Polo on the Prairie slates country music star Ryan Bingham

BY Rolaynne Kimmons

April 12, 2018

Medically Reviewed  |  Last reviewed by an MD Anderson Cancer Center medical professional on April 12, 2018

Country music fans and polo enthusiasts alike are expected at the 32nd annual Polo on the Prairie, an annual polo match and fundraising event benefiting cancer research and patient programs at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Events kick off at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at the Musselman Brothers’ Lazy 3 Ranch in Albany, Texas. The polo match begins at 4:30 p.m. and will be followed by a chuck-wagon barbecue dinner, courtesy of Joe Allen’s Pit Bar-B-Que of Abilene, Texas. Grammy Award-winning country music star Ryan Bingham will take the stage for a private concert at 7 p.m. The evening will conclude with a spectacular fireworks show.

Bingham received critical acclaim for his first two studio releases on Lost Highway Records. He went on to collaborate with Grammy Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett on the soundtrack for the 2009 acclaimed film “Crazy Heart,” including notably co-writing and performing the film’s theme song, “The Weary Kind.” The title track earned Bingham an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics’ Choice Award and a Grammy.

“It’s an honor to have Ryan Bingham join us in our fight against cancer,” said Henry Musselman, who has served on the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors for three decades. “Polo is a tradition for us. I’m proud to look back on our 30-plus year legacy and see all who have joined us to help MD Anderson’s phenomenal researchers and clinicians get one step closer to ending cancer.”

Musselman and his family have hosted Polo on the Prairie since 1986, welcoming thousands of West Texans who share their commitment to MD Anderson’s mission to end cancer in Texas, across the nation and around the world. Over the past three decades, Polo on the Prairie has raised more than $6.5 million for key cancer research and patient programs at MD Anderson, which is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the nation’s No. 1 hospital for cancer care.

The 2018 Polo on the Prairie has already raised more than $$310,000. Individual tickets, $125, can be purchased by calling 866-262-9029 (press 2 to leave a message) or by emailing events@mdanderson.org. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the event.