Barnyard Days goes pink for cancer awareness

Spectators at Barnyard Days saw a lot of people wearing and displaying pink during the event.
The annual three-day event – held Friday, Saturday and concluding today – partnered with Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks (BCFO), based in Springfield, Mo., in getting the word out about breast cancer awareness.

Barnyard Days – held at the Circle R Ranch north of Neosho – will be open today from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ticket prices are $5 for adults, and children are free of charge. Barnyard Days has also partnered with Kum & Go convenience stores for the event, allowing anyone with a receipt from Kum & Go a $1 discount off the regular ticket price. Free admission will also be granted to all breast cancer patients and survivors. For more information, visit the Web site at www.circle-r-festivals.com and click on Barnyard Days tab.

As she was walking around, Laura Mullani, of Joplin, noticed the people dressed in pink shirts, pink hats and a lot of the items – including scarecrows dressed in pink.

“It is wonderful, because I am a breast cancer survivor,” Mullani said. “I am going on my fourth year as a survivor. It is wonderful to see pink and people donating to the cause.”

Co-organizer of Barnyard Days, Steve Roark, was also pleased with going pink.

“Our main goal this year was to introduce the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks to the folks in our part of the country,” Roark said. “Money raised and donated stays in this area. It helps ladies fight breast cancer right here.”

According to Roark in a previous article with the Neosho Daily News, “The tractor club is doing a skillet throw, where people can put money in a black iron skillet and then they will see who can throw it the furtherest. We have a couple of 4-H groups that are going to donate all of their proceeds that they are going to make on the children’s rides back to breast cancer foundation. We have T-shirts that $2 out of each T-shirt sale goes to Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks. We have various giveaways and raffles that people can sign up to, with all of the proceeds going to breast cancer foundation. We are expecting to raise a lot of money this (past) weekend. We will be donating a portion of our gate proceeds back to breast cancer foundation.”

One of the groups that was helping with getting the word out about breast cancer was Neosho High School’s FFA department.

“We put together this scarecrow, we went with the theme of the Keebler Elves,” said Taylor Walker, secretary to the high school’s FFA chapter.

The big tree had pink leaves on the top, while scarecrows dressed in pink lined the outside. The tree even had a pink door.

“It looks really good,” Walker said. “We had a lot of help.”

The Round Prairie 4-H group also decorated scarecrows in pink.

“We wanted something that involved rodeo, horses and breast cancer,” said Breanna Wortman, with the 4-H group. “So we decided to put a barrel racer, a scarecrow for a barrel racing and one roping and one bull riding.”

Round Prairie 4-H received first place in the scarecrow competition, while the NHS FFA group received second place.

The proceeds went to breast cancer foundation.

BCFO executive director Crystal Webster was pleased with the turnout, but also with what Barnyard Days organizers have done to promote breast cancer awareness.

“We are so appreciated and thankful that Steve and Tammy Roark have decided to benefit BCFO with all of their Barnyard Days activities,” Webster said. “And the warm welcome that we have received in the four state area has been incredible. It is exciting to be able to provide services to local families affected by breast cancer and this event has helped spread the word.”

BCFO will be stationed at the freeman Health System tent, near the entrance of the event.

“We are sharing information with ladies about how to reduce their risk of breast cancer,” she said. “And early detection of breast cancer and mammograms.”

The Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks is a resource for individuals and families in Southwest Missouri who are impacted by breast cancer.