After a three-month promotion, fans selected two artists to sing the national anthem at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The Wrangler NFR will kick off on Thursday, December 1st, and run through Saturday, December 10th.
The Wrangler NFR national anthem contest launched on August 3. All entries had to be submitted by August 24. Entries were received from 28 states. From there, an initial fan vote narrowed the list down to the top 30, and a panel of judges narrowed the list down to the top 8 for a more open vote. From September 28 to October 5, fans voted on their choice selection from the final eight entries. The 2022 winners were Presley Seal and Candace Muir. The seal will perform on December 4, while Muir will perform on December 8.
Seal, a 12-year-old cowgirl from Caldwell, Idaho, competes in youth rodeos and roping, and enjoys riding horses and spending time with her friends and family. She was asked to sing the national anthem at the Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho for the first time when she was eight. She loves singing the anthem and has performed a total of three times in Nampa, as well as the Canyon County Fair, Caldwell Night Rodeo, Idaho Cowboy Association Finals, Reno Open Roping, and All-Girl, as well as many other youth rodeos. , barrel, and boat races. Her goal was to sing in the Wrangler NFR one day, and that dream will come true in 2022.
Muir, originally from Waynesfield, Ohio, has been performing for many years and enjoys singing whenever she gets the chance. She has performed the national anthem at many national livestock shows, cattle sales, and other small events. Muir is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where she earned her B.S. in zoology and a minor in music. She was a member of the Ohio State University A Capella group and a former singer in two local country bands.
On the professional side, she currently co-owns/herds her family’s cattle and hay operation and is a custom show cattle rider. In addition, she helps manage Graze On, her family catering business. Muir won the NFR National Anthem contest last year. However, she was involved in a life-threatening accident just weeks before and she was unable to act.
The full list of performers of the anthem includes:
Thursday, December 1: Easton Corbin (also performing at Cowboy Revival at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas)
Friday, December 2: Glen Templeton (also performing at Cowboy Revival at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and Rodeo Vegas at The Mirage)
Saturday, December 3rd: Dan Smalley (also performing in Cowboy Revival at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas)
Sunday, December 4: Presley Seal, winner of the contest
Monday, December 5: Will Jones (also performing in Cowboy Revival at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas)
Tuesday, December 6: Wyatt McCubbin (also performing in Cowboy Revival at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas)
Wednesday, December 7 – Jim McCloughan
Thursday, December 8: Corb Lund (Canadian anthem); Candace Muir, winner of the contest
Friday, December 9: Drake Milligan (also performing at Cowboy Revival at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas)
Saturday, December 10 – Maggie Minor
Known as the richest and most prestigious rodeo in the world, the Wrangler NFR attracts the top 15 contestants in bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronco riding, roping tying, barrel racing, and bull riding. to compete for a share of the augmented bag and the coveted PRCA gold buckle. In 2021, the event had a total attendance of 169,539 over the 10 days of competition at the Thomas & Mack Center and has sold out over 340 consecutive performances in Las Vegas.
For more information on the Wrangler NFR, please visit NFRexperience.com or through social media at /LasVegasNFR and use #WranglerNFR. For the latest PRORODEO news and Wrangler NFR coverage, please visit prorodeo.com or through social media @PRCA_ProRodeo.
Leave a Reply