Our family attended the Rockwall County Sheriff’s 3rd Annual Roundup held in the historic downtown Rockwall square on Saturday, November 12, 2022. A cold front moved through North Texas ringing in sweater weather and I certainly was happy to slip on my favorite handcrafted Tony Lama cowboy boots to complete my ensemble.
The Rockwall County Sheriff’s Posse has been a community staple in Rockwall County. The Sheriff Posse was established in 1991 by Rockwall County Sheriff Jacques Kiere and Roy Hance. The Posses of the wild west were made up of a wide variety of citizens from all types of backgrounds and occupations.
“Our group is made up of community leaders, public servants, businessmen, horse trainers, medical professionals, lawyers and ranchers,” says Commander Deryl Peoples. “Western heritage, history and tradition is important to us. For three decades the members of the Sheriff Posse have proudly represented their county at public events and standing ready to come to the aid of law enforcement.”
The posse members are trained in public safety and emergency response practices, capable of taking their skills where vehicles can’t go. They regularly participate in missing person searches, help round up loose livestock and assist with crowd control at events. This posse has earned and won awards across Texas in southwestern shows.
On behalf of Atmos Energy, Eva Hummel presented a generous check for $2,500 to the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Posse. She says, “We love the tradition and support what they bring to this community.”
What family friendly activities are available?
It was so nice to see the volunteers hosting this family friendly event! Kids got to learn about the livestock and if they were interested to experience more they could signup to a local Youth 4 H program. This agricultural program teaches how to sustain life and keep Texas culture the way we’ve all grown to love and know, including types of agriculture businesses, breeding and how to market animals.
Our kids learned that Cranberry the cow has a tongue that would feel like sandpaper if she were to lick you.
Rockwall County Master Gardner offered how to make a bird feeder with a string, toilet paper roll, peanut butter and birdseeds.
Lots of photo opportunities with animals, western theme backdrops and a complimentary photo session in the photo wagon by Melissa Tate.
Rockwall Police Department provided nice first aid related items that included ice packs. Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office was also present to educate about safety information with a Learn About 9-1-1 coloring and activity book.
There were also pony rides for the kiddos!
Our kids visited the cocoa bar where they made a specialty drink that most likely would have made Will Ferrell’s character Buddy the Elf proud of how much Christmas was in that tall cup. It included hot cocoa, oreos, sprinkles, chocolate chips, marshmallows and whip cream!
Live Entertainment, Shopping and Dining
Saturday’s Roundup was a celebration of our community’s western heritage and agricultural roots, complete with live music, delicious food and plenty of shopping at the western style marketplace.
The featured entertainers included Mike Randall, Summer Dean, Max & Heather Stalling. The crowd also enjoyed watching a performance by the Dobbs Elementary Folkloric Dancers.
Lots of pop up vendors selling their handcrafted goods like Experience Goat Milk Skincare who offered goat milk soap, My daughters insisted in buying the bath bombs so I’m looking forward to that spa experience. Also, I tried a cocktail chocolate sample by an artisan chocolatier Victoria. She offers to build your own chocolate candy bar with your favorite liqueur. It was delightful!
Tate Farms provided a delicious menu from their mobile trailer that included burgers, brisket and other mercantile items.
It was good to see our Texas Representative Justin Holland present and contributing his efforts to celebrate what makes our community special. Special thanks to our Rockwall County Sheriff Terry Garrett for his time contributing to this fine organization and the important work they do in keeping our community safe.
Special thanks to the Event Sponsors
That is one cool limited edition t-shirt that I totally missed out on for $10.00!!! The proceeds went toward the scholarships for graduating seniors.
Did you attend the 3rd Annual Roundup? What was your favorite part that you experienced? Please leave me a comment below.
3rd Annual Roundup Event Photos
Cover Photo Credit: Adrienne Balkum | Rockwall County Sheriff Posse receives a $2,500 donation by Atmos Energy and it was presented by Eva Hummel