CULTURE & HERITAGE
THE ARTS AROUND
EASTERN OREGON
7
APRIL 20�27, 2022
‘As western as it gets’
Cattle Barons
weekend is April
29-30 in Pendleton
By Jennifer Colton
Go! Magazine
P
ENDLETON — Billed as “as
Western as it gets,” Pendle-
ton Cattle Barons weekend will
bring select horses and ranch
dogs, a Western trade show and
a barbecue competition to the
Pendleton Convention Center
April 29-30.
Both Friday and Saturday
have activities lined up from
7 a.m.-11 p.m.
“It’s going to be a full event,”
said Carl Culham, the vice presi-
dent of the board of directors for
Pendleton Cattle Barons. “We’ve
got everything planned that we
normally do — we’re going to
have the horse and dog sale,
we’re going to have the ranch
rodeo, we’re going to have the
stock saddle bronc competition
followed by a live band. It’s just a
fun two days in Pendleton.”
Now in its 14th year, Pend-
leton Cattle Barons weekend
showcases parts of the Western
lifestyle, but it also raises money
for scholarships: 100% of the
proceeds go to scholarships for
regional students attending col-
lege and majoring in agriculture.
“We do want to have fun, but
the intention of Pendleton Cattle
Barons weekend is to raise the
scholarship funds,” Culham said.
“That’s why we do it.”
Starting on Friday, the gates
at the Pendleton Convention
Center open at 7 a.m., and the
schedule includes the trade
show and previews of both
the horses and working dogs.
Friday also features the “Select
Ranch Horse Sift,” a session
to make sure all the horses in
the sale meet the Cattle Bar-
ons standards.
The horse sale is by invitation
only, and the sift makes sure all
horses are still in the condition
to be included.
“We use the term ‘select’
because we believe the horses
that we have are the cream of
the crop,” Culham said. “When
we select a horse into the
horse sale, it’s a select horse.
Before the previews, they
check all the horses for sound-
ness and make sure they’re
what we expected. If not, they’ll
be sifted out of the sale.”
Friday night ends with the
Northwest Farm Credit/Hod-
gen Distributing Ranch Ro-
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for their continued support
MEMORIAL MONUMENTS INC.
www.VisitUnionCounty.org
La Grande
deo — Team Branding, Trailer
Loading, Team Sort and Roping
Championships. Doors open at
5:30 p.m., and the event runs
from 6-11 p.m.
Friday is called “a little quiet”
compared to Saturday.
On Saturday, the gates again
open at 7 a.m., and the fi rst
event — NWSRA Steer Roping
— begins immediately after at
7:30 a.m. The trade and artistry
show open at 9 a.m., and tickets
for the annual Cattle Barons
Buckaroo BBQ Challenge go on
sale at 11 a.m.
Anyone can purchase a judg-
ing button for $5 to participate
in the People’s Choice voting.
Those participating can taste
chicken, tri-tip and pork ribs
from the contestants — and vote
for their favorites.
The total prize pool for the
Buckaroo BBQ Challenge this
year is $5,000 — and brag-
ging rights.
The action shifts back
inside the Convention Center
at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday when
the introductions and presen-
tation begin for the Pendleton
Whisky Western Select Invita-
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
People browse the Pendleton Cattle Barons trade show at the Pendleton
Convention Center on Saturday, May 1, 2021. This year’s event is April 29-30.
tional Ranch Horse & Working
Dog Sale.
After the sale is the Stock
Saddle Bronc Championship
— from 7-10 p.m. — and a live
band with no cover charge from
10-11 p.m.
For those who have not
participated in Cattle Barons
weekend in the past, Culham
recommended looking at the
schedule and sampling some of
the activities.
“A person could spend a full
day at Cattle Barons on Sat-
urday for sure. People coming
to town can also make time to
see what Pendleton’s made of,”
he said. “Come and have some
fun and spend a couple days
in Pendleton.”
Find the full schedule and
more information at www.cattle-
barons.net.
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