Frank J. Buchman
It'll be "a family affair" from start to finish.
Initially, one likely won't understand that analysis, but truly the third annual Flint Hills Bull Blowout at Strong City, Saturday evening, Sept. 8, will be family oriented from every aspect.
Kim Reyer, his wife, Lana, their son, Wyatt, and their daughters and sons-in-law, Kelsey and Adam Spain, and Jenna and Kyle Gibb and their children, Tate and Karlie Gibb (the Reyers' grandchildren) ,are the originators of the event.
BLOWOUT SPONSORS: A family operation, Flint Hills Genetics, a bucking bull breeding program headquartered at Strong City, will be co-sponsor, with Reyer's Country Store, of the third annual Flint Hills Bull Blowout at Strong City Saturday night, Sept. 8., at 6:30. Shown are Lana, left, Kim and Wyatt Reyer; Adam and Kelsey Spain; and Kyle, Jenna, Tate and Karlie Gibb.
"I used to compete in bull riding, and it's always been very close to my heart," Reyer said. "I'd thought about having a bull riding for a long time, and then I finally decided to undertake one three years ago. All of my family has been behind the effort from the start and helping in every way possible."
Main sponsors of the event are actually Reyer's own entities: Reyer's Country Store, on Highway 50 just across from the bull competition arena, and Flint Hills Genetics, a bucking bull breeding operation also owned in a partnership of Reyer and his sons-in-law.
The Flint Hills Blowout will benefit the charity, Ride Rank for a Cure, which was founded by Augusta bull rider, Ricky Ritter. Ride Rank for a Cure provides support and assistance to those fighting cancer.
Especially satisfying and important to Reyer is that several of the bulls coming out of the chutes for the competition have been produced by his family breeding program.
Additionally noteworthy, those bucking bulls are a family in themselves. "We started out with a few select bucking-bred cows, mated them to top bucking bulls and are now reaping success with some really top bucking bulls. They're all from the same family, go back to our original cow family and are related, some are quite close relatives, actually," Reyer explained.
Furthering the family aspect of it all, the Flint Hills Genetics origin came from Jimmy Crowther's bucking bull breeding program, which Crowther started more than 30 years ago while he was competing as a highly-successful bull rider.