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Just a few years ago, Lee and Amanda Graham owned and operated a turkey farm just outside Faison. Now, they’ve transformed the old farmstead into a premier venue that hosts everything from barrel racing and rodeos to weddings and quinceaneras.
The barns and arena that make up Tara Creek were originally turkey houses, and then transitioned into a shop for tractors and farm vehicles. Until one fateful day, one of the Grahams’ employees asked to use the space for a wedding.
“We had been farming out here for a few years,” Lee recalls. “One of our employees wanted to get married in here, and that sort of kicked off the wedding venue. We had no plans, no clue it could be something that people would want.”
“After that, people started calling so we didn’t put the tractors back in,” Amanda explains, “because we were going to have one more thing. And then it was one more thing after that.”
Lee adds with a laugh, “Now the tractors are just for decoration.”
The first event at Tara Creek was held on Oct. 31, 2020. In just a little more than three years, the venue has turned into a hot spot for weddings and other parties, and draws in thousands per night for its rodeo events. In fact, Lee says the annual two-night rodeo, held this year April 19-20, will draw as many as 3,000-4,000 people each night.
The Grahams built the horse arena for their 14-year-old daughter, Scarlett, to practice showing horses. Then, one day, someone called and asked if they had ever considered using the arena for events like barrel racing. “That led to a friendship, and that’s how we got into the barrel racing and the rodeo,” Amanda says.
“We have a monthly barrel racing competition with associations like the National Barrel Horse Association,” Lee says. “They’ll come here and they’ll bring groups from North and South Carolina and Virginia. Once a year, the Southern Rodeo Association has a full rodeo here. People come here from northern New York all the way to the southern tip of Florida to compete.”
Although some people may confuse barrel racing for a rodeo, it’s actually its own separate event that can be part of a larger rodeo.
“The rodeo is eight events for two nights in a row,” Lee explains. “They’ll have bareback, saddle bronc, they’ll have steer wrestling, three different tying events, they’ll have team roping, tie-down roping and then cowgirl roping. And there’ll be barrel racing and bull riding so eight full events at our rodeos.”
“So, barrel racing is the horse and rider are running against the clock,” he continues. “They’re running against their competition in a timed event, and they come out, circle three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern, and the fastest horse wins.”
Tara Creek will host a series sponsored by Bojangle’s, starting Feb. 16, and there will be a few barrel racing events in March, followed by the rodeo April 19-20. Tickets for the events will be on sale on the Tara Creek website, taracreek.com.
Lee and Amanda Graham may not have ever dreamed of owning a successful rodeo and events venue, but they believe someone else had a plan.
“Honestly, I tell people all the time, honest to goodness, the Lord had a plan for us, because we had no plan to do it,” Lee says. “We’re very fortunate that it’s worked out, because we didn’t have income out here anymore. You can tell some of these places that don’t get used they just seem to fall apart. It was headed in that direction, but we were very fortunate that some things came together to change that.”
“The community has embraced us, totally,” he adds. “We’ve really had a good response from the local community, sponsorships have been a blessing. We want to be somewhere people can go without breaking the bank.”
As for what’s up next for Tara Creek, it’s definitely not etched in stone or planned out strategically, the Grahams say. “People say, ‘what are you gonna do next?’” Amanda says. “We don’t have any plans; we just kind of trust and see what falls in our laps. We believe in blessings and right timing. We just kind of take it as it comes.”
