Tough Draw Tuesday: More Than the Music
One of the things I've always loved about rodeo is the community that surrounds it. I've traveled halfway across the country, walked into an arena for the first time, and still found myself among familiar faces. There are friendships built over years, new ones made along the way, and people who share an appreciation for something that brings them together.
This past weekend, I was reminded of that same feeling in Casa Grande, Arizona, where I worked with the team behind the second annual Copper Country Music Festival.
I was brought into the project by longtime friend Kim Brian, someone I've worked alongside for more than a decade. We've been involved in different projects and events over the years, and it's always good when those connections bring us back together for another project.
My role was to capture video content that would help tell the festival's story, support its social media and sponsors, and provide marketing material as the team builds toward next year's event.
There was plenty of great country music throughout the weekend, but what stood out to me most was everything surrounding it.
When Plans Change
Outdoor events require plenty of planning, but the weather can still change everything.
We were reminded of that Friday when significant winds moved through Casa Grande, forcing organizers to change plans for the evening. Rather than canceling the festivities, the team shifted things to a local establishment, the Coyote Den, and kept the weekend moving.
Saturday brought another surprise: rain in the Arizona desert.
I've been on both sides of live events, helping produce them and working behind a camera to capture them. That experience has given me a lot of respect for the decisions organizers have to make when circumstances change. There are artists, crews, vendors, sponsors, and attendees depending on those decisions, often with very little time to make them.
The Copper Country team handled those challenges without losing sight of what they were there to accomplish. I thought that said a lot about the people involved.
A Festival With a Purpose
Copper Country Music Festival is hosted by Pinal 40, a charitable organization focused on supporting youth, education, and agriculture throughout Pinal County.
That mission gives the festival a purpose beyond bringing country music to Casa Grande.
For attendees, it's an opportunity to hear some great artists, spend time with friends, and enjoy a weekend together. But the work being done by Pinal 40 is intended to benefit young people and families throughout the surrounding community.
I've been fortunate to work around events that bring people together for a cause, and I've seen how much can be accomplished when individuals, businesses, and volunteers get behind something they believe in.
That's an important part of what Copper Country is building.
Good Music and Good People
The main event took place at the Casa Grande Rodeo Grounds, a setting that felt pretty familiar to me given my background in rodeo and the Western industry.
The festival brought together a great lineup of artists, including Randy Rogers Band, Tyler Nance, Noeline Hofmann, Kruse Brothers, Taylor Hunnicutt, Lacey Rashea, and several others.
I enjoyed the performances, but some of my favorite moments happened away from the stage.
I had the chance to spend time visiting with Bucky, Taylor Hunnicutt's husband and bandmate, and enjoyed some good conversations and laughs along the way. I also got to know the Kruse Brothers, who have been building some serious momentum in their careers.
What stood out about the brothers was how they carried themselves. For artists with so much happening in their careers, they were genuinely approachable and made time for the fans who wanted to meet them, visit, or take a picture. It was good to see, and I think those interactions say quite a bit about the kind of people they are.
That same attitude carried over to the volunteers and the people working behind the scenes. Even with the weather challenges, there were folks doing whatever needed to be done to make the weekend possible, and they couldn't have been more gracious.
It was also good getting to spend time with longtime friends like Kim and Brandie Weaver, both of whom I've known for years. That's one of my favorite parts of working in this business. Different events and different places have a way of bringing people back together.
And the more time I spent around the festival, the more it reminded me of rodeo.
Some of the most memorable parts of rodeo happen outside the competition: families traveling together, volunteers working the gates, people preparing the arena, athletes visiting with fans, and friendships that seem to pick right back up no matter how long it's been.
Country music has much of that same spirit.
The performers may be what initially bring people through the gates, but the atmosphere surrounding them is what makes an event feel like more than another stop on the calendar.
I felt that in Casa Grande, and knowing the weekend was also helping support Pinal 40's work made that sense of community mean a little more.
Telling the Story Beyond the Weekend
Through Tough Draw, we've worked with rodeos, concerts, Mile 0 Fest, and other live events, providing video production, photography, and marketing support. We've also been involved in producing events ourselves, so I understand that the work doesn't end when the final performance wraps up.
For Copper Country, I focused on capturing the artists, fans, and atmosphere alongside the stage performances, giving the festival content it could use throughout the coming year.
Good content should remind the people who attended why they had a great time, while giving those who weren't there a reason to make plans for next year. It should also help the organizers recognize their sponsors, reach new audiences, and build on what they've created.
That's something I enjoy about this side of our work. We get to experience an event firsthand and then help share what made it worth being part of.
More Than the Music
I'm grateful to Kim for bringing me into the project and to the Copper Country Music Festival and Pinal 40 teams for welcoming me into their weekend.
There were some great performances, a few unexpected challenges, and plenty of good times along the way. But when I think back on Casa Grande, it's the conversations, the laughs, and the people I met or had the chance to reconnect with that come to mind first.
That's what has kept me connected to rodeo for so many years, and it's something I recognized again this past weekend.
The music brought everyone together. The people made it memorable.
And with the work Pinal 40 is doing for the community, there's an opportunity for that weekend to mean something to people who may never have set foot on the rodeo grounds.
That's a pretty good reason to keep building something.
To learn more about Copper Country Music Festival and Pinal 40, visit coppercountrymusicfest.com and pinal40.org.
Continue the Conversation
What's a rodeo, concert or community event you've attended where the people and atmosphere made just as much of an impression as the entertainment itself?
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