When town officials considered tearing down the local rodeo arena in the mid-1970’s to make room for development, dozens of residents rode horseback to Davie Town Hall in protest.
The popularity of that cowboy culture continues in Davie today. And it can be seen most prominently at the Bergeron Rodeo Arena, which is currently undergoing repairs before hosting one of the largest professional rodeo competitions in the country.
“Davie is a community that has a distinct identity. You can tell when you arrive here, and the rodeo grounds is often the center of activity,” said developer Ron Bergeron. “Not only are we celebrating heritage, but the rodeo brings thousands of people from all over the country here and that helps our local economy.”
In 1995, he donated $150,000 to help the town buy 10 acres by the arena near Orange Drive and Davie Road. The town renamed the facility in honor of the Bergeron family.
The original rodeo arena dates back to 1946, when it was built by several local cowboys and residents, according to Anita Reid, a town spokeswoman.
Town officials are optimistic the repairs will be finished before the Southeastern Circuit Pro Rodeo Finals on Nov. 12-14. But even if the repairs aren’t completed, the rodeo will go on.
The town council on Wednesday night will consider spending approximately $75,000 for the second phase of repairs to the columns that support the massive roof over the arena.
Seventeen columns have already been repaired and 19 remain to be fixed. The total cost of the repairs is approximately $150,000. The first phase lasted a week.
In July, a team of engineers did a safety check of the 72,000 square-foot rodeo grounds and found that 36 of the 52 columns needed repairs at the rust-weakened base. Concrete and rebar are being used to reinforce those columns. The last inspection was done in 2011.
“The 17 we had to do right away. It was an emergency job; the remaining 19 aren’t so dire,” said Matt Mlodzinski, the town’s senior operations manager.
In the meantime, weekly rodeos are held on Wednesdays and dog obedience and agility classes every Monday.
Only one event, a rodeo, was cancelled last month due to the repairs. The arena, which seats 5,000, has also hosted concerts, monster truck events, and air boat shows.
bballou@sun-sentinel.com, 954-356-4188, Twitter: @briballou
