On behalf of the Horse Heaven Round-Up Rodeo Committee and the Benton Franklin Fair Board, I welcome you back for five nights of rodeo performances featuring top contestants from across the U.S. and Canada.
This year, we are proud to offer a total purse of $170,000, with $20,000 per event for Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc, Bull Riding, Tie Down Roping, Steer Wrestling, Barrel Racing, and Team Roping. On “Championship Saturday” we will present the Top 12 in each event to compete to be crowned the overall winner of the rodeo. Breakaway Roping has been added to our Championship line-up this year, with a purse of $10,000. We are proud to welcome back some of the finest rough stock in North America brought to us by the Calgary Stampede and Bridwell Pro Rodeo Company. Our partnership with Calgary earned us the PRCA’s Remuda Award for the best stock of any rodeo in the nation in 2017. Our rodeo has grown to the #20 ranked rodeo out of more than 820 PRCA events.
The big voice from Georgia, Roger Mooney, will be back to announce the events for his 25th year. We are welcoming back bullfighters Dusty Tuckness, Nate Jestes, and Miles Barry. Barrelman JJ Harrison of Walla Walla will entertain the crowd.
Thursday night we will raise funds for breast cancer research at our 14th annual “Wrangler Tough Enough to Wear Pink” event. We are happy to say that we’ve donated more than $190,000 for health care for uninsured women in our community to date. Please join us in wearing pink as we will contribute $1 per person in pink. Saturday we celebrate veterans and first responders, so wear your red, white & blue.
We are a proud member of the Big 4 Rodeos along with our partners at the Pendleton Round-Up, Lewiston Round-Up and Walla Walla Frontier Days Rodeo. Thanks to our Rodeo Committee’s experience, the Benton Franklin Fair Board and the great support of the Tri-Cities community, we bring you another great week of family entertainment. -Mike Casey, Chairman