The Sept. 12–13 event at Cal Expo will bring together first responders, local businesses, rodeo fans and families from across the region for a high-energy competition and a celebration of Western culture. Photo courtesy of Sac-Town Rodeo

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - When the Sac-Town Rodeo returns to Cal Expo on Sept. 12 and 13, it will bring two days of bull riding, bronc riding, Western tradition and family entertainment to Sacramento.

But beyond the arena action, the event carries a deeper purpose: supporting the Firefighters Burn Institute, an organization born from one of the darkest tragedies in Sacramento’s history and one that continues to serve burn survivors, families and injured firefighters across the region.

For many Sacramento residents, the Firefighters Burn Institute is a familiar name. Its origins, however, trace back more than five decades to a devastating day in 1972.

That year, a jet attempting to take off from Sacramento Executive Airport crashed into a crowded Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor. Twenty-three people were killed, and many others suffered serious burn injuries. Among those who died were Sacramento firefighter Gene LaVine and eight members of his family.

The scale of the tragedy exposed a critical gap in the region’s medical resources. At the time, Sacramento had limited access to specialized burn treatment, leaving patients and families facing a difficult and uncertain path to recovery.

Sacramento Fire Department Captain Cliff Haskell believed the community could not allow that need to go unanswered. Through his fundraising and advocacy, the Firefighters Burn Institute was established in 1973. The organization later worked with UC Davis Medical Center to help establish a regional burn center, providing specialized care closer to home for burn survivors throughout Sacramento and Northern California.

More than 50 years later, the Institute’s mission has expanded well beyond its founding goal.

Today, the Firefighters Burn Institute supports burn survivors and their families through recovery programs, peer support, community reintegration and camps for young burn survivors. It also provides assistance to injured firefighters and their families while advancing burn prevention, public education and awareness throughout the region.

The work is personal for many of the firefighters, survivors and families connected to the organization. It is a mission rooted in a community’s response to loss, and sustained by a belief that people recovering from burn injuries should not have to navigate that journey alone.

That is where the Sac-Town Rodeo comes in.

The Sept. 12–13 event at Cal Expo will bring together first responders, local businesses, rodeo fans and families from across the region. While spectators can expect high-energy competition and a celebration of Western culture, the rodeo also gives the Sacramento community a chance to rally around an organization whose impact reaches far beyond the event grounds.

Proceeds from the Sac-Town Rodeo will benefit the Firefighters Burn Institute and help sustain programs serving children, adults, families and firefighters affected by burn injuries.

For Sacramento, the rodeo represents more than an annual community gathering. It is also a reminder of how a tragedy that devastated the city more than half a century ago led to lasting action, from improved specialized burn care to decades of support for survivors and their families.

As the Sac-Town Rodeo returns next month, it offers a timely opportunity to honor that history, celebrate the resilience of burn survivors and recognize the firefighters and community members who have carried the Firefighters Burn Institute’s mission forward for generations.