Big Timber Rodeo Fun For All

The Big Timber Rodeo was held on Friday and Saturday June 23, 24 at the Sweet Grass County Fairgrounds to large crowds.  Participants from all over Montana and Wyoming competed in events from Steer Wrestling to Bull Riding, Team Roping, Calf Roping, Bareback Riding, Barrel Racing, Break Away Roping, Steer Wrestling and even Mutton Busting and Mad Cow Racing!  Below are some of this years event photos of this past weekend's event.  

Of note was Ron Halverson's bull ride seen at left which scored him 85 points and won the event!  The home town Big Timber crowd really cheered on their own including Bull Riders Ron Halverson and  Monty Finn, Team Ropers Chad Seitz and Lance Weppler, and Bareback Rider Derry McLanen and Jon Mack.

One of the reliable hits of the rodeo was the Mutton Busting- an event where kids get into the act by riding bucking wild sheep.  It is a rip roaring time seeing a sheep running across the arena with a kid hanging on! Another hit is fun at the end of the day with the Mad Cow Race- an event where the team of participants have to saddle up a cow and ride her around a barrel and return the gear.   

The Rodeo was celebrated by a Parade which brough out residents to line the streets as floats and parade cars, bands, digniaries, clubs, organizations and businesses rode past throwing candy to awaiting kids.  This years theme - sheepherding in the year 2050 was shown by some who were in the spirit.  Celebrations also continued in the bars and downtown hangouts on Friday and Saturday evenings.  

The Big Timber Rodeo by Greg Mosness

If you were in town for the Big Timber Rodeo of course you came to see the bull riding and bareback riding but you probably didn’t expect Wild Cow Riding or Championship Mutton Busting with very mean sheep. The Big Timber Rodeo also has a parade which this years theme was Sheep Herding in The 23rd Century there were some pretty cool floats and much more and then you had your old cars and horses.

In this years rodeo there were many Big Timber residents competing Monte Finn and Ron Halverson rode bulls, and Ron Halverson won the bull riding with a score of 85. On Friday night Derry McLane rode bareback and on Saturday Jon Mack rode bare back. There were people from all over the state and even as far as Ogden, Utah.

The livestock came from Jacob’s Livestock and Rodeo. This year produced some pretty mean livestock but no one got hurt real bad anyways an few people got the wind knocked out of them but nothing major.

OK, so you think the people riding the mean bulls and broncs just make the horse or bull stop when the buzzer rings wrong (they aren’t Union animals) thats what the pickup men are for they get right up along side them and the people grab on. Oh, so now your thinking that the announcer makes up the scores as he goes along wrong again there are judges there who go through extensive training to be a rodeo judge it looks easy but its not. Then there is the announcer he has to make the crowd be patient and calm while the pickup men clear the arena and he tells stories and make the audience laugh and tells the scores to the audience.

On Friday night there were 4-H members from all over the country and on Saturday night there were 50 counselors from Camp Miminaugish from all over the country. The people in the audience can be real important to the riders because sometimes the don’t do so hot and well they are down a big applause from the audience can boost their sprits.