For 28 summers, a rodeo in Baldwin County has done double duty. On the surface it is three nights of bull riding, barrel racing and a calf scramble for kids, held under a covered arena so that a Gulf Coast thunderstorm cannot cancel the evening. Underneath, it is one of the primary funding engines for youth mental health programming across the county’s schools.
The Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation will hold its 28th Annual Professional Rodeo from Thursday, August 6, through Saturday, August 8, 2026, at an arena in Baldwin County. Livestock and event operations will again be handled by Bo Campbell Rodeo Productions, and the competing contestants are affiliated with the Professional Cowboy Association.
Schedule and Admission
The nightly rhythm is consistent across all three evenings, giving families a predictable window to plan around.
- Gates open: 5:00 p.m.
- Kid’s Corral opens: 5:30 p.m.
- Rodeo action begins: 7:30 p.m.
- Adult tickets: $18
- Children ages 3 through 12: $15
- Children under 3: Free
Organizers have released a promotional code, HOPE2026, that takes $1 off individual tickets. The code is valid through July 31, 2026, which means families who buy in advance rather than at the gate will save. Tickets are available online through the foundation’s ticketing page.
Built for Families, Not Just Rodeo Fans
The event is deliberately structured so that attendees who have never watched a rodeo in their lives still have a reason to come. The Kid’s Corral opens two hours before competition and gives younger children a dedicated space of their own. Children ages six through 12 can enter a calf scramble, a fixture of small-town rodeos and reliably the loudest few minutes of the night. A professional rodeo clown performs throughout the evening, filling the gaps between events with comedy that keeps the crowd engaged between adrenaline spikes.
Vendors, concessions and specialty acts round out the grounds. The covered arena is a genuinely important detail in August on the Alabama Gulf Coast, where afternoon storms are less a possibility than a near-certainty. The event proceeds rain or shine.
Where the Money Goes
The Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation directs proceeds from the rodeo into programs, services and resources for communities and schools throughout Baldwin County, with a focus on the social and emotional well-being of young people. That mission has taken on new weight in recent years as schools nationwide have confronted rising rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation among adolescents.
Baldwin County is among the fastest-growing counties in Alabama, and its school system has absorbed enormous enrollment increases. Growth of that speed strains support services, and mental health resources are frequently the first thing to fall behind classroom capacity. A privately funded organization that can put programming directly into schools fills a gap that would otherwise sit open.
The Roots of the Foundation’s Mission
The foundation that carries the rodeo’s proceeds is named for Jennifer Claire Moore, and its work reflects a broader, community-driven response to youth mental health on the Gulf Coast. Rather than relying solely on public systems that are stretched thin, the organization builds programming that meets students where they already are, inside the county’s schools. That in-school model is especially important in a county where distances between communities are significant and where a family may live many miles from the nearest counseling provider.
By funding the work through a beloved local event, the foundation also keeps the community directly connected to the cause. People who attend the rodeo for the entertainment are, often without a second thought, underwriting the emotional support available to their neighbors’ children.
Sponsorships and Vendor Opportunities
Sponsorship opportunities remain available for individuals and businesses that want to underwrite the foundation’s work. For local companies, the rodeo represents a chance to reach thousands of Baldwin County residents across three nights while supporting programming that reaches into the schools their employees’ children attend.
Vendors interested in setting up at the event can complete the foundation’s online application form. Food truck applications are expected to open at a later date. The foundation can be reached directly at 251-971-3633 for questions about tickets, sponsorships or vendor participation.
A Long-Running Baldwin County Tradition
Twenty-eight years is long enough that adults who attended as children in the Kid’s Corral are now bringing their own children. That continuity is part of what has made the rodeo durable as a fundraiser. It is not an abstract appeal for donations; it is a night out that families already want, with the money quietly going somewhere that matters.
For a county whose identity is increasingly defined by beach tourism and rapid suburban development, the rodeo is also a reminder of Baldwin County’s agricultural spine, still very much intact in Robertsdale, Loxley, Elberta and the farmland that stretches between them.
Why Youth Mental Health Funding Matters Here
The need the rodeo supports is not unique to Baldwin County, but the county’s combination of rapid growth and sprawling geography makes it acute. As new subdivisions rise and school enrollments climb, the social-emotional needs of students grow alongside them. Programs that teach coping skills, provide early intervention and reduce the stigma around asking for help are increasingly treated by educators as essential, not optional. A fundraiser with 28 years of community goodwill behind it is well positioned to keep that support flowing.
Practical Notes for Attendees
Families planning to attend should note the advance-purchase discount through the HOPE2026 promo code and the July 31 cutoff. The covered arena means the event will run regardless of weather, but summer evenings on the Gulf Coast remain warm, and attendees should plan for heat and humidity during the early gates-open hours. Children under three are admitted free, making the event accessible to families with the youngest riders in tow.
The Rodeo as a Point of Community Identity
In a county defined as much by its coastline as by its countryside, the rodeo performs a quiet act of balance. It gathers Baldwin County’s inland agricultural heritage and its coastal present into a single weekend, and it does so in service of a cause that touches every part of the county. The event’s longevity is no accident; it has been tended year after year by organizers, volunteers and sponsors who understand that the entertainment and the mission are the same thing. For many families, marking the first weekend of August with a trip to the arena has become a tradition as dependable as the season itself, and the cause behind it gives that tradition a deeper purpose.