NATCHEZ — Natchez resident Wayne Johnson wanted a place he could ride his horses without wet weather interfering.

So Johnson and his wife Donna began constructing a covered arena on Foster Mound Road. Before long, though, the arena turned into something more than just a place for personal use.

Johnson said the arena, which the two began building in February 2009, has hosted almost a dozen rodeo shows this year. The interest in using the arena comes from locals, as well as people from out of town.

“We had a lot of local people in the roping meets, and about half of the people were from out of town,” Johnson said. “They’d come from places like Jackson, Vicksburg, Baton Rouge, Ruston … just all around.”

In addition, the arena has also hosted a barrel race, in which Johnson said four locals competed.

“We’re looking to start a series of more barrel races in February, and we want to start a new roping series in January,” Johnson said. “We want to get to hosting them every other weekend.”

The dream began when Johnson would ride his colts during the winter, and he recognized the need for someplace dry.

“It got to where it stayed so wet all the time that I couldn’t ride,” he said. “I bought the property on Foster Mound Road, and I said if we built this big arena, we could host some shows.”

Donna Johnson said the initial plan didn’t call for the arena to be as big as it became.

“We wanted to have something big for him to ride on that was small, and it just kind of grew from there,” she said.

And it’s a good thing too, Johnson said, because people who want to compete in rodeos in Natchez don’t have to worry about the weather as much now.

“There isn’t a covered arena within 40 miles of here,” Johnson said.

“The closest one is in Jonesville. You can draw a lot of people with barrel racing, and 200-300 people in ropings, so there’s a lot of interest. With it being covered, people from out of town won’t have to worry about coming, only for it to get canceled because of rain.”

Johnson said the arena already has good concession stands, restrooms and a good public address system. Donna Johnson said the Tri-State Rodeo Association has inspected the arena and approved it for use in rodeo competitions.

“We want it to be a family atmosphere,” she said. “We don’t allow drinking. Some people will drink, because they bring it with them, but we try to limit that. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office is good at helping us limit that.”

The arena is covered, but not enclosed, and Johnson said it’s come a long way from the initial stages, when the arena didn’t even have bleachers.

“It’s like anything else,” Johnson said. “If you build a baseball field, they’re going to come and play.”