Cattle Call (Brawley, California)

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Cattle Call is a tradition that has come a long way. This year it celebrated its 60th consecutive year. The event has come a long way from starting off in a football field to having its own park and parade. Cattle Call is valuable to the Imperial valley because the imperial valley is cattle country and Cattle Call brings business to the imperial valley. It gives alfalfa growers business and other cattle related organizations an opportunity to benefit from this Rodeo.
Cattle Call has many aspects to it, before the Rodeo there are several cook offs. There is a chili cook off, a beef cook off. Then there is the Cattle Call parade that exhibits all of the aspects of the imperial valley. During the Rodeo there are many events such has wild horse riding, bull riding, barrel racing, calf roping and sheep herding. In each of these events the participants compete for the top 4 spots. In the bull and wild horse riding the score comes from how long the rider stays on the bull or horse and how he dismounts. Barrel racing is a sport where a rider, usually a woman rides a horse as fast as possible around 3 barrels, in this event the one with the fastest time is the best with time penalties to anyone who knocks down a barrel. Sheep herding is an event where three riders separate 3 specific sheep and bring them to an enclosure. Cattle Call is the an iconic part of Imperial Valley, it is important for many to keep this tradition because it is one of the oldest traditions in the imperial valley.

Cattle Call week is a time of festivities that celebrate the life and culture that is here in the Imperial Valley. This dates back to the late 1950s when the Chamber of Commerce came to a conclusion that the town of Brawley didn’t have or wasn’t known for a yearly event. This is how Cattle Call week arose. This week honored the cattle industry that was familiar in Brawley. This event just started off in a rodeo, where horse races, bull riding, etc. where just showcased. As the years grew new events where added and created a week-long tradition. This also led to the construction of the Cattle Call arena/park. This park now is home of the annual rodeo but also a park that is open to all the communities of Imperial Valley.
This Cattle Call week is used to showcase numerous aspects of the Imperial Valley. For example, in the Chili Cook which takes place on Main St. at the Plaza Park, it showcases different teams or families that cook and compete to see who has the best chili. On the other hand, the parade also on Main St., it displays the different schools, students, and faculty from around the Imperial Valley. It is a way of showing a bit of the culture that borders us which is majority Latino but there is also a well-blended mix of diverse cultures. The arena is the time for the rodeo and pop up stands for local vendors of food, clothing, western themed accessories.
Of my knowledge, I’ve never heard or seen any controversy surrounding this week. I’ve always seen it as a positive tradition that symbolizes and embodies our community.