Mark your calendar! September 27, 2008. That’s the date set for the 9th annual Blanco Ranch Roundup (formerly Heritage Days) at Yett Memorial Park on Hwy 281 and Loop 163. This annual Hill Country event promises loads of family fun, good food, great music and a real Ranch Rodeo.

The excitement begins on Friday night the 26th with a pre-game barbeque set just in time to enjoy dinner (only $6 per plate) and make it to the Panther’s Homecoming game. If you want to stay awhile, there will be music and a dance featuring KR Wood’s and the Camp Cookie Review.

Saturday morning begins with a salute to Blanco in the culmination of several community events celebrating the 150th Birthday of Blanco and of Blanco County. Blanco’s history will be shared with re-enactments, proclamations, music and a colossal birthday cake (in the shape of Blanco County) with free cake and lemonade for all! Pamela Meier, with her team from the Middle School, will release 150 helium balloons. The afternoon will find folks strolling through the many arts and crafts booths, visiting with the chuck wagon cooks or trying their hand at washer pitching, horse shoes, Bocce Ball and 42 Dominoes. You can visit several re-enactment groups like the Buffalo Soldiers, KR Woods and the Camp Cookie Review and the O.S.T. Gunfighters. If this wears you out good, you can sit in the shade and sip a cool drink and enjoy the music of the Wooden Nickel Band from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

You won’t go hungry at the Blanco Ranch Roundup. There will be plenty of food from which to choose. You won’t even have to leave the grounds. The music will dance you right into the Ranch Rodeo at 5:00 p.m. and if you have never been to a Ranch Rodeo you won’t believe your eyes! What’s a Ranch Rodeo? The first rodeos were a lot different than rodeos as we know them today. They were actually competitions between ranch hands. Seems there wasn’t a lot to do in the evenings around the old bunkhouse and the story goes that Buffalo Bill Cody came up with an idea to have a little fun between ranches. He invited ranchers to send their ranch hands to compete and over 1,000 cowboys showed up. They had so much fun competing against each other Buffalo Bill took the show on the road and that is how the Wild West Shows began. As history would have it, the rodeo has evolved into rodeos of today but a Ranch Rodeo is one true to the skills of the cowboy ranch hands. Contestants must enter in teams and they get the opportunity to compete in events such as team penning, wild cow milking, or relay races. Not a traditional rodeo at all, but skill is needed indeed.

All the excitement of the Ranch Rodeo will make you hungry so stop by the various food booths for some evening grub and prepare yourself for some great Texas Swing Music by the Tommy Burney Band from 9:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m.. Wow, all of this for just one fee of $10.00 and free parking to boot (12 & under are free)! Don’t miss this year’s Blanco Ranch Round-up! It’s fun for the whole family. All proceeds go to the preservation and enhancement of Yett Memorial Park. For more event information or for vendor info, contact the Blanco Chamber of Commerce at 830-833-5101.