Sisters Rodeo: Saddle up for bulls and broncs

2012 Sisters Rodeo runs Friday, June 8 through Sunday, June 10. New this year, Sisters Rodeo will host Dodge Xtreme Bulls on Wednesday, June 6, see www.sistersrodeo.com for current information.

For the past 71 years the Sisters Rodeo has been thrilling rodeo fans with the finest competitors pitting their skills against the finest stock in the Northwest. Along the way, the all-volunteer organization has built a reputation for staging one of the premier events in the sport óÝThe Biggest Little Show in the World!

Sisters Rodeo offers rodeo fans great performances by world champion cowboys and cowgirls in all professional rodeo events. Four great shows and a weekend of special events are scheduled for June 10-12, 2011at the Sisters Rodeo grounds three miles south of Sisters on Highway 20.

Performances will be held Friday, June 10, 2011, 7 p.m.; Saturday, June 11, 2011, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, June 12, 2011, 1 p.m. Each performance features the grand entry, wild horse racing, team bronc riding, tie-down roping, bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, team roping, bull riding and barrel racing.

The Sisters Rodeo parade is in downtown Sisters on Saturday, June 11, 2011 starting at 9:30 a.m. It features visiting rodeo queens, marching bands, floats, vintage autos and equestrian groups.

Sisters Rodeo Association and Pepsi have partnered with ìTough Enough to Wear Pink,î (TETWP) a national rodeo campaign to fight breast cancer and support women both during and after cancer treatment.

Emily Clark, a Redmond High School graduate, is the 2011 Sisters Rodeo Queen. The Tumalo student and farmer has an associateís degree in science. She is studying for a bachelorís degree in psychology.

A new specialty act, SureShotActs, will perform with hair-raising trick riding and Roman riding. Their display of balance, running drills, doing death drags and leaping jumps standing astride speeding horses, will surely thrill the crowd. The three young women who make up this team are from Alberta, Canada. Their performance in Sisters will be their first in the Northwest.

On Sunday, June 12, 2011 the famous Kiwanis Buckaroo Breakfast will be served from 7 to 11 a.m. Cowboy church is held at 9 a.m. Both are at the rodeo grounds. Sisters Rodeo is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys of America (PRCA) and is the third largest rodeo in Oregon. It is also the largest Oregon rodeo produced by an all-volunteer staff.

The rodeo has the highest purse in the West in this early part of the season, which entices top money winners in the PRCA to compete in Sisters.

Ticket prices range from $12 to $18. All general admission is $12 for Friday evening and is open seating, with children 12 and under admitted free. Seating for all other performances are reserved. Group rates are available for 10 or more for the Sunday afternoon performance. Children six and under are admitted free in some sections on Sunday. There are no parking fees.

For information on the 2012 Sisters Rodeo, visit www.sistersrodeo.com, or call 541-549-0121 or 1-800-827-7522. Tickets may be purchased by telephone or at the ticket office, 220 W. Cascade Ave., downtown Sisters.