Rodeo keeps growing alongside fair

Danielle Switalski

Cheers could be heard throughout the fair grounds Friday, Saturday and Sunday as the crowds gathered for evenings of entertainment at the professional rodeo and bull riding events which included everything from bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, tie down roping, steer wrestling and team roping.

“It is hands down some of the best livestock and rodeo in the state of Montana,” said Lori Franzen, co-owner of Powder River Rodeo, the company that put on the events this year and had livestock brought in by Dillon Page, six time PBR stock contractor of the year.

Franzen has seen the fair grow larger and better since 1986, the year her and her husband Hank Franzen put on their first amateur rodeo at the Sanders County Fair grounds.  Since then the fair and the rodeo have expanded into nothing short of professional, good old-fashioned country entertainment.

The event definitely lived up to expectations this year and even had a few surprises in store.  Bert Davis and his crew of dogs hit the arena in the middle of the rodeo and bull riding events.  His dogs were highly trained and jumped through hoops, hopped at least twenty feet on their hind legs and showcased obedience and control towards Davis.  The dogs used in the show were all rescued animals.

Also at the rodeo was the Franzen’s horse that was recently awarded horse of the year.  The award goes to the finest horse out of the entire United States and Canada and is selected out of 77 contractors and the top 30 cowboys who compete in the competition.

“It’s an extremely prestigious award, it’s amazing how far we’ve come and how far it is since we’ve started,” said Franzen.

Franzen said when they first started their own amateur rodeo here at the fair grounds the shoots were made of wood with one light illuminating the arena.  Taking a look around the empty arena, three hours before show time on Friday night, it is hard to imagine such a small setting when there are now rows upon rows of bleachers, a large announcer station and bright lights surrounding the entire pit.

The events went smoothly and as planned, but hard work is the reason for this.  There are around five men who make sure the animals are properly fed the day of the event which Franzen says happens early in the morning, then not again until after the animals have competed.  They hire the announcer, two timers, a secretary, a sound technician, bull fighters, two pick-up men and the list goes on and on.

“When we start this it’s a huge production that starts early in the morning and goes all day long,” said Franzen.

While the production crew sets up, the actual riders try and keep their nerves at bay.  Bull rider Tony McFarland says he does his best to keep his nerves under control because otherwise injuries can become more prevalent.

“When I get nervous sometimes I just take a drink of water and it seems like once I take a drink of water all my nerves go away,” said McFarland.  “And when I get down there, I don’t think about a whole lot except getting my hand in my rope and go one step at a time.”

McFarland who has had his fare share of injuries from bull riding including spending seven days in intensive care for a brain injury, needing 26 stitches to mend a cut on his eye and numerous broken bones said it is very important to not hesitate when a rider is out in the arena competing.

“Once you start hesitating that’s when you’re going to get yourself hurt,” said McFarland.

McFarland said that his bull riding at Sunday’s events did not go as well as he had hoped.  McFarland set a trap for his bull which ended up not working in his favor because he thought the bull would come around on his left hand side, but the bull jumped down and “left him hanging out there” and he rode on the side of the bull for about five seconds.

“There’s no worse feeling in the world than when you fall off a bull you know you can ride.  And there’s no better feeling in the world when you make a ride on the bull when most guys can’t, and the crowds screaming for you,” said McFarland.

Cody Buller out of Glendive MT won the bull riding on Sunday and Cody Gardner of Fort Lupton, Colorado won the bull riding event Saturday.  Hank Hollenbeck of Billings took first place in steer wrestling.  Delon Parker of Worden, Montana and Sid Sporer of Cody, Wyoming won the team roping event.  Beau Franzen of Sidney, Montana won Tie Down Roping.  Tyrell James Smith of Vaughn, Montana won first place for saddle bronc riding and Troy Solomon of Havre, Montana won the Bareback Riding event.