. “There are all kinds of possibilities. The venue is attractive because it’s nature at its best, with its beautiful canopy of trees.”
As for the rodeo, “This is one of its return visits, and the family festival has been added to enhance the event even more,” Tompkins said. Festival games have a rodeo twist, including games that test axe-throwing and mechanical-bull riding skills, with face painting available as well. The Mutton Bustin’ event is for children who ride sheep, versus bulls or broncos.
Set to go is 5S Bucking Bulls, which hauls bulls nationwide throughout the year. The “5S” in its name refers to Swinton, his two boys, and his mom and dad.
“We’ve been in the rodeo business all my life,” Swinton added. “It’s in my blood. It’s got to be because it’s a lot of work every day. It’s very hard to take a vacation.”
That’s because “you get the bulls, you raise the bulls, you watch them grow, you watch them buck and you’re responsible to get them into the shape to be an athlete,” Swinton said. “If you ain’t doing your job, they’re not doing theirs. Feeding, worming, exercising, joint care, supplements, it’s not just kicking them out in a pasture and letting them fend for themselves.”
Swinton said his business provides animals nationwide for professional bull riders, the PBR World Finals, local fairs, festivals and rodeos, “whoever needs us.” Events such as the one in Hillsborough aim “to show people what rodeo life’s about,” Swinton said, as he hopes it works as well to raise awareness and interest in rodeos, “a dying business.”
The draw for him, “it’s everything, the people, animals, bulls, horses and rodeo life,” Swinton said. “You meet somebody in rodeo, you’ve got a friend for life.”
Gates open 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with an 8 p.m. rodeo start. Sunday is an all-day family festival day, running from noon to 5 p.m., with Canaan Smith (three-piece acoustic) set to perform 1 to 2 p.m., followed by Craig Campbell (acoustic), set to run 2:45 to 4 p.m.
To confirm rodeo and festival dates, offerings, times and admission prices, visit www.HillsboroughCountyFair.com/. Call 813-737-3247. The only legitimate place to buy tickets online is at the Hillsborough County Fair website. Sales at the gate are not guaranteed pending advance sell-out possibilities.
