Bulls On The Beach Coming To Windsor Labor Day Weekend

Just in time for labor day weekend comes Bulls On The Beach: a rodeo, "toes-in-the-sand event that will leave you on the edge of your seat all night." Bulls On The Beach is the spiritual continuation of Buckfest and the Windsor boat races that some folks might remember from years past.

Sean Pike, who is the brain child behind Bulls On The Beach and a previous bullfighter / rodeo clown himself, had some insights about the new event to share with us as we sought to explore the new event. Here is a look at what he had to say:

Where did the idea for Bulls On The Beach come from?

Well there used to be boat races over at Water Valley, and then there was also Buckfest. We always had those things; I was talking to Kevin Rich, my partner, and I told him that we needed somewhere to buck bulls again. Then I went to Ricky B's and got a beer with Martin Lind of Water Valley and he thought it was a great idea as well. He asked what I needed and I told him: a place to do it and some support. The vacant property just North of Good Samaritan was available for the event so it was full steam ahead. I think that my wife came up with the idea for the name actually.

Does putting it on a beach make some parts of the event more difficult?

In some aspects it does and others it doesn't. It's half on the beach and half off the beach. You don't want people falling over when you go to sit down to watch something. Most arenas that host rodeos have sand mixed in with them anyways. We are going for more of a beach atmosphere with the waterfront right there.

Is this the first year of Bulls On The Beach?

Yes this will be the first year, and it was formerly known as Buckfest. However it is really different from Buckfest, because the format is different. Buckfest was strictly bull riding; now we have bull fighters, bull riders, and Mutton Busting. This event is an entire competition in itself.

What is your favorite part of putting Bulls On The Beach together?

The community support has been outstanding. It's everywhere. We are donating a large amount of the money to different churches and non-profits as well. People have been waiting for something like this since Buckfest and the boat races disappeared. I would even stay home a little longer back when I was going to college just so I could be here because it was so much fun.

You used to be a bullfighter, what was the craziest thing that ever happened to you?

To be honest, from when I started to when I finished, there have been so many train wrecks that I can't remember them all. The best answer to that question is the satisfaction of saving someone's life. Through the thousands of dollars in medical bills I've piled up, the rush of saving lives is the best.

One time a guy got hung up real bad and we had to go in and get him free. We saved him. Then while my paint was running everywhere and I had blood all over my face, I heard this little blonde-haired blue-eyed boy yell at me; "Hey clown, I just came by to thank you for saving my dad's life." I asked the boy what his name was and he said Cash. I swore that if I ever had a boy I would name him that. [Spoiler: He came through on his promise.]

I retired because on my last ambulance ride I discovered that I was born with only one kidney. Then I decided to come out of retirement for another rodeo. I got flipped up and landed flat-footed. My femur (thigh bone) came down and crushed part of my tibia. I don't miss the pain. For a long time I couldn't get out of a chair without looking like I was 80 years old. I went right back into retirement after that.

Bulls on the Beach Schedule

Saturday, August 31

Saturday is just a taste of what you will expect the day following. Saturday is all about the kids (so long as you are 19 or under). Everything starts at 2:00 p.m., with the best mutton-busters qualifying to compete during the main event on Sunday. The kids event schedule is as follows: