Local rodeo events heat up with summer

It promises to be a summer packed with rodeo action this year, beginning with this coming weekend’s Homesteader Days rodeo, a two-day extravaganza in Hot Springs.

Long a popular rodeo for local cowboys and cowgirls, as well as others from throughout the region, the Homesteader Rodeo, part of a two-day celebration in the “Spa City”, has shows Saturday evening (5 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon (2 p.m.) at the Hot Springs rodeo arena. 

More than $4,000 in prize money is up for grabs with this unofficial season opener. 

It is just the opening salvo in a barrage of rodeos across the state of Montana, one of the hotbeds of rodeo action in the country. 

Two rodeo organizations, the Montana Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association (MPRCA) and the Northern Rodeo Association, along with stock contractors from throughout the state, will take part in more than 60 weekend rodeo events from one end of the Treasure State to the other. 

While Homesteader Days is underway this weekend, the NRA will be in Conrad for the two-day Whoop-Up Trail Days celebration.  June will also feature the Mission Mountain Rodeo in Polson, June 27-28 for local fans. 

The NRA will also be part of the Eureka Rodeo, July 25-26.  August begins with the NRA Lions Club Rodeo in Superior, part of the two-day Mineral County Fair, August 1-2 at the Superior Fairgrounds Arena. 

Those rodeos are part of 30 scheduled NRA rodeos this summer. 

Not to be outdone, the PRCA cowboys and cowgirls also have a full slate of events on their 2025 schedule, beginning with the Little Belt Cowboys Rodeo June 15-16 in Belt, Montana. 

The highlight of the PRCA summer of 32 events is, as usual, the Fourth of July, featuring simultaneous rodeos in Red Lodge and Livingston, along with a rodeo in Cody, Wyoming that is part of the famous Triangle Rodeos celebrating the great American holiday. 

The PRCA will also be in Bigfork July 4-7 for the annual Bigfork Montana Rodeo. 

Also on the PRCA schedule is the Kootenai River Stampede July 26-27 in Libby, the Missoula Stampede August 8-10 in Missoula, and the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo August 15-17 in Kalispell. 

Plains will be the site of the Sanders County Fair and the Plains PRCA Rodeo August 29-30 at the Sanders County Fairgrounds. 

The seasons for both rodeo organizations continue into the Fall with championship finals. 

So, buckle up and Velcro down rodeo fans, it's going to be an active summer. 

It promises to be a summer packed with rodeo action this year, beginning with this coming weekend’s Homesteader Days rodeo, a two-day extravaganza in Hot Springs. 

Long a popular rodeo for local cowboys and cowgirls, as well as others from throughout the region, the Homesteader Rodeo, part of a two-day celebration in the “Spa City”, has shows Saturday evening (5 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon (2 p.m.) at the Hot Springs rodeo arena. 

More than $4,000 in prize money is up for grabs with this unofficial season opener. 

It is just the opening salvo in a barrage of rodeos across the state of Montana, one of the hotbeds of rodeo action in the country. 

Two rodeo organizations, the Montana Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association (MPRCA) and the Northern Rodeo Association, along with stock contractors from throughout the state, will take part in more than 60 weekend rodeo events from one end of the Treasure State to the other. 

While Homesteader Days is underway this weekend, the NRA will be in Conrad for the two-day Whoop-Up Trail Days celebration.  June will also feature the Mission Mountain Rodeo in Polson, June 27-28 for local fans. 

The NRA will also be part of the Eureka Rodeo, July 25-26.  August begins with the NRA Lions Club Rodeo in Superior, part of the two-day Mineral County Fair, August 1-2 at the Superior Fairgrounds Arena. 

Those rodeos are part of 30 scheduled NRA rodeos this summer. 

Not to be outdone, the PRCA cowboys and cowgirls also have a full slate of events on their 2025 schedule, beginning with the Little Belt Cowboys Rodeo June 15-16 in Belt, Montana. 

The highlight of the PRCA summer of 32 events is, as usual, the Fourth of July, featuring simultaneous rodeos in Red Lodge and Livingston, along with a rodeo in Cody, Wyoming that is part of the famous Triangle Rodeos celebrating the great American holiday. 

The PRCA will also be in Bigfork July 4-7 for the annual Bigfork Montana Rodeo. 

Also on the PRCA schedule is the Kootenai River Stampede July 26-27 in Libby, the Missoula Stampede August 8-10 in Missoula, and the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo August 15-17 in Kalispell. 

Plains will be the site of the Sanders County Fair and the Plains PRCA Rodeo August 29-30 at the Sanders County Fairgrounds. 

The seasons for both rodeo organizations continue into the Fall with championship finals. 

So, buckle up and Velcro down rodeo fans, it's going to be an active summer.