Sisters rodeo rides into town this week

Last updated Jun 10, 2008 12:0pm0

Dust off your boots and shine your belt buckles! The 68th Annual Sisters Rodeo is coming to town for three days of roping and riding fun from Friday, June 13 through Sunday, June 15.

Rodeo performances open with the Grand Entry which includes Sisters Rodeo queen Kayla Gregory along with Peggy Tehan singing the National Anthem as she has for 18 years.

That is followed by a wild horse race where three-man teams attempt to saddle and ride a wild horse. Contests include tie-down roping, bareback bronc riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, team roping, barrel racing, and bull riding.

The rodeo performance on Friday begins at 7 p.m .; Saturday's performances are at 1 and 7 p.m., and Sunday's is at 1 p.m. "What we like to call 'the biggest little show in the world' attracts the nation's top cowboys and cowgirls for a purse of more than $125,000. Add 24,000 fans and sunny skies and you have one of the most exciting weekends this side of the Rockies!" said Bonnie Malone, Sisters Rodeo Association board member.

The Western-themed entertainment features The One Arm Bandit & Co. whose skills with a bullwhip have dazzled rodeo crowds across the nation.

Five favorite rodeo professionals are returning to Sisters to entertain the crowds, including two award-winning bullfighters, one humorous clown and two knowledgeable announcers.

Bullfighter Rowdy Barry of Kennewick, Washington, will protect thrown bullriders during rodeo performances. Talented Barry is also the artist who painted this year's rodeo poster. Dangerous Dan Newman of Eatonville, Washington, is another favorite bullfighter who has performed at many prestigious rodeos.

J.J. Harrison, one of the most popular rodeo clowns and barrelman, is also back by popular demand. Wayne Brooks, who was named 2005 PRCA Announcer of the Year, will bring his insight as a former contestant while he broadcasts from horseback. Curt Robinson from Pendleton, Oregon, will be in the announcer's booth bringing his mastery of statistics and enthusiasm for rodeo.

The Sisters Rodeo began in 1940 and is held the second weekend of June in Sisters, Oregon. Sisters Rodeo is PRCA sanctioned and attracts some of the best rodeo champions from the rodeo circuit. This three-day event provides entertainment for the whole family and has become known as "The Biggest Little Show in the World." For more information, visit http://www.sistersrodeo.com.

Tickets are available for all performances at 549-0121.

Rodeo draws the best of the West

The professionals competing at Sisters Rodeo are loaded with talent and winnings.

Many of the Top 100, among the elite of Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, are hoping to take Sisters titles and the biggest winnings in the nation the weekend of June 13-15.

All-Around World Champion for 2007, Trevor Brazille, the first rodeo Triple Crown winner in 24 years, is entered in two events. Brazille won gold buckles in All-Around, Tie-Down Roping and Steer Wrestling last year. His earnings in 2007 were over $425,000, breaking his own single-season winnings record.

The cowboy from Decatur, Texas, was the youngest PRCA cowboy to cross the $2 million mark in career earnings, and trails only Joe Beaver and Fred Whitfield for career earnings.

Joe Beaver, who missed the 2007 season after hip surgery at the end of 2006, will return to Sisters to compete in Team Roping and Tie-Down Roping. Beaver holds the all-time career earnings record in the PRCA, winning close to $3 million. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2002.

In 2006, Beaver won the All-Around title at Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with 10-day winnings of $127,915. His best Tie-Down time at the '06 NFR was 3.9 seconds.

Bobby Mote, the legendary Bareback Rider from Culver, will be attempting to regain his 2005 and 2006 Sisters titles. Mote was 1st in world standings in Bareback in 2007, with winnings of over $200,000. He has also entered in the Team Roping contest this year.

Locally, the Powell Butte team of Brandon and Mike Beers are returning, after winning Team Roping in Sisters last year and holding a ninth place in world standings. The Beers were the first father-son combination to qualify for Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 20 years.

From Prineville, Charly Crawford is looking for a win in Team Roping after a 6th-place finish in NFR. His career earnings total $368,000. He is a three-time National Finals winner.

In Steer Wrestling, Luke Branquinho, third in world standings will be a cowboy to watch. He will be challenged by Shawn Greenfield of Lakeview, who holds seventh place in the World standings after a third-place finish in 2006 with a 3.7-second performance.

Brenda Mays of Terrebonne holds ninth place in the 2007 Barrel Racing standings with winnings near $100,000. Among her competition is National Finals barrel racer, Sherry Cervi of Arizona, a two-time world champion, with career earnings of over $1.5 million.

Competition for Tie-Down Roping gets tougher with the addition of Blair Burk at sixth in world standings for 2007.

Tickets are still available at the Sisters Rodeo office at 549-0121.