Pendleton Round-Up 2024

Round-Up pendleton

Pendleton Round-Up 2024

On the cover: Jesse Brown, of Baker, wrestles his steer in 7.7 seconds at the 2022 Pendleton Round-Up.

Intro photo: Competitors in the Indian Relay Race ride past the North grandstand at the 2019 Pendleton Round-Up.

EVENTS INDIAN RELAY RACES

Wed. and Thur., Sept. 11 - 12, 2024

12 MEN’S TEAMS

4 TEAMS PER RACE

3 Men’s Heats per day

Fri., Sept. 13, 2024

RELAY CONSOLATION HEAT

Ladies Race and Chief’s Race

Sat., Sept. 14, 2024

RELAY CHAMPIONSHIP RACE

Top 4 Men’s Teams

local cowboys

The Pendleton Round-Up features the best cowboys in the world. This year, a few of them come from just down the road.

By Annie Fowler, for the East Oregonian

Hermiston’s Dalton Massey, who leads the world steer wrestling standings, will be back on the grass in hopes of winning his first Pendleton title.

Pendleton wheat farmers Tom, Pake and Trent Sorey will be in the steer roping lineup, and from Stanfield, the Goodrich family of Brad, Jodi, Gator and Josie will compete in tie-down roping and breakaway roping.

A 2011 graduate of Hermiston High School, Massey earned his first trip to the National Finals Rodeo in 2023, where he finished sixth at the NFR and second in the world standings.

He looks to book another trip to Las Vegas, as the No. 15 man is nearly $100,000 behind him.

Massey had earned $146,111 through July 26, and adding a Pendleton title to his season would be a dream come true. He did not place in the event at last year’s Round-Up.

Stampede, the Grande Prairie (Alberta) Stampede, and was co-champion at the Reno Rodeo and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

He also won $12,500 at the Calgary Stampede, which 70% counts toward his world standings earnings.

“It’s the luck of the draw,” he said. “We go to enough rodeos, that it evens itself out over the year. There are a lot of good rodeos left. No better place to finish up than in the Northwest.”

PAKE SOREY, 2023 ROUND-UP STEER ROPING CHAMPION, HIS YOUNGER BROTHER TRENT, WHO WAS SECOND AT PENDLETON LAST YEAR, AND THEIR DAD TOM SOREY, A TWO-TIME WINNER OF THE PENDLETON ROUND-UP, WILL TRY AGAIN THIS YEAR.

“It has been great,” Massey said of his year. “Just using all the opportunities I have had. A win in Pendleton would be sweet. That’s the reason I’m going.”

Massey also leads the steer wrestling standings in the Columbia River Circuit.

This year, Massey has won the Ponoka (Alberta)

While Massey uses his horse Rodney in Columbia River Circuit events, he rides traveling partner Tanner Milan’s horse Eddie the rest of the time.

“He’s the best horse going in steer wrestling,” Massey said. “He was the steer wrestling horse of the year in 2023.”

Massey also travels with Steven Culling and Ryan Shuckburgh.

“It’s awesome to travel with like minded guys with the same goals,” Massey said. “They have good work ethic and good attitudes.”

Cowboys have until the end of September to earn money that will go toward their world standings earnings.

“I’m just trying to win as much money as I can and have as good a lead as I can before the NFR,” Massey said. “I’m healthy, the horses are healthy, and there are some good rodeos coming up.” »

Hermiston’s Dalton Massey drops down on his steer during the fifth round of the National Finals Rodeo on Dec. 12, 2023, in Las Vegas. Massey leads the world steer wrestling standings and will be back on the grass in Pendleton aiming to win his first Round-Up title. — Roseanna Sales/Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, File

Pake Sorey, the 2023 Round-Up steer roping champion, his younger brother Trent, who is No. 17 in the world standings, No. 1 in the Columbia River Circuit, and second at Pendleton last year, and their dad Tom Sorey, a two-time winner of the Pendleton Round-Up (1996, 1999) will try their luck again this year.

Pake, whose wife Bailey is expecting their first child the second week of September, is entered to defend his title, but it all depends when the little man decides to arrive.

“We are both kind of hoping he comes early,” he said.

Pake has been able to see his name on the back of the stadium every time he’s in town. If it is the only year, he said he’s good with that.

“I don’t think that win will ever wear off,” he said. “I was fortunate to win it once. That was some weight taken off my shoulders. I’m pretty content. I’m looking forward to the next part of my life and raising a family. Roping is working its way down the ladder in the priorities.”

Brad Goodrich will compete in tie-down roping, as will son Gator. Jodi and daughter Josie will compete in breakaway roping.

Brad won the Pendleton tie-down and all-around titles in 2004, and has made six trips to the NFR. He was inducted into the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame in 2018.

Gator, who missed the Round-Up last year because he was at college, is delaying his trip to Weatherford College this fall to compete at Pendleton for the first time.

Gator will be riding his horse Jackson, and using his dad’s 2004 tie-down champion saddle.

“He has a weird back and none of the other saddles were fitting him right,” Gator said of Jackson. “My dad said to try that one, and it fits perfect.”

Gator, 19, has had a good season, with earnings of more than $15,000. He is sixth in the Columbia River Circuit with $6,713. He has been traveling with Ty Harris, who is second in the world tiedown standings.

“Too bad most of it was at non-circuit rodeos,” he said of his earnings, that include nice paychecks from Sedro-Woolley ($1,867), Nampa’s Snake River Stampede ($4,376), and California Rodeo Salinas, where he pocketed $8,480.

From left, steer roper Pake Sorey, of Pendleton, takes a victory lap with his father, Tom Sorey, and brother, Trent Sorey, who also are steer ropers, at the 2023 Pendleton Round-Up. Pake beat out Trent for the title.

Hamley's Western Store

Ready to outfit cowboys and cowgirls for Round-Up

With an additional 50,000 visitors to Pendleton each September, the Round-Up is nothing short of impressive in its spectacles. However, the most extravagant spectacle is not the bull riding or calf roping, but the outfits.

While the rodeo court, rodeo athletes and the locals are dressed to their best, a newcomer might not be as familiar with the dress code to become a cowboy or cowgirl.

Luckily, Katrina Eichner, manager of Hamley’s, has more than enough knowledge on how to shape up for Round-Up.

“The most important part of a cowboy or cowgirl’s outfit is going to be starting with the boots,” Eichner said. “I always recommend trying them on because each brand will fit different in styling and size. Within each brand, each style of boot will be different; sometimes a heel will have a rubber sole and sometimes it might be wood, it comes down to trial and error.”

Brands Eichner recommends are Horse Power, Justin and Stetson. She also warns not to wear suede boots because the grounds are dusty and dirty. »

Story and photos by Tori Schuller, East Oregonian

On the other side of the spectrum, another equally important part of the rodeo outfit is the hat.

