By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
Bull riding was brought to downtown Del Rio at 300 S. Main St. Saturday during Jericho’s Bull Bash.
The free event was put together by Jericho’s Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization based in Del Rio, and it featured bull riding performances, as well as goat roping and mutton busting. Local food vendors and music by the San Antonio based-band
Dragonfly rounded out the festivities.
A bull riding arena with bleachers and enclosures for the bulls was set up at the intersection of South Main Street and Martin Street.
Valero’s Bucking Bull helped with setting up the corrals for the bulls. Vanessa Hernandez Valero, secretary of Valero’s Bucking Bull, said it was the company’s first bull-riding event in downtown Del Rio.
“(We’re) trying to make it happen; bucking bulls on Main Street. (We’re) trying to make history here in Del Rio,” Valero said.
Valero also said it was an “up and down” process to get permits for the event to happen. She said they started setting up the bull-riding arena at 8 a.m., and they closed the streets at 2 p.m.
The event started with goat roping performances, and the event later had mutton busting for the kids to take part in.
Bull riders from Del Rio and from out of town were part of the event. Ray Valero, a retired bull rider, said he began bull riding at five years old and had a 15-year bull riding career. Valero said he wanted to “ride (a bull) on downtown Main Street.”
Audience members locally and from out of town attended the event as well. Ricky Gonzalez said he heard of the bull bash while visiting Del Rio and wanted to watch it. He said it was a great concept to bring the event to the downtown area.
Gus Rodriguez Jr. won first place by staying on a bull the longest for eight seconds. Rodriguez said he is from Del Rio and has ridden bulls in local rodeos since the age of 14. He also said the bull bash event downtown was a “pretty awesome concept.”
“I think (the event) is the coolest concept ever. We are in historic downtown Del Rio. I think it is the coolest event in the year so far in Del Rio; it was really fun,” Rodriguez said.
