PUEBLO — A Pueblo County nonprofit is working to change the stigma around addiction in cowboy culture — and this weekend, it's doing it with bull riding, barrel racing, and live music.
Sober Cowboy, founded by Lacey Singleton, connects cowboys, rodeo athletes, and people in the western industry with addiction recovery resources. The organization hosts the 8 Seconds for Addiction Xtreme Roughstock Rodeo fundraiser Saturday at the Colorado State Fairgrounds' Big R Arena in Pueblo.
Singleton said she started the organization because of her own family's history with addiction.
"There's a long line of addiction in my family, so it's always been a passion of mine, recovery and providing those resources to people that don't have as much access to them,” Singleton said.
She said rural isolation makes it especially difficult for people in the western community to find help.
"Most of the time, these cowboys, farmers, and ranchers are living rurally, and so it's not super easy to get to a recovery resource, whether that be an AA meeting or an NA meeting. So this has created a community that just allows them to be able to find that, even if it's just a text message or a friend in our group,” Singleton said.
In the past year, the number of Sober Cowboy members in active recovery doubled from 30 to 60.
"It's been a really cool thing to see the recovery that has happened within these communities," Singleton said.
The annual rodeo fundraiser is what Singleton calls the highlight of the year for the organization.
"The rodeo is so much fun and it's obviously the highlight of my entire year and the organization's year. It is what keeps us going,” Singleton said. "It's super important to have like-minded people together, especially in recovery.”
This year's event will feature muttin bustin, barrel racing, bull riding, and saddle bronc riding. Attendees can also expect local vendors from across Colorado, fair food, face painters, and live music.
Doors open at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Big R Arena at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo. Tickets are available at the door or online at Etix.
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