“A lot of people will wear their felts, I do it because I want it to match my dress,” said Rachelle Erb, sales associate at Hamley’s. “But since this is summer season, straw hats are the most popular because of the air conditioning holes.”

While many are available throughout different stores, Hamley’s has a large selection for anyone searching for a last minute addition to their outfit. Erb works in the store, shaping and repairing any hat she is given.

The majority of hats in Hamley’s are straw, but Erb works on every hat by hand, shaping it any way the customer wants.

Growing up in a tiny town with no hat maker, Erb has been shaping her own since she was 15, using the steam from her kitchen tea kettle.

After finding the two staples of the outfit, pants, tops and jewelry are all a necessity, and Eichner is plenty prepared.

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A COWBOY OR COWGIRL’S OUTFIT IS GOING TO BE STARTING WITH THE BOOTS … ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM, ANOTHER EQUALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE RODEO OUTFIT IS THE HAT.

“Some people will come in and reference a western movie they saw with a nice hat on this actor,” Erb said. “If they can show me a picture of a hat, I can shape it.”

Plans for what the store might hold during Round-Up week have been in progress since May, and Eichner is making sure a local or visitor has exactly what they need to stay both comfortable and fashionable.

“Denim is really big right now, so is fringe and leather,” Eichner said. “I try to stay away from dresses because the bleachers are hot, and I make sure to wear jeans and no light clothing.”

Eichner has made sure each popular piece is on the clothing racks even months before Round-Up, since she is the buyer as well as the manager at Hamley’s.

Many higher profile pieces are found around the store as well, even items from nicer brands such as Double D Ranch and Tashe Polizzi.

“A lot of customers are looking to take pieces to NFR, which is pretty much a Western fashion show for women,” Eichner said.

NFR is the National Finals Rodeo, a 10-day event held in Las Vegas every year with over 100,000 attendees.

Rings, bracelets and necklaces alike are the final stage of the outfit, and turquoise is the perfect stone for it. Eichner also makes sure to connect local vendors and companies as well, tying the Pendleton community to Round-Up.

“We have a Native American showcase in the store, any native item we sell in the store is from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation,” Eichner said.

While different trends for rodeos will come in and out of style, the history of the Pendleton Round-Up continues each year, along with every extravagant outfit or cowboy boot that steps into the dusty arena.

Rachelle Erb, sales associate at Hamley’s, works on shaping a felt hat. Erb has been shaping hats since she was 15 years old.

rodeo supporters

Round-Up President Tiah DeGrofft appreciates sponsors

By Trish Yerges, for the East Oregonian

P

rior to being elected last November as the first female president in the 114-year history of Pendleton Round-Up Association, Tiah DeGrofft served as the sponsor director for eight years. This valuable experience prepared her for the pinnacle of her Round-Up volunteerism, and it has deepened her appreciation of the vital role sponsors play in rodeo.

“In any sales role relationship, Round-Up is very different because we don’t have sponsorships in our arena,” DeGrofft said. “It’s a very traditional rodeo, so it’s like stepping back in time.”

While most rodeos run sponsor flags during the grand entry, Round-Up runs only the American flag, the Oregon flag, the Canadian flag and things of that nature. Round-Up has a firm policy against sponsorships in the arena, so a prospective sponsor may find it initially difficult to identify what their return in investment will be if it isn’t the customary display of their logos inside the arena near the bucking chutes.

“Our sponsors are more hospitality and experiencebased,” DeGrofft said.

ROUND-UP HAS MANY LOCAL SPONSORS, COMPANIES THAT ARE REGIONAL OR NATIONAL, AND SOME SMALLER COMPANIES THAT HELP SPONSOR A SADDLE OR AN EVENT.

So, when DeGrofft introduces Round-Up to a prospective sponsor, she invites the company representative to “come and see us if you haven’t been here yet, before you even write a check. Come and be my guest.”

DeGrofft wants the prospective sponsor to get the feel of the Pendleton Round-Up and put their feet on the ground and experience the palatable excitement one feels in the arena.

“If I can just get them to step foot in town, the sponsorship part of it comes easy. They are all in,” she said.

Round-Up has many local sponsors, companies that are regional or national such as Wrangler and Coca-Cola and some smaller companies that help sponsor a saddle or an event.

“It helps that we’re the ten times recipient of the Large Outside Rodeo of the Year award or that we’re the number one watched rodeo on the Cowboy Channel,” DeGrofft said.

During her eight years as a sponsor director, DeGrofft tripled the number of sponsors that Round-Up had before she took this role. Among the levels of sponsors, there are gold, silver, event sponsors, custom and trade sponsorships. The sponsorships range from $5,000 to $20,000 and above. Each rodeo event gets a

different prize package with great sponsors donating those prizes.

“They wrap their arms round us and help make Pendleton Round-Up what it is,” she said.

DeGrofft has been volunteering at the Round-Up for the past 38 years. She served as princess and queen on the rodeo court, been appointed to the board of directors and various committees, promoted the rodeo as sponsor director and now leads the association as its first female president.

“We serve two one-year terms as a president, so I will need to be re-elected this coming November,” she said. “I’ve been told that I’m the first female president of any major rodeo in the United States.”

Tiah DeGrofft is the first female president in the history of the Pendleton Round-Up Association.

Contributed Photo

bred to buck

Cowboys are are not the only athletes in the arena

By Trish Yerges, for the East Oregonian

Unbroken broncs, rowdy steers and bucking bulls are just as much athletes in the ring as those that have the courage to ride them, wrestle them, rope them, tie them down and beat the clock doing it.

“The animals have grit, and they are tough in what they do,” Pendleton Round-Up livestock director Justin Terry said. “A bucking horse gives 100% for eight seconds. It has determination and the tools to do it, and it uses them.”

It is Terry’s responsibility to select premium livestock for Round-Up, and after four rodeos under his belt, the job has become progressively easier and familiar due in large part to the support he gets from livestock contractors.

“Like anything else in business, it’s about building relationships with the stock contractors and how we foster that, so it’s just gotten better over the years,” he said.

Nine rough stock contractors are lined up for the 2024 Round-Up. Among them are Sankey Pro Rodeo/Phenom Genetics from Montana. Sankey has been supplying stock to Round-Up since the 1990s, and last year they earned recognition for top bareback horse, top saddle bronc horse, and top bucking bull. No other stock contractor has ever achieved this kind of triple-crown record at Pendleton.

Based on a scoring system that Terry keeps during the rodeo, the animal athletes from the rough stock group are graded, and at the end of the rodeo, Terry makes the picks for the best animals for the Round-Up. Last year, 35% of the animals he selected from contractors went to the National Finals Rodeo. »

IN TERMS OF ROUGH STOCK, ROUND-UP IS EXPECTING TO RECEIVE 80 BAREBACK BRONCS, 80 SADDLE-BACK BRONCS AND 80 BULLS. THE RODEO LIKES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE HORSEPOWER AND BULL POWER IS THE SAME OVER ALL THREE DAYS OF THE RODEO TO ENSURE FAIRNESS TO ALL THE RIDERS TO MAKE THE SHORT ROUND.

