Three aspiring young women from Liberty County are set to dazzle Cleveland rodeo fans this year with their horsemanship, beauty, and poise as they vie for the coveted title of Rodeo Queen. The crowning ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 30, at the Stancil Exposition Center, promising an evening filled with excitement and pageantry.
This year’s ceremony marks the end of the reign of current rodeo queen Reva Mosley, who will lead this year’s Dairy Day Parade on Saturday, March 23, as the grand marshal. The parade starts at 3 p.m. and travels through downtown Cleveland along Houston St.
The three queen candidates this year are Sarah Bush, Pennie Heflin and Kaylee Goolsby.
Bush, 14, is the daughter of Stephen and Pamela Bush, of Hardin. She is involved in Hardin 4-H, is president of the Trinity Trailblazers 4-H, participates in 4-H horse projects and shows horses and lambs. She attends Hardin Baptist Church, where she is involved in youth groups and music, and is a member of the Old River Baptist Church Youth Group.
Bush attends Abeka Academy and has earned a place on the honor roll. She is a 2022 Cleveland Livestock Show Junior Lamb Showmanship Champion, 2022 Trinity Valley Exposition Champion in the Intermediate Lamb Showmanship competition and is the 2023 Cleveland Livestock Show Reserve Champion in the Junior Lamb Showmanship competition.
Pennie Heflin, 18, is the daughter of Robert and Angel Heflin Jr., of Tarkington. Heflin is a senior at Tarkington High School where she has earned a certification in floral design. She plans to attend college to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Her goal is to one day become a licensed veterinarian.
Kaylee Goolsby, 14, is the daughter of Larry Goolsby and Candace Fulton Goolsby, of Cleveland. Goolsby attends Safe Harbor Academy where she is on the honor roll. Goolsby says she has been riding horses since she could sit up as a baby, loves barrel racing and is training to compete in breakaway roping events.
Goolsby is an avid trail rider, along with her family and friends, and has carried both the American and Texas flags at the Houston Livestock Show parade with the Old Spanish Trail Riders. She is a member of The Sanctuary Church in Cleveland.
These young ladies will begin their competition on Saturday, March 23, at the J Bar Arena in Tarkington. They will all undergo interviews with the three judges and then compete in horsemanship, a competition that starts at 11 a.m. and is open to the public.
For more information on rodeo events, go online to https://clevelandlivestockshow.com/ Stancil Exposition Center is located at 211 Peach Ave., Cleveland, Texas.