Bull Riding, Hot Rod Tractors & Destruction Derby: May Fair Grandstands Will Get Rowdy

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By Karen Spencer

The Dixon May Fair, May 9-12, is bringing high-energy excitement to their Grandstand Shows this year with professional bull riding on Friday, hot rod tractor and truck pulls on Saturday, and the destruction derby on Sunday.

Why would anyone climb on the back of a bucking bull for a small chance at a little bit of prize money and a silver buckle? Most would consider it a foolhardy act. The risks are obvious. Serious injury is always a possibility for those fearless or foolish enough to sit astride an animal that weighs nearly a ton and is usually equipped with dangerous horns. But cowboys do it, fans love it, and bull riding may rank as rodeo’s most popular sport.  Bull riders will buck into the Coors Light Grandstands arena at 7:00 pm Friday, May 10th.  In the new Picnic Stage entertainment area, locally grown Billboard recording artist, Jon Pardi, will take the stage playing his hard rocking country songs, starting at 8:00 pm.

At the Dixon May Fair, today’s version of horsepower will be on display, Saturday, May 11 at 7:00 pm, as suped up engines use all their horsepower to pull mechanically weighted sleds. The engines of today’s giant wheeled tractors and 4x4 trucks can barely be contained under the hood. They pulse and pound as they idle, and when it is time to hook up to the weighted sled, they roar with all their mighty horsepower. The sound drowns out the cheers from the crowds as the drivers coax the most they can out of their truck, while the weight of the sled they are pulling gets heavier and heavier, until finally the truck is kept at a standstill. It will be obvious to the spectators that it doesn’t matter the cost, these competitors take pulling seriously and don’t think twice about punishing the equipment to end up with the victory.

The theme of a Destruction Derby is “Destroy or be Destroyed” and the crash ’em / smash ’em event slated for the Grandstands arena on Sunday, May 12, at 6:00 pm, will be no different. Drivers do their best, while driving in reverse, forward and often sideways, in a bed of mud, to smash the other cars to smithereens. The audience cheers as mud flies, wheels spin in the gooey mess, and one car after another is annihilated or the overworked and overheated engines give up in a smoky haze. Fans are advised to buy their tickets in advance for this sell-out event.

Tickets for the Coors Light Grandstand shows are available on-line at www.DixonMayFair.com and in the Fair Office at 655. S. First Street. When purchased in advance, the tickets that are $20 for the bull riding and the tractor pulls, and $22 for the derby, include Fair admission, a savings for adults of $12.  Any tickets available at the gate will not include Fair admission.