Maverick Thomas Smith, of Mountain Grove, Missouri, tries to hold on to his bull, Rock Salt and Nails, in 2023 during the bull riding competition in the Pendleton Round-Up Arena.

Bareback rider

Keenan Reed Hayes, of Hayden, Colorado, balances on the back of Turbo Rocket for a round-winning 85-point ride at the 2023 Pendleton Round-Up.

Each year, Terry selects rough stock from contractors from Alberta like Macza Pro Rodeo, Calgary Stampede and Wayne Vold Rodeo, and from Saskatchewan, Outlaw Buckers Rodeo Company. The United States contractors include Four Star Rodeo Co. in California and Brookman Rodeo in Montana.

“We have two new contractors this year, Summit Pro Rodeo from Wyoming and Big Rafter Rodeo from Oklahoma,” Terry said.

For the timed events, Terry waits to see how many participants he has for those and then he orders the cattle from Palmer/Smith and Tygh Campbell, both of Oregon.

He likes to give this business to local breeders and ranchers, he said.

In terms of rough stock, Terry is expecting to receive 80 bareback broncs, 80 saddle-back broncs and 80 bulls. He likes to make sure that the horsepower and bull power is the same over all three days of the rodeo to ensure fairness to all the riders to make the short round.

“Bulls and broncs are never ridden twice,” he said. “We’re unique in Pendleton because we pick from our stock contractors’ best animals, and that’s what they bring to Round-Up.”

The success of a rodeo is dependent on feisty, bucking stock, and that is entirely up to genetics and breeding practices.

“They are bred to buck,” Terry said.

Contractors use genetic science to produce the best bucking

stock, and they also utilize artificial insemination. Cloning is possible, but Terry said they have never used a cloned bull or horse at Round-Up.

When breeding bulls and horses, contractors are looking for traits like leaping, lunging, and spinning when a rider is on its back. In the case of horses, the best bucking studs cover their best bucking mares to produce the next generation of strong rodeo bucking horses.

“At Round-Up, 80% of our best bucking horses are mares,” Terry said.

When it comes to bulls, Terry is looking for animals in their prime age between five and eight years and around the same weight between 1,500 to 1,800 pounds. Because bulls are matched to their riders by a draw, the stock must be comparable in these important ways for it to be a fair draw.

“Whatever one rider draws should be like what another one draws, and that’s what I’m looking for,” Terry said.

Bulls do have names, and some have notoriety in the circuit, but a lot of contractors go by an assigned number due to the sheer numbers they manage on the ranch.

“A lot of people follow certain bulls as much as they will follow a certain rider,” Terry said.

It is one athlete against another, but just for eight seconds, and then the bull goes to the holding pen where it is cared for and retired for that rodeo.

But for those eight seconds it is showtime, and they know it.

A bull knows when it is in the chute, and it feels when the soft cotton flank strap is buckled around him. Finally, the bull feels the rider’s weight on its back. When the chute opens, the bull feeds off the energy of the crowd and goes from zero to 100 in eight seconds.

“Just by repetition and what they are bred to do, they just keep getting better at it,” Terry said.

Great care is offered at Round-Up to monitor the health of the cattle.

“We check their noses and eyes every morning and every night,” Terry said. “We watch them walk to make sure there are no issues of unsoundness or injury because we don’t run any animal that isn’t sound.”

As a result, Round-Up has a lower animal injury rate (.0028%) compared to the national Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association figures. Terry credited this record to their diligent care of the animals. They are fed alfalfa, grass hay and oats, and their holding pens are sprinkled with water to control dirt and dust from getting into their eyes. It also keeps them cool and comfortable.

When Terry said he thinks about his tenure as livestock director, his greatest satisfaction has come from selecting livestock that gives riders the best and fairest chance to win. He was also proud to see 40 animals perform well enough to go on to the NFR.

“It shows good for us at Pendleton,” Terry said, “that we’re getting the best livestock for our riders to get on.”

Steer wrestler Bridger Anderson, of Carrington, North Dakota, turns in a 4.7-second run to win the round at the 2023 Pendleton Round-Up.

livestock care

Veterinarians tending and treating the heartbeat of Round-Up

By Sheila Hagar, for the East Oregonian

To the casual attendee, the nation’s arguably most famous rodeo is a four-day blitz of pageantry, parade, patriotism and people.

So many people — average attendance at the historic Pendleton Round-Up is 50,000 people.

For veterinary medicine director Doug Corey, however, the event and all that it brings centers around the animals.

Between wild-eyed calves, energetic steers, horses and muscular bulls, some 550 animals contribute to the “rodeo” of Round-Up.

The safety and continuing health of each animal that participates at every rodeo event is the focus of four Round-Up veterinarians, two of which are onsite at the same time, Corey said.

Corey, who was inducted in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2007, has made the welfare of rodeo’s four-legged contestants his north star for nearly four decades.

The veterinarian authored the “Guide to Veterinary Services at PRCA Rodeos” and is chairman of PRCA’s Animal Welfare Committee — he’s served within that group for 42 years — lobbies for rules to benefit livestock, and teaches up-and-coming contestants on the importance of animal welfare, the association said.

BETWEEN WILD-EYED CALVES, ENERGETIC STEERS, HORSES AND MUSCULAR BULLS, SOME 550 ANIMALS CONTRIBUTE TO THE “RODEO” OF ROUND-UP. THE SAFETY AND CONTINUING HEALTH OF EACH ANIMAL THAT PARTICIPATES AT EVERY RODEO EVENT IS THE FOCUS OF FOUR ROUND-UP VETERINARIANS.

That doubles the requirement from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, or PRCA.

“Animal care is the primary objective of the Round-Up,” he said. “If we don’t have animals in the best condition, they are not going to perform well. That means bringing in good stock contractors who bring in healthy animals, capable of their best performance.”

“One of the most significant policies Corey helped implement in his years with the PRCA is the regulation requiring that a veterinarian and a livestock ambulance be present at every professional rodeo,” the organization states, noting there are now more than 70 animal care guidelines in PRCA’s rulebook, including that steer horns must be sheathed to prevent goring or breakage.

Such policies mean animal injury rates in the PRCA are extremely low. Data shows less than 1% of livestock exposures in rodeo result in any form of injury, notes the Western Sports Injury Coalition. The work of Corey and others gives the PRCA a 99.9% safety rating.

Some of that comes from boots-on-the-ground work, searching for obstacles and sharp things in pens, corrals,

Dull spurs that roll freely are just one component that animal welfare specialists, like veterinarian Doug Corey, have instituted for the safety and well-being of rodeo horses. There are 70 rules that govern the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association’s standards for animal care, thanks to advocacy work by Corey and others. — Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association/Contributed Photo

Pendleton Round-Up’s director of veterinary medicine, Doug Corey, examines the readiness of a horse’s hoof. Horses are bred for specific rodeo events, meaning the animals are built for their jobs, be it bucking, roping, barrel racing or bull-dogging, Corey said recently.

bucking chutes (which are no longer wooden) and the arena that could hurt animals and people.

“We inspect all of that,” the veterinarian explained. “Now that Round-Up has redone all the pens, I can’t remember the last time I saw an injury from the housing. They do occur, but it’s so rare.”

If problems do come up, it’s more likely to be strained tendons or muscles, a sprain or broken leg. A veterinarian assesses the animal and determines treatment. In some cases, livestock exit the arena via gurney or sled. If transfer to a large animal facility is called for, the animal ambulance he instituted is used, Corey said.

Catastrophic injuries end up at regional veterinary specialty hospitals.

His team and others involved in the rodeo do everything possible to head off problems before they happen, including observing animals as they arrive, asking judges to withdraw sore and lame animals, and educating human contestants and livestock suppliers.

The need for the latter is slim these days. Not only is preserving their reputation important to livestock brokers who supply the cattle, but rodeo contestants won’t bring an animal they can’t win with, Corey said.

And that’s a win for every participant — two-legged and four.

“Without livestock, there’s not going to be a rodeo. You have to provide the best care for any animal. If you don’t, they won’t perform,” he said.

“And if they come to Pendleton not in top condition, they won’t anyway.” JUST THE FACTS

Help for human health

By Sheila Hagar, for the East Oregonian

This isn’t Kristin Schmidtgall’s first rodeo.

Although the 2024 Pendleton Round-Up is Schmidtgall’s debut as medical director, the physician assistant has volunteered for the event for 15 years.

With recent upgrades to Round-Up’s medical facility, that means Schmidtgall oversees a small army of volunteers working in two first-aid stations and a new, 1,600 squarefoot, standalone building.

This equips her teams to provide first aid to rodeo and other contestants, and any guests in need of care, she said.

Those needs come in many forms, whether it’s an insect sting, a blister from a new pair of boots, an accidental bump from a horse or major trauma. Extra hydration and health education are most frequently prescribed, while Band-aids and ear plugs are regularly dispensed.

Real injury, however, rarely comes from rodeo contest participants, Schmidtgall noted.

“By the time they come to Pendleton, they are at the top of their game,” she said.

There have been some heart attacks in the stands over the years, Schmidtgall acknowledged, but no fatalities in her time.

In addition to her regional troops, a traveling team of doctors arrives each year to attend to rodeo folks.

That more than 20,000 people, from guests to vendors, can be assured of medical care while indulging in all things Round-Up is a testament to the spirit of volunteerism that infuses Pendleton at this time of year, Schmidtgall believes.

That attitude is robust in the medical field, and her volunteers are turning down “big overtime checks” to be at Round-Up for the opportunity to practice medicine in a fun, supportive environment, she said.

“On an average year, we save about 40 emergency room visits. Some years it’s a lot more, especially if it is hot,” she said.

The tab for this care is picked up by the Round-Up Association, which puts health and safety at the top.

Her team, wearing matching white shirts, is discreet, yet visible enough to assure everyone they can get their medical concerns met, Schmidtgall said.

“Our priority as the Pendleton Round-Up Association is for spectators and contestants to be able to enjoy the event in a safe manner,” she said.

Round-Up medical director Kristin Schmidtgall

Cindy Schonholtz/Contributed Photo

THE RODEO 2024 PENDLETON ROUND-UP PREVIEW

Mayfield looking for titles at Pendleton

New Mexico cowboy leads world all-round standings

The 114th Pendleton Round-Up will have a different feel this year without 2021 and 2023 all-around and bull riding champion Stetson Wright, who is expected not to compete because of a hamstring injury.

Have no fear, Shad Mayfield is ready to give the fans a thrill when he steps on the grass to compete in tie-down roping, steer roping and team roping.

The New Mexico cowboy led the tie-down world standings as of July 26, and the all-round standings with nearly $100,000 over the next man.

“This has been an amazing year,” Mayfield said. “I had some wins at major rodeos, and that’s where a lot of my money came from.”

So far this season, he’s won tiedown titles at Reno, the Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo, and the San Antonio (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo, just to name a few.

short round. This is my fourth trip. My second year I was third, and last year I won two rounds, but my calf got up in the short round. To win the all-around there would be sweet.”

Mayfield will have stiff competition in tie-down with Ty Harris, who is second in the world standings, and most likely the rest of the top 15, which includes 2022 Pendleton all-round champ Marty Yates, who has been on a tear lately and is sitting seventh in the world standings.

SHAD MAYFIELD WILL HAVE STIFF COMPETITION IN TIE-DOWN WITH TY HARRIS, WHO IS SECOND IN THE WORLD STANDINGS, AND MOST LIKELY THE REST OF THE TOP 15, WHICH INCLUDES 2022 PENDLETON ALL-ROUND CHAMP MARTY YATES, WHO HAS BEEN ON A TEAR LATELY AND IS SITTING SEVENTH IN THE WORLD STANDINGS.

He also won all-round titles at the West of The Pecos Rodeo, and the Pioneer Days Rodeo in his hometown of Clovis, New Mexico.

Mayfield, 23, has not won a Pendleton title, but he’s made the short round twice.

“I like Pendleton,” he said. “I just have to get through to the

Mayfield has done well with the help of his horse Lollipop, who is 13.

“She is the perfect age for this event,” he said. “I’ve had her for two years and she is very good. She should win (tie-down) horse of the year.”

While Mayfield has enjoyed his season, he said it would be better if he was battling Wright for the allround title. According to the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association, they have not received any rodeo entries for Wright.

“It sucks for Stetson,” he said. “Me and Stetson were rookies at the same time. I like watching him ride. I have always wanted to steer rope and this has given me an opportunity to steer rope and I have won some in team roping. That ain’t going to matter at the end of the day. Going into the NFR, you have to act like you have zero dollars or you are behind.”

Shad Ryan Mayfield, of Clovis, New Mexico, turns in an 8.9-second run to win the round at the 2023 Pendleton Round-Up.

Mayfield has had an impressive rodeo career, which has spanned from high school to the present.

In 2018, he won the National High School Rodeo Association tie-down title. He’s made five trips to the National Finals Rodeo, and won a world tie-down title in 2020. He finished third in the world standings last year, and has won more than $1 million in his short career.

In bareback riding, 2023 Pendleton champ Dean Thompson, world leader Keenan Hayes and crowd favorite Rocker Steiner are expected in the lineup.

“I think Pendleton will be pretty special,” said the 22-year-old Thompson. “This year, I’m in a completely different spot. Last year, Pendleton got me to the NFR. This year, a win at Pendleton would put me in a good spot to chase the gold buckle. The gold buckle is the only one that will get me to take the Pendleton one off. Pendleton is a novelty rodeo. It’s an old-school bucket list rodeo.”

Hayes, last year’s world champion, has a $30,000-plus lead over the No. 2 man in the bareback standings, but two through five is pretty tight.

“Keenan is a problem,” Thompson said. “He’s one of the best.”

By Annie Fowler, for the East Oregonian

Dean Thompson, of Altamont, Utah, rides Side Show and wins the bareback event at the 2023 Pendleton Round-Up.

THE RODEO 2023 ROUND-UP CHAMPIONS

2023 ALL-AROUND CHAMPION

Stetson Wright

When Stetson Wright rolls into the Pendleton Round-Up, fans line up to watch the Utah cowboy compete.

Wright did not disappoint, winning his second all-round Pendleton Round-Up title after winning the bull riding and splitting third in the saddle bronc.

Wright rode off into the sunset with a combined $17,567 earned over the two events.

Wright won the all-round title in 2021, along with the saddle bronc and bull riding titles.

2023 BULL RIDING CHAMPION

Stetson Wright

Stetson Wright led the event with an 87.5-point score heading into the finals, and he was the last man out of the chutes, needing an 84-point performance for the win.

Wright rode Bouchon for an 89.5-point score, and won the average on two with a 177, six points better than traveling partner Ky Hamilton.

When Wright took his victory lap, the roar of the crowd was deafening.

2023

Layton Green

Canadian cowboy Layton Green had one of the lowest scores heading into the final round, but soon found himself with his first Pendleton title after taking The Black Tie for a 90.5-point ride for a score of 173.5 on two rides.

Green beat reigning world champion Zeke Thurston by a half-point.

“I’ll remember that for a long time,” Green said of the victory lap. “It was awesome. It’s my longest victory lap, but I’ll take it.”

2023 BAREBACK RIDING CHAMPION

Dean Thompson

Dean Thompson made the most of his first trip to Pendleton. The rookie cowboy from Altamont, Utah, won the bareback title with a score of 171.5 on two rides. He beat reigning world champ Jess Pope by a half-point.

“Holy cow,” Thompson said. “This is my first time here and it’s impossible to describe.”

As was the victory lap.

“That ride was pretty amazing,” he said. “I’m surprised I didn’t blow up. It’s amazing how much the people here love rodeo. Pendleton is my new favorite rodeo.”

SADDLE BRONC RIDING CHAMPION

By Annie Fowler, for the East Oregonian

2023

Stevi Hillman

Stevi Hillman won the 2016 barrel racing title in Pendleton and had not returned until 2023.

She needed a good paycheck to help get her to the NFR, and she got it, winning the event with a time of 56.90 seconds on two runs. Her last run topped the field at 28.23 seconds.

“That was the fastest run of the week,” Hillman said. “That little mare (Sandi) is incredible. I had a good feeling she would do well.”

2023

Joey Williams

Joey Williams needed a fast run to win the title, and she got it with a 3.5-second performance in the finals to win her first Pendleton title with a time of 6.5 seconds on two runs.

“I can’t even put it into words,” Williams said. “I can’t thank the committee enough for giving us a chance.”

BARREL RACING CHAMPION

BREAKAWAY ROPING CHAMPION

2023 ROUND-UP CHAMPIONS

2023 STEER WRESTLING CHAMPION

Cameron

Morman

It’s no secret that Cameron Morman needed a good payday in Pendleton, but winning the steer wrestling title was icing on the cake.

“It really is a dream come true,” he said. “Any time you get to win a prestigious rodeo like this, it’s special. I’m very fortunate.”

It was Morman’s sixth trip to Pendleton, but his first since 2017.

2023 STEER ROPING CHAMPION

Pake Sorey

The first time Pake Sorey took a victory lap at the Pendleton RoundUp, he was 2 years old and his dad Tom had just won the 1996 steer roping title.

Sorey, a Pendleton native, repaid the favor, inviting his dad and brother Trent to join him for his victory lap after winning the steer roping title at the 113th Pendleton Round-Up with a time of 40.2 seconds on three runs.

“I have no words,” Sorey said of his first Pendleton title. “This is incredible. I’m trying to get my brain to calm down.”

By Annie Fowler, for the East Oregonian

Blane Cox

Blane Cox had the hot run of 7.8 seconds in the finals to finish with a time of 27.1 seconds on three runs for his first Pendleton title.

“This win right here is pretty special,” he said. “This has always been one of my favorite rodeos, but this is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Derrick Begay and Colter Todd

Derrick Begay won his third Pendleton title, while Colter Todd picked up his first after the pair roped their steer in 6.6 seconds in the finals for a time of 17.6 on three runs.

“It never gets old winning here,” said Begay, who is the header of the duo. “That victory lap is fun. You want to win because of the prizes.”

Begay won his first two titles with Cesar de la Cruz in 2011 and 2013.

2023 TIE-DOWN ROPING CHAMPION

2023 TEAM ROPING CHAMPIONS

THE RODEO 2024 ROUND-UP EVENT SCHEDULE

Saturday, Sept. 7

10 a.m. Dress-Up Parade, downtown Pendleton

7 p.m. Kick-Off Concert featuring Clay Walker and Eddie Montgomery, Happy Canyon Arena. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 8

6 p.m. Hall of Fame Banquet, induction of honorees

monday, Sept. 9

8 a.m. 35th-annual Round-Up Foundation Memorial Golf Tournament, Golf Course at Birch Creek

9:30 a.m. Timed events slack — breakaway roping, team roping, barrel racing — $5, includes day sheet

8 p.m. Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale, Happy Canyon Arena, gates open at 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 10

8:30 a.m. Timed events slack — Tie-down roping, steer wrestling, steer roping, team roping — $5, includes day sheet

8 p.m. Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale, Happy Canyon Arena, gates open at 6 p.m.

wednesday, Sept. 11

6-10 a.m. VFW Outdoor Cowboy Breakfast — $10 for adults, $5 for children, Stillman Park

8:30 a.m. Timed events slack — Tie-down roping, steer wrestling — $5, includes day sheet

1:15 p.m. Pendleton Round-Up — Family and Seniors Day; Farmers Ending Hunger

7:45 p.m. Happy Canyon Night Show

8 p.m. Goldie’s Bar at the Canyon — 21 and older

thursday, Sept. 12

6-10 a.m. VFW Outdoor Cowboy Breakfast — $10 for adults, $5 for children, Stillman Park

9 a.m. Timed events slack — Steer roping — $5, includes day sheet

10 a.m. Junior American Indian Beauty Contest — Roy Raley Park

10:30 a.m. Children’s Rodeo — free for ticket holders, Round-Up Arena

1:15 p.m. Pendleton Round-Up — Family and Kids Day; Tough Enough to Wear Pink Day (see sidebar at right)

7:45 p.m. Happy Canyon Night Show

8 p.m. Goldie’s Bar at the Canyon — 21 and older

friday, Sept. 13

6-10 a.m. VFW Outdoor Cowboy Breakfast — $10 for adults, $5 for children, Stillman Park

9 a.m. American Indian Beauty Contest — Main Street

10 a.m. Westward Ho! Parade, downtown Pendleton

1:15 p.m. Pendleton Round-Up — Wrangler National Patriot Day

7:45 p.m. Happy Canyon Night Show

8 p.m. Goldie’s Bar at the Canyon — 21 and older

Saturday, Sept. 14

6-10 a.m. VFW Outdoor Cowboy Breakfast — $10 for adults, $5 for children, Stillman Park

9 a.m. Tribal Ceremonial Dancing — Pendleton Round-Up Arena

1:15 p.m. Pendleton Round-Up — Golden Circle of Champions

7:45 p.m. Happy Canyon Night Show

8 p.m. Goldie’s Bar at the Canyon — 21 and older

Tough Enough to Wear Pink

The Pendleton Round-Up’s Tough Enough To Wear Pink campaign had reason to kick up its heels in its 17th year after making record-breaking donations.

Three local cancer support organizations — CHI St. Anthony Hospital Cancer Care Clinic, Kick’n Cancer New Beginnings and the Eastern Oregon Cancer Network — shared the purse as the campaign awarded more than $40,000 on Jan. 12 at the Round-Up’s administration building. The prior record was $39,000 in 2015.

According to a press release from cochair Casey White-Zollman, contributions came from a variety of sources, including sponsorships, local businesses, merchandise sales, donations from spectators and tips donated by those working in the Let’er Buck Room. In addition, Clickit RV of MiltonFreewater donated a portion of all RV sales from Sept. 14 through October — Breast Cancer Awareness Month — resulting in a $3,500 donation. White-Zollman called the outpouring of support “truly remarkable.”

The event, Zollman-White said, not only raises breast cancer awareness to the thousands of visitors who attend RoundUp each year, but 100% of the proceeds stay within the local community. The three recipients help local breast cancer patients from diagnosis through recovery.

The St. Anthony Hospital Cancer Care Clinic provides such things as breast prosthetics, mastectomy bras, post-op camisoles, as well as financial help and mileage reimbursement for cancer patients. The Eastern Oregon Cancer Network offers housing options while patients are seeking treatment at the Eastern Oregon Cancer Center. And Kick’n Cancer New Beginnings provides free massages, personal training and Pilates classes for recovering patients.

The 2024 Tough Enough To Wear Pink day is Sept. 12.

THE RODEO ROUND-UP 101

Here's what you need to know to follow the action

Confused about the rodeo vernacular? Rodeo 101 provides the basics and gets you up to speed.

All-around

The top award at every rodeo, which also comes with additional money and prizes. It is awarded to the cowboy who earns the most money in more than one event, which is not always the cowboy who earns the most total money that week. If no cowboy earns money in more than one event, the all-around goes to the cowboy who earned the most combined money while entering more than one event. The all-around cowboy at the RoundUp has their name etched on the East Oregonian Let’er Buck Trophy. If they get their name on the trophy three times, they get to take it home. Trevor Brazile has two such trophies.

Bareback riding

Bareback riders compete without the benefit of a saddle. The horses used in bareback are the same as those used in saddle bronc, but the ride is much more violent because of the lack of padding between the horse and rider. Contestants grip a handle that is strapped behind the horse’s shoulder blades, leading to bone-shaking impacts with each buck. It requires skill, balance and coordination. Riders must stay on for 8 seconds for a legal ride.

Barrel racing

The only women’s event in major rodeo, barrel racing has gone from a side competition to a fan favorite. Contestants start at one end of the arena riding toward a timeline that automatically times their run. They must traverse a three-leafed clover pattern starting on either the left or right, and after looping around the first barrel must cross the arena to the opposite barrel. After looping around the second barrel they ride to the middle barrel before heading straight back to the timeline. Contestants are allowed to bump the 55-gallon barrels, but if one falls over, a 5-second penalty is added to their time.

Barrier

Used in all of the tying events and steer wrestling, the barrier is a thin rope that stretches across the exit of the starting chute. The barrier is used to ensure an even start for all competitors, and any cowboy who breaks the barrier before the calf or steer releases the rope on the way out of the chute, is penalized 10 seconds.

Bullfighter

The men who are responsible for drawing a bull away from the rider once he has been bucked off. They help herd the bull out of the arena, and remove flank straps. Injuries are part of the gig, including broken bones and bruises.

Bull riding

Considered the most dangerous 8 seconds in sports. Contestants grip a rope that is wrapped around the bull’s body just behind its front legs. Riders may only use one hand. If their free hand comes into contact with the bull, it is not a legal ride. Riders are not required to mark out or spur like the bareback and saddle back riders. Although they take on the largest animals in the sport, bull riders tend to be some of the smallest competitors.. Trevor Brazile has two such trophies.

Hazer

The cowboy who rides on the opposite side of a steer from the bulldogger to keep the steer running in a straight line. Cowboys provide their own hazer, who is typically a fellow competitor.

Three bull fighters stand ready to swoop in and assist bull rider Jared Parsonage at the 2023 Pendleton Round-Up.

Long go/short go

The long go encompasses the preliminary rounds of the rodeo and varies in length from event to event. The Round-Up’s long go is two rounds in each timed event except for barrel racing, which, like the rough stock events, is one round. Competitors win money for placing in the top eight of each round. The final round of the rodeo in which the competitor field is cut to the top 12 for each event is the short go. Payouts for placing in the short go are lower than in the long round because of the smaller field, but contestants also can win money for placing in the average standings with strong performances.

Pick-up men

Riders positioned around the arena to assist bareback and saddle bronc riders in their dismounts and remove flank straps.

Reride

When a horse or bull has not done its part, or some other incident prevents the rider from getting a fair shake, he is offered another ride on a different animal. If he accepts, any score earned during his original ride is wiped off the books and he must accept whatever the re-ride yields. It’s possible to get more than one re-ride in a round.

Rough stock

The name applied to the bucking events — bull riding, bareback riding and saddle bronc. Bareback riding and saddle bronc are contested on bucking horses. In all of the events, contestants earn scores for successful 8-second rides. Once situated on the back of the bronc or bull, the cowboy will signal the gate man, who then opens the bucking chute. With only one hand holding him onto his mount, the cowboy must successfully ride for 8 seconds to earn a score. Rough stock is scored by two judges, who award up to 25 points to each rider and animal based on varying criteria. All scores are combined to get a total for the ride, with 100 points as the maximum.

Saddle bronc riding

Rodeo’s signature event, saddle bronc is the event depicted in the Round-Up’s iconic Let’er Buck logo. From a specialized saddle with free-swinging stirrups and no horn, contestants grip a cotton rein that is attached to a halter worn by the horse.

Slack

Because of time restrictions, not every cowboy gets to compete in the main performance. Slack is the name given to the competitions held before or after the main performances, and counts the same in the overall standings. Slack ensures larger entry fields and higher payouts for winners, and is typically free to attend for fans. It does not include rough stock events. The Round-Up begins running slack on Monday morning of rodeo week.

Steer roping

This event follows the same rules as tie-down roping with two major differences. Unlike calves, steers must be roped around both horns. Any other catch is illegal. Once the rider dismounts, his horse immediately begins a backpedal that pulls the steer along the ground and keeps it from gaining its feet. After the cowboy reaches the steer, he must tie any three legs before returning to his horse to complete the run.

Steer wrestling

Also known as bulldogging, steer wrestling requires the most brute strength of any of the timed events. The cowboy starts behind the barrier, and once the steer has been released, the cowboy must catch up to the sprinting steer before dropping down from the side of his horse and catching the steer by the horns. The cowboy transfers the weight of his upper body to the neck of the steer, with one hand on the near horn of the steer and the far horn grasped in the crook of the other elbow. The cowboy then digs his heels into the ground to slow the steer before using leverage to turn it on its side. The clock stops when all four hooves are off the ground and pointing in the same direction. Steers weigh between 450 and 660 pounds.

Team roping

Consisting of header (the cowboy who ropes the head of the steer) and a heeler (the cowboy who ropes the hind legs), the event begins the same as tie-down, except with one rider in each box on either side of the chute. Once the barrier is released, the header must make one of three legal catches — around both horns, one horn and the head, or the neck — and then make the steer change direction before the heeler throws his lasso at its hind legs. Catching both hind legs is a successful run, while catching just one adds a 5-second penalty. The clock stops when there is no slack in both ropes and the riders’ horses are facing each other.

Tie-down roping

Also known as calf roping. A cowboy must lasso a calf before dismounting and successfully tying any three of its legs together. The event requires impeccable timing and a well-trained horse. It begins with a calf charging down a chute that runs parallel to the cowboy’s starting box. Once the calf releases a barrier rope at the end of the chute the cowboy is free to lasso it anyway he can. After getting the lasso secured, a cowboy must “trip” the calf by creating a little slack then making a sharp turn, using the extra rope to sweep the calf’s legs from under it. At this point, he dismounts, runs to the calf and throws it to the ground (called flanking). If the calf is already on the ground when he arrives at it he must allow it to get up, then take it down again. He then must tie any three of the calf’s legs together with a short rope called a pigging string while his horse keeps the rope taught. After he throws his hands into the air to signify a completed run, he must get back on his horse and create slack in the rope. The calf must stay tied for 6 seconds to make the time official.

Two pickup men help bareback rider Jacek Lane Frost dismount Sozo after an 87.5-point ride at the 2023 Pendleton Round-Up.

THE HEALTH COMMUNITIES

THE HEALTH COMMUNITIES

URGENT CARE CARE

URGENT CARE CARE

ROYALTY 2024 ROUND-UP QUEEN AND PRINCESSES

2024 PENDLETON ROUND-UP ROYALTY

Queen Kayla Fossek

Queen Kayla Fossek of Pendleton, is the 23-year-old daughter of Bob and Jennifer Fossek of Pendleton.

Kayla graduated from Pendleton High School in 2019. During high school, Kayla was active in volleyball, yearbook, a National Honor Society recipient, and FFA where she eventually was selected as a Chapter Sentinel and Chapter Vice President. She is currently finishing her associate degree at BMCC.

Kayla has a very distinguished resume surrounding the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon, beginning with volunteerism, participation in the American Indian Beauty Pageant, and serving as a princess for the Happy Canyon in 2019. Kayla then moved on to serving two years as a princess for the Round-Up in the lengthened 2020-2021 years. Kayla’s family has a long tradition of competing and volunteering for the Happy Canyon and Round-Up, with Kayla being the first to serve as a princess for the RoundUp. With Kayla’s selection as Queen of the 2024 Pendleton Round-Up, she will be the first Native American to hold all three titles.

Princess Kinley McAnally

Princess Kinley McAnally of Pendleton is the 19-year-old daughter of Andy and Kellye McAnally and Robert and Maya Bates.

Kinley graduated from Pendleton High School in 2022, where she was active in FFA, National Honors Society and Leadership. She earned her FFA Greenhand, Chapter, State and American degrees and was the President of the Pendleton FFA Chapter her junior and senior year. During her time in FFA she showed swine and was an active participant in all aspects of competition.

Kinley has a long history of volunteerism both within her school community and within the Pendleton community. She has been a pennant bearer for Round-Up for six years, has worked in the souvenir booths and assisted at the Children’s Rodeo. She is a key volunteer for Pendleton Cattle Barons as well serving the western community in as many ways as possible.

Kinley’s horse journey began at age 9 where she began showing in 4-H. She eventually realized her love for riding in the mountains and has since spent many hours horseback riding for cows.

She is currently a student at Eastern Oregon University where she is on the Dean’s List while studying Agriculture Entrepreneurship.

2024 PENDLETON ROUND-UP ROYALTY

2024 PENDLETON ROUND-UP ROYALTY

Princess Charli King

Princess Charli King of Athena, is the 19-year-old daughter of Brandon and Katy King. Charli graduated from Weston McEwen High School in 2022. Through high school, Charli was active in FFA, 4-H and served on the Associated Student Body as treasurer. She played volleyball, basketball and track where she was a varsity athlete competing at state three years in pole vault and the 4×400 relay.

Her riding experience began at a young age and has taken her from the branding pens to the rodeo arena and everywhere in between. She also competed in the Milton-Freewater Pioneer Posse, the Cayuse Junior Rodeo and Mustangers. Charli has actively participated as a pennant bearer for the Pendleton Round-Up for the past six years.

She is currently a student at the University of Idaho where she is studying Pre-Veterinarian Sciences. In her free time at school, Charli is a member of the Kappa Delta sorority and participates in many philanthropic events and activities.

2024 PENDLETON ROUND-UP ROYALTY

Princess Jenna Moore

Princess Jenna Moore of Kahlotus, Washington, is the 19-year-old daughter of Scott Moore and Kim Kelty-Moore.

Jenna graduated from Connell High School in 2022. She was active in FFA, earning her Greenhand, Chapter, State and American Degree while also showing pigs and steers with participation in many other events. She played varsity basketball for Connell and was on the National Honor Society. Jenna also competed in the Milton-Freewater Pioneer Posse, the Cayuse Junior Rodeo and many other barrel races. These events led her into the desire to represent that great sport of rodeo.

Currently, Jenna is a student at Eastern Washington University where she is studying Dental Hygiene and is recognized on The National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Her love for the Pendleton Round-Up grew through the admiration of her family who participated in early years of the rodeo — her great-uncle, Bert Kelly, winning the first saddle bronc championship and her grandfather, Dick Kelly, who handled the live broadcast of the rodeo for over 30 years. Her mother, Kim, was a 1996 Princess of the Pendleton Round-Up spurring Jenna’s desire to one day wear the traditional leathers of the court. Jenna has carried flags for the parades as well as pushed livestock during slack.

