History of Roots N' Boots Queen Creek

The concept of a week-long celebration of Queen Creek's rural heritage has always been a goal.    Planning for the inaugural Roots N' Boots Queen Creek event began almost 18 months prior to the actual event.   This event was intended to be the cornerstone of a new tradition in Queen Creek, which could grow through the addition of other different but similarly named events. 

The inaugural event in 2011 was a huge success with an estimated 8000+ people who enjoyed last year's event over 2 days;

The Roots N’ Boots 2011 event was the biggest event the Town had produced since the grand opening of Horseshoe Park & Equestrian Centre, both in scope and budget.  This event was coordinated and chaired by the Town of Queen Creek Special Events staff, with significant support from other departments within the Town of Queen Creek and several volunteer organizations.   This event would not have been possible without the immense time, effort, and heart of each person involved.  The community really came together with pride to show off our great Town and facility.  In fact, we have  already been assured of even greater community participation if the Town produces this event again next year.

As with all events, there were hiccups along the way, but the best way to measure a successful event operation is by looking at it from the public’s perspective.  Feedback from those in attendance was nearly universally positive.

The Friends of Horseshoe Park took a lead role in the coordination and operations of the PRCA Rodeo. There were two rodeo performances – one Friday night and one Saturday night. Friday night’s attendance was approximately 2,000 and Saturday’s was a standing-room-only sellout of approximately 3,000. The rodeo personnel at our event, competitors, rodeo secretary, stock contractor, bull fighters, etc., all had glowing reviews of the crowd’s energy, the facility, and the overall production of the PRCA rodeo. 

The Queen Creek Performing Arts Center sold rodeo tickets through their box office, giving us the online ticketing processes needed to be successful in today’s culture. 

The Family Rodeo activities were also well attended – approximately 3,000 people.  The Queen Creek High School FFA led a huge volunteer effort to coordinate and run the activities held within Arena 4 (calf scramble, pig chases, mutton busting, 3-legged races, sack races and the stick-horse barrel races.)  Another surprise hit of the show was the Arizona Lawn Mower Racing Association's races. Some in attendance came specifically to see these races.