By Steven Calhoun/Staff Writer

The Iron Bowl Team Roping Classic will be held on Sunday, Nov. 27 at Dale Ray Arena. The event will benefit Clear Waters Cowboy Church.

“I was going to have a roping this fall anyways, so I thought I would do it for the church,” said Jeremy Smith, the event’s organizer. “The church is trying to raise money to buy land to build a building on.”

According to the church’s Facebook, Clear Waters Cowboy Church is a Christian church devoted to reaching people and eliminating barriers to the cowboy culture. It is located at 803 Logan Road in Clanton.

Smith said he hosted roping events years ago, but in recent years has only been attending them. This year he decided he wanted to have one, and had it planned for the weekend of Nov. 26 – the weekend of the Iron Bowl.

“We were going to have it that weekend and wanted to have a catchy name, so we said ‘what game is that?’ and then realized ‘Oh, that’s the Iron Bowl!’” said Smith.

Smith decided to name the event the Iron Bowl Classic to pay homage to the tradition of intense rivalry between the two NCAA football teams from the universities of Alabama and Auburn

There will be church in the dirt at 9:30 a.m. Books open at 10:30 a.m. and the roping starts at 11:30 a.m. The biggest prize of the day is $750. Other prizes will be given out at the event and concessions will be served on-site.

Dale Ray Arena is located at 3298 Alabama Highway 191 in Jemison.

According to Smith, the cost is $40 a person to participate in the team roping events. Anyone who ropes is welcome to join. All proceeds will benefit Clear Waters Cowboy Church.

For more information or to enter, call Jeremy Smith at 205-470-7171.