2024 PENDLETON ROUND-UP ROYALTY

Princess Olivia Corbett

Princess Olivia Corbett of Pendleton is the 19-year-old daughter of Robb and Liz Corbett. Olivia graduated from Pendleton High School in 2022. She was an active athlete playing four years of varsity tennis and three years of varsity basketball while also being active in the Oregon High School Equestrian Team, on the National Honor Society and spending 2022-2023 representing the Milton-Freewater Pioneer Posse. She earned many awards as she pursued her dreams such as the Tennis Academic All State award, NWC 5A District Tennis Champion, the Basketball Academic All State award, and her FFA Chapter Degree. Olivia continued her love of athletics into her college career where she is on the women’s tennis team for Whitworth University, and is studying Business Management.

Olivia’s love of the Pendleton Round-Up began as a girl while she carried a flag in parades for nine years. Since those days carrying a flag, she has participated in multiple rodeo events, 4-H and the Oregon High School Equestrian Team.

ROYALTY 2024 HAPPY CANYON PRINCESSES

Canyon Princesses Lauren Gould and Layla Sohappy. Bob McLean/Contributed Photo

The Happy Canyon Board of Directors has announced cousins Layla Sohappy and Lauren Gould as the 2024 Happy Canyon Princesses

They will serve as the 2024 ambassadors for the Happy Canyon Night Show, Oregon’s official outdoor night pageant that takes place each night of the Pendleton Round-Up.

Layla and Lauren are both descendants of Chief Joseph, who led the Nimiipuu people through the states to escape to Canada in 1877 and was an advocate for native Americans to remain on their homelands. The cousins are also great-greatgranddaughters of Annette Blackeagle Pinkham, who married Chief Clarence Burke in 1970 and resided in Cayuse until her death in 1988.

2024 HAPPY CANYON ROYALTY

Princess Layla Sohappy

Layla, whose Indian name is Tsanat (Place of the Swan), is an 18-year-old enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and 2023 graduate of Nixya’awii Community School. Her parents are Jacy Sohappy and Tyler Niemeier.

Layla plans to attend a four-year university after she earns an associate degree from a community college. Layla would like to pursue a career in history and native American heritage and cultures and is interested in returning to her tribal land to work with elders or collect information and artifacts for the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute.

Layla follows in her mother’s footsteps as a Happy Canyon Princess. Her mother, Jacy Sohappy, was a Happy Canyon Princess in 2002, and since then several of Layla’s aunts have also served as princesses. Her cousin, Látis Nowland, served as a Happy Canyon Princess in 2023. Layla said her cousin’s involvement this past year helped her learn more about what goes into the role.

Becoming a Happy Canyon Princess “is definitely a forever dream of mine, but would make my ancestors and loved ones proud of me for representing not only my family but my indigenous peoples as a whole,” Layla said.

Following graduation from high school, Layla has enjoyed the opportunity to travel to and participate in a variety of powwows, and she has danced in powwows since she was young. She enjoys activities that make her feel more connected to her people and culture, including dancing, weaving, beading, horseback riding, and gathering roots and berries.

2024 HAPPY CANYON ROYALTY

Princess Lauren Gould

Lauren, whose Indian name is Tamawiitanmy (Earth Blanketed Woman), is an 18-year-old enrolled member of the Nez Perce from Lenore, Idaho, and her parents are Aaron and Jackie Gould.

Lauren has lived her entire life on her family’s ancestral land and ranch near the Clearwater River. She is part of the Wallowa and Whitebird bands and also descends from the Umatilla, Okanogan, and Arrow Lakes people. Lauren graduated with honors from Lapwai High School in 2023, and was a two-time high school state basketball champion. Lauren plans to complete her associate of arts degree at Columbia Basin College, where she currently attends, and then transfer to a four-year university to pursue a career at a native American museum in archives.

Lauren has participated in the Happy Canyon Night Show and Indian Encampment for the past several years. She and Layla have both held the roles of young weavers, which were passed down to them from their great-great-grandmother through other family members. Several of Lauren’s family members have served as Happy Canyon princesses, one of which was the late Anna Jane Wilkinson Pond who served in 1958 with Joyce Hoptowit and again in 1959 with Anna Marie Pond. Her aunt — and Layla’s mother — Jacy Sohappy, also served as a princess.

“I am proud to be from an involved family and intend to carry this family tradition on through the generations,” Lauren said.

Lauren’s interests include powwow dancing, gathering cultural foods, basket weaving, sewing, horseback riding, basketball, cooking, working cows and cultural ceremonies.

Happy

114 years of Round-Up and Happy Canyon

In 1909, a 17-year-old named Lee Caldwell won a bronc riding contest in Pendleton. From that seed, the Pendleton Round-Up was born. The Round-Up started with the idea that real working cowboys could gather together and pit themselves against each other and the roughest stock around in a celebration of the real West. Here are some highlights:

Seven thousand spectators attend the inaugural Round-Up (1910); The first night show, written by Roy Raley, is performed (1913); Jackson Sundown, 53, a Nez Perce Indian, wins the all-around title (1916); Roy Raley and Anna Minthorn Wannassay collaborate to add the story of local tribes’ life before the arrival of white settlers to the Happy Canyon pageant (1916).

Round-Up president and Umatilla County Sheriff Til Taylor is murdered by a prison escapee (1920); A standing-room-only crowd of 35,000 attends the final night of Round-Up (1922); Stories about the Round-Up appear in New York, Syracuse and Philadelphia as well as Washington and California (1924); Cowgirl Bonnie McCarroll dies from injuries suffered in a bronc riding accident, and Round-Up directors ban women from bucking events (1929).

The District of Columbia bicentennial suggests the Round-Up be moved to the nation’s capital for the event. The board says, “No, it belongs to Pendleton and was not a wild west show, nor was it for sale” (1931); The Westward Ho! parade thrills thousands of spectators, covering 37 blocks and featuring more than 3,000 participants, including 2,000 Indians (1935).

Fire destroys the grandstand during a softball game in August, but a new one is built in time for the Round-Up (1940); World War II forces the cancellation of the Round-Up and Happy Canyon Night Show (1942-43); The Pendleton Round-Up welcomes home veterans of World War II; jitterbug contests are staged following Monday’s Happy Canyon Night Show (1945).

Turf is added to the Round-Up Grounds for athletic contests (1951); A roof is put on the grandstands (1954); The new Happy Canyon grandstands host 5,000 spectators (1955); The Round-Up receives its first taste of national exposure when CBS televises the Sept. 14 show live for one hour (1957); The Let ‘er Buck Room is built under the south grandstand (1958).

Wild cow milking is added as an event (1962); Ear-biting in the wild horse race is outlawed, as well as nine other rules enacted by the Rodeo Cowboys Association at the request of animal welfare groups (1967); The Severe Brothers of Pendleton take over making the trophy saddle from Hamley and Co., which leaves the saddlemