In a little more than two weeks’ time, Lippard and a bunch of his friends from the Mid-Atlantic Professional Rodeo Association will descend on this Franklin County community to put on what they hope will be a show the audience will long remember.

“We’ve got really good friendships with people in the communities we visit. That’s the reason, at 62 years old, I’m still picking up,” Lippard said.

“Picking up” is rodeo lingo for helping cowboys dismount from bucking broncos.

The Statesville resident has been in Pilot every year since the Pilot Lions Club first started holding a rodeo.

Though the cowboys and others involved in the rodeo don’t get to mingle with the large crowds that show up each year for the event, Lippard said committee members who help organize the show are important to the rodeo participants.

Lippard credits Pilot Lions Club member Ron Bullock with helping put on a good show.

“Ron, to us, is like family. He’s been like a brother to us over the years,” Lippard said.

The rodeo, which will be held this year June 20-21, offers spectators plenty of excitement and thrills.

Cowboys and cowgirls (yes, women participate too) take part in seven events: bronc riding, breakaway roping, steer wrestling, team roping, calf roping, cowgirls barrel racing, bull riding and saddle bronc riding.

There’s also an opportunity for the youngest rodeo fans to participate.

The calf scramble lets youngsters from the crowd compete to see who can pull the ribbon from a calf’s tail.

Lippard says the rodeo is important for the entertainment it provides, but he says it’s special because it helps local civic organizations like the Pilot Lions Club support special causes in the community.

“That’s one reason we put on the best show we can. It’s an accomplishment you can’t put into words. That’s the best feeling to know you have helped someone,” Lippard said.

Tickets for this year’s rodeo are now on sale for $8 each. To order, call Bullock at 269-6889.