ARCADIA - "A day at the rodeo" for visitors is "a way of life" for DeSoto County.

The Arcadia arena isn't as old as the cowboy tradition, but it does need some touch ups.

"Our old arena got bat up pretty bad by Charley," said Elton Langford, one of the Rodeo directors, as well as a county commissioner.

So, the directors tried to lasso the state into giving them one million dollars in matching funds to move the facility.

"You always have the hope in the back of your head that it might go through," said Langford. "It's kind of like buying a lottery ticket."

This lottery ticket didn't win.

"I was very disappointed," said Ronald Neads, also a rodeo director and county commissioner.

Governor Crist vetoed $460 million in projects this year when he completed the state budget last week, including DeSoto's application.

"It seems like rural communities got targeted more so than urban counties. I know that we don't have as much going on as the urban counties, but it seems like we got hit pretty hard," said Neads.

For DeSoto County, the rodeo is a huge economic and tourism boost. Rodeo directors hoped to move the arena closer to the newly reopened Turner Agri-Center in an attempt to hold joint events and attract more business.

"We could have more events and have enough room to put the people if they all decided to come," said Langford. "We're in an area of the county now where we really don't have any room to expand anymore. The fair and rodeo can't work together because we don't have enough room. Were it at the Turner Center, you can have a joint deal, you can have concerts, a fair going on and the rodeo at the same time," said Langford.

And, hope isn't lost yet. The Rodeo Association will reapply for the grant again next year -- but this time it will be different. This year the group asked for the funds as an "economic development" request, next year, they will call it an "agricultural" need.