The 93rd annual Sonoita Labor Day Rodeo will be held at the Sonoita Fairgrounds Aug. 30 through Sept.1. This year's rodeo is dedicated to longtime supporters Bob and Mary Bowman, who will be introduced during Sunday's rodeo, Aug. 31. Sunday is also the second "Tough Enough to Wear Pink Day," where volunteers, visitors, contestants and even the pickup men are encouraged to wear pink shirts.

Bob and Mary Bowman at their Backward B Spear Ranch near Sonoita.

The three-day rodeo begins each day with kids' events at 1 p.m., immediately followed by the wild horse race. Rodeo competitions include bareback and saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, barrel racing, roping and bull riding. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 5 - 12 years old and 4 and under free. Military personnel with ID get in half-price on Monday. Show your support by wearing red, white and blue.

According to Rodeo Chairman, Brenda McDaniel, "The Bowmans are a perfect choice to be honored at the rodeo."

Working together, the ranching couple operated a smoothly run Hereford cow and calf operation for many years at their Backward B Spear Ranch. In the 50 plus years that they have called Sonoita their home, they have successfully teamed up helping neighbors with roundups and lending their talents, creativity and boundless enthusiasm to countless community endeavors, McDaniel said.

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Mary served on the Empire School District and the County Election Boards, was active in the Elgin Club, was 1968 president of the Santa Cruz County Cowbelles and held many offices in the Elgin/Sonoita Cowbelles.

Bob was named Range Manager of the Year in 1979 by the Society for Range Management and chaired the Governor's Commission on Grazing Land Valuation. He served on the Livestock Sanitary Board of Arizona, w as a director of the Federal Land Bank Association and president of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association from 1985 to 1987.

Perhaps the Bowman's greatest gift to the community is their dedication and support of the Fair and Rodeo Association, where Bob headed up the board from 1960 to 1964. He was called the "Building President" because of the extensive construction that went on during his watch.

In 1998, Bob researched the old fairgrounds' minutes and conducted interviews with longtime members of the association. The information was used in a historical booklet provided to the membership. He also arranged to have a large ranch scene photo that won first prize at the Arizona State Fair in 1956, preserved with see-through plastic, framed and permanently displayed in the Pioneer Hall Hospitality Room. His collection of photos, documents, oral histories and memorabilia are housed in The Bowman Archives Center at the fairgrounds.

Teamwork and an abiding love for the history of the Sonoita area reside are at the heart of the Bowmans' many accomplishments. When asked about the direction the fairgrounds should take in the coming years, Bob said, "Always remember where you came from. That way you know how to proceed into the future."