Bullfighter named Grand Marshal

Sisters Rodeo has selected Bullfighter Rowdy Barry as the 2018 Grand Marshal of the Rodeo Parade to honor his decades of dedication to the sport and 25 years of "membership" in the Sisters Rodeo family.

Barry is retiring from bullfighting after the 2018 season.

Barry began his career with Rob Smets, a legendary bullfighter who was his mentor. He worked with Smets for several years at Sisters Rodeo.

"Sisters is a special rodeo for me, beginning with Smets, but it is also like coming home," Barry explained. "I've watched kids grow up at Sisters just as the membership has watched mine grow. And Sisters Rodeo is where I met my wife."

A rancher in Kennewick, Washington, Barry has also served as the president of the Columbia River Circuit Rodeo for the last six years.

Barry's rodeo job is to protect bull riders from bulls after their attempt at eight-second rides. The job requires great athleticism, instincts and risk, which Barry has been doing well since he was 14 years old. In 1986, he became a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

In 2015, Barry and his bullfighting partner were instrumental in rescuing Curt Kallberg, a Sisters Rodeo chute boss. An irate bull slammed the cowboy into chute gates and began pummeling him on the ground. The quick thinking and expertise of the bullfighters prevented Kallberg from suffering more serious injuries. That's the nature of the job.

"He's been so dependable and done such a great job for us," said John Leavitt, Sisters Rodeo arena director and board member. "He's there when you need him and does anything you ask."

Leavitt reiterated that Barry is part of the Sisters Rodeo family.

Barry is also an accomplished artist, whose paintings and bronze sculptures represent the life of rodeo and Western tradition.

This true cowboy grew up with a paint brush in his hands, inspired by his mother's thought that it would help him "pass the time" in long Wyoming winters. In 1997, his wife gifted him with a sculpting class, which opened another neurological gate to creativity. His paintings and bronze artwork are shown at galleries across the United States.

Barry painted two Sisters Rodeo posters, in 2008 and 2009. Besides their popularity with rodeo fans, one of his posters was selected for the Emmy-winning television series, "Heartland," for use on its sets.

From 1992-1997, Barry was commissioned to paint the Wrangler Bullfighter posters, which were distributed throughout the nation.

Barry is married to Laura Lee, who is a representative for Wrangler at rodeos in the Northwest and a former barrel racer. The couple met at Sisters Rodeo in 1993 and married in 1995. They have three children, Ryan Manning (29), Clay (19) and Miles (17).

The couple maintains a 7,500-acre Corriente cattle ranch where they have raised their children. His son, Ryan, has become a bullfighter, too, giving the father and son opportunities to bullfight together at rodeos.

A bullfighter can suffer multiple injuries just as any rodeo competitor can. Barry is no exception, recognizing he'd rather end his career before he can't "respond quickly enough to help a bull rider." He also admits he never wants to feel that it's nothing more than a job.

"I have enjoyed this job for so many years," Barry said, "and I took loving my job to my heart.

"It's bittersweet, especially when I have worked with Dan Newman (Sisters' other bullfighter) more than any other bullfighter. Dan attended my first bullfighting clinic, and we've worked rodeos together all over the nation since."

That includes National High School Rodeo Finals.

"He's been a big asset to our association," said Sisters Rodeo President Glenn Miller. "We are honored to have had him all these years."

Sisters Rodeo will begin June 6 with Xtreme Bulls followed by four rodeo performances June 8-10. For tickets and information, call the ticket hotline at 541-549-0121 or 1-800-827-7522, or visit the ticket office at 220 W. Cascade Ave. in Sisters. For information visit www.sistersrodeo.com.