June 16 and 17 was a team roping blitz in Virden’s outdoor rodeo grounds - the Annual Casey Brown Memorial team roping event Saturday. It was indeed a Father’s Day weekend for Lyle Brown, who roped with three different partners to win the Casey Brown Memorial Saddle.
An organizer of the event, Casey’s brother Lonnie Brown, said, “It was a pretty special day for all of us.”
Lyle Brown roped with his son Shane Brown, then his brother Les, finishing the team roping Saturday with nephew Lance Brown.
“Dad and Les actually won the roping. Shane and Dad won third. That gave Dad enough points that he won the memorial saddle,” explains Lonnie Brown.
On Saturday, 117 teams competed for the memorial saddle and other prizes.
The second day, Barrels, Horns & Hocks, with more roping events and barrel racing saw 196 teams roping and 125 barrel racers on Sunday.
Kids roping
“Casey’s boy Dawson won his first buckle,” Lonnie Brown
Dawson Brown, Casey’s son, won his first buckle over the weekend in the kids’ roping.
There were two roping events for kids including machine roping of a dummy pulled through the ring for mounted ropers; also a stationary dummy roping event.
Four-year-old Kesler Brown, son of Lonnie and Jessica, took second in both events.
In the 9U category, he was mounted on Grandpa Lyle’s 19-year-old rope horse, “Gator”.
The weather was great for the outdoor event which Lonnie Brown said has grown with the addition of Sunday’s barrel racing and a slightly different team roping format. It has benefited from sponsors including “the local companies and people in the roping world who have been involved from the start.”
Everyone for miles around who has ever thrown a rope was there to participate.
This was the seventh annual memorial roping event in memory of Casey Brown, son of Lyle and the late Judy Brown. Roping was his sport of choice.
