For three individuals and their respective families, Sunday’s Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo performance marks a very special occasion.
Willie Crosina, Lawrence Elkins and Phillip Camille will be inducted into the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame — each being recognized for their work in different categories.
Crosina will be inducted into a new wing in the hall of fame called ‘Builder of Western Culture,’ Elkins will garner entry in the ‘Competitive Cowboy’ class, while Camille is being honoured in the ‘Working Cowboy’ category.
Mark McMillan, president of the BC Cowboy Heritage Society — the organization responsible for hosting the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame induction ceremony — said it’s going to be a packed house Sunday during the indoor rodeo to see those three cowboys recognized alongside the many who have already been inducted since the hall of fame began in 1998.
“I’ve heard some numbers through the grapevine as to how many people there will be there, and it sounds like it’s going to be a lot,” McMillan said, noting this will be the 13th consecutive year the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame will be making an appearance at the Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo.
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“They’re thrilled to have us, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it,” he said.
Prior to the induction ceremony Sunday’s rodeo, BC Cowboy Hall of Fame, their families, special guests and dignitaries, will take part in a morning brunch at the Williams Lake Seniors Activity Centre.
From there, they’ll be transported by horse and wagon by Roy and Gwen Mulvahill to the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex and the ceremony where speeches and inductions will take place to kick off the rodeo.
Speaking on this year’s new hall of fame category, McMillan said there simply couldn’t be a better fit than Crosina.
“Willie is so deserving,” he said of the 94-year-old rodeo mainstay in Williams Lake.
“He’s done so much for the Western lifestyle and rodeo so we wanted to induct him but he didn’t quite fit all our criteria. This new category is for him, and he fits it to a ‘T’. He’s such a deserving guy we had to do something.”
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The BC Cowboy Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Sunday will begin just prior to the rodeo at 12:45 p.m.
The Moon family, meanwhile, who has its roots in the Cariboo, were inducted March 15 at the Kamloops Cowboy Festival. They will not be a part of Sunday’s induction ceremony.
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