story by Michele Toberer
On July 27 and 28, The Fairview Wranglers will host a rodeo in the L.L. Morrison Arena for the 55th consecutive year. Several of the families involved in the Fairview Wrangler Rodeo Club have not only grown up as active participants in the club and rodeo, but also have parents and grandparents that were founding members. Brad Morrison is the grandson of Lester Lonzo Morrison, whom the Fairview Wranglers named the arena in honor of his memory. “My grandpa was a rancher and was one of the men that started the rodeo 55 years ago to promote the sport of rodeo in our hometown.” The small farming community of Fairview sits between Enid and Woodward, Oklahoma, and the approximately 5,000 residents are still just as proud of the annual event that brings rodeo action to approximately 2,500 spectators on the last weekend of each July.
The rodeo has been sanctioned by other rodeo associations, as well as being an open rodeo for several years, but the Fairview Wranglers are excited about their collaboration with the Kansas Professional Rodeo Association for the first time this year. “Everyone with the KPRA has been extremely helpful and they have great contractors to work with. We are excited about the number and quality of contestants the KPRA is going to bring to our rodeo this year. We are using KPRA stock contractor, Justin Russell, and he has been fantastic to work with, he’s a super helpful, super nice guy.” Brad is appreciative of Justin and the fact that he handles all aspects of the rodeo, as over the years the numbers of the Fairview Wranglers fluctuates, so their resources for staffing important areas of the rodeo are often small.
Being Lonnie Morrison’s grandson, participating in the rodeo each year was, and still is a regular occurrence. Brad and his sister Jessica Walker both helped along with their dad, Jim Morrison, stepmom, Kathie Morrison, and Jessica’s son, Forest Beall. Currently, Forest is the acting president of the Wranglers. Brad and his wife Saundra are also carrying on the family tradition. Saundra helps with production of the rodeos and competes as a barrel racer; and their two daughters, Emma, 15, and Stormi, 10, are being raised as a part of the rodeo their great-grandparents Lonnie and Georgia, envisioned so many years ago. Emma was the Fairview Wrangler Rodeo Princess in 2011, and Stormi was the 2018 Fairview Wrangler Rodeo princess and will be passing on her crown at this year’s rodeo. “The Thursday before the rodeo starts, we kick things off in the morning with a pet parade for the kids, and they love parading their pets and riding their decorated bicycles and tricycles down Main Street. Then, we start the rodeo queen contest Thursday evening. The rodeo starts at 8 p.m. on Friday, and we crown the new queen and princess during the rodeo. On Saturday morning we have a parade starting at 10 a.m., and we usually have local round-up clubs and many community members ride in the parade, as well as motorcycle clubs riding through town.”
Another family that has had the same longstanding commitment to the Fairview Wranglers and the rodeo is the Hubble family; Wayne and Tammy Hubble are both very involved in putting the rodeo on every year. Wayne’s parents, Claire and Ella Rena, worked alongside Lonnie and Georgia to get the town tradition started. Wayne competed as bulldogger for many years. Their daughters, Brittany Goodin and Danielle Hubble are also members of the Fairview Wranglers and are a part of the next generation of rodeo supporters.
Brad and Saundra work in the oil industry with their business, Morrison Pumping, and they also raise cattle and horses. Brad and his dad Jim would frequently compete at the Fairview Wrangler rodeos as team ropers before Jim retired, and Brad still does team rope occasionally. “Our whole family has been involved in this, and I’m glad to have my kids as a part of it now. There’s not a lot that goes on around here, so looking forward to the Fairview Wrangler Rodeo each year is a pretty big deal.”
