The Highlands University rodeo team will hold a fundraising dinner, team rodeo, and dance Sat., Nov. 8, at the Santa Fe Trail Event Center, 29 Airport Road, Las Vegas.Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the custom-catered beef brisket dinner with all the fixings by Lee Daniels, an award-winning chuck wagon cook-off champion from Wagon Mound. The dinner is free for children under 12; $20 for students, $30 for non-students, and $50 for couples. A table for eight costs $200 and gives a good view of the rodeo.The team rodeo competition begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free. It features the 19-member Highlands University men and women’s rodeo team in the events of bareback riding, bull riding, calf roping, breakaway roping, team roping, barrel racing, and goat tying. The popular Santa Fe band, “Durango,” will play for the dance that begins at 9 p.m. The cost is $3 per person or $5 per couple. Durango plays a variety of music including rock, country, pop and oldies.There will be a silent auction at the fundraiser, including two tickets and lodging for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nev., in December.”This fundraiser will help our rodeo team with college rodeo entry fees, which team members currently pay on their own, and provide more money for scholarships,” said Jon Peek, head coach for Highland’s rodeo team. “Our rodeo team members own their own horses and this fundraiser will also help the team with the costs of caring for their horses and traveling to college rodeos.” Peek, who was hired as the rodeo coach in August, said rodeo is in its fourth year at Highlands and he is proud of his young team.”We have an enthusiastic team that knows they need to be outstanding as students and rodeo athletes,” said Peek. “They’re working very hard on both goals.”The Highlands rodeo team competes in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. The team will compete in four college rodeos this semester and six in the 2009 winter/spring semester.Tickets for the Nov. 8 fundraiser are available at the door or by calling 505-454-3368. Tickets are also available at the John Levra Football Field House, 906 Baca St.