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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2019)
WELCOME TO THE 2019 FARM-CITY PRO RODEO Farm-City Pro Rodeo adds special events to each of the four performances Top cowgirls and cowboys slated Youth in Ag night is Aug. 8 56 bronc riders and 57 bull Round 10 of the National Fi- nals Rodeo where he posted and all of the 4-H and FFA riders. for 32nd annual event Farm-City Pro Rodeo is bring- fair exhibitors get in free. To Some of the best stock in an 87-point ride and earned in g the best cowboys and kick things up a notch, each North America will be on his third consecutive gold school in the county com- petes that night in the Calf Scramble where each team races to put a T-shirt on a calf The 32nd year of PRCA ro- in the arena. deo in Hermiston starts with Ladies Night is Aug. 9 and four local wineries will offer Family Night. “We want to make it more of each of the women in atten- an experience instead of just dance free wine tasting. The rodeo,” said David Bothum, fi nal night is Farm City Night a member of the Farm City featuring regional micro- board of directors. “For Fam- breweries offering free tast- ily Night, we are going to ings to all rodeo fans over 21. cowgirls in the business to Hermiston Aug. 7-10 with special events each of the four performance nights. have an area with a tent set up for autographs and pho- tos with the bullfi ghters and clown before the rodeo and all the kids will get a back number like the contestants.” Bothum said 18 of the top 20 performers in each event will be on hand, including 65 steer wrestlers, 64 calf ropers, 67 team roping teams, 107 bar- rel racers, 40 bareback riders, hand as well as the top-ranked cowboys and cowgirls, Bothum said, with horses, bulls, steers and calves com- ing from the Calgary Stam- pede, Kesler Championship Rodeo of Montana, Korkow Rodeos of South Dakota, and Corey and Lange Rodeo from Washington. Some of the big names ex- pected to compete are the bronc riding Wright Brothers and four-time PRCA World Champion Bareback Rider Kaycee Field. Tim O’Connell is scheduled to appear, just six months after he suffered a torn rotator cuff during buckle. John Harrison of Oklahoma, last year’s PRCA Barrel Man of the Year, will be in the cen- ter of the arena to entertain the crowds. The idea to start the Farm-C- ity Pro Rodeo was born dur- ing a party celebrating Butch Knowles winning the NFR in saddle bronc in 1987. Bothum, also a saddle bronc rider, was Knowles’ rodeo travel companion. During the celebration, Bothum said people started talking about hosting their own rodeo in Hermiston, from where many of Oregon’s top cowgirls and cowboys hail. The Farm-City Pro Rodeo brings a purse of $15,000 per event plus entry fees for bare- back riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, barrel racing and bull riding. Because there are two contestants involved in the team roping event the rodeo adds $30,000 plus entry fees. The rodeo is ranked among the top 50 professional ro- deos in North America based on total prize money. East Oregonian/Hermiston Herald Farm-City Pro Rodeo 2019 | 3