Photo courtesy of the Stevens family.
A Friday night at the Cooper Farm Rodeo. From left: Stacy Stevens, Bill Morton and Tom Stevens.
Tom Stevens, a Mountain Brook resident and the founder and CEO of T. E. Stevens Construction, is set to host the 13th annual Cooper Farm Rodeo in Shelby County on May 31 and June 1. He has worked with friend, partner and fellow rodeo enthusiast David Cooper to bring competitive rodeo to the area each spring for well over a decade.
Stevens’s fascination with the rodeo began almost 20 years ago, while spending time with his children, Miller and Mary Farley, on their farm in Wilsonville. On one particular weekend, the family noticed a sign in front of a nearby farm promoting a rodeo, and Stevens thought it might be fun to swing by before returning home to Mountain Brook.
“I asked the kids if they wanted to stop by the rodeo and they both said, ‘Yes!’” he recalled. Almost immediately, they were hooked by the professional bull riders and calf ropers, as well as the chance to participate in special kids’ events.
“My kids had on T-shirts and tennis shoes while the other kids were dressed up in their jeans, cowboy boots and Wrangler shirts, but they all went out there and did a calf scramble and just had a blast,” Stevens said. “It was a full-fledged rodeo and it was just great. I could not wait for the rodeo next year.”
However, several years went by without another rodeo on the farm. Then, Stevens had a chance encounter with the farm’s owner, David Cooper, while helping at his father’s business, Lloyd’s Restaurant.
“I asked David, ‘Did y’all do a rodeo there one year?’ He said yes, but he had stopped because it was too much for one person to take on, going through all the headaches of logistics, sponsors, vendors, etc.,” Stevens said. As he listened, he thought the two of them could bring the rodeo back and turn it into a signature event.
Now in its 13th year, the Cooper Farm Annual Rodeo brings hundreds of people to rural Shelby County for two days of professional rodeo action. Stevens said all of the profits are donated to various organizations and agencies throughout Birmingham.
Stevens and Cooper have raised more than $100,000 for various organizations and causes such as the Ronald McDonald House, Chelsea High School, Double Oak Community Church, Jackson-Olin High School, the Monday Morning Quarterback Club and Cahaba Valley Healthcare. He added that the rodeo is supported by sponsorship from companies such as Thompson Tractor Company and Robins & Morton.
Fans can expect to see talented professional rodeo athletes from across the nation competing for thousands of dollars in prize money and the chance to move up the ranks of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
“It’s an open-air rodeo, and you can walk all the way around and go behind the scenes. If you want to pet a horse, you can walk up and pet a horse. Everything’s accessible,” Stevens said. “It’s kind of like a carnival or a fair. Everyone who goes has an awesome time.”
Even after more than a decade, Stevens is still awed by the skill and athleticism needed to excel in the various events, from the “adrenaline junkie” bull riders to the rough-and-tumble cowboys in the steer-roping competition.
“The guys that jump off the horse and wrestle a steer to the ground, they are nuts,” he said. “They’ve got to jump off of a moving horse onto a moving cow, grab it around the neck and throw it to the ground. Those are tough guys.”
The 13th Annual Cooper Farm Rodeo is scheduled for Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1, starting at 7:30 p.m., rain or shine. Cooper Farm Arena is located at 14480 Highway 61 in Wilsonville. Admission is $10, and kids younger than 5 are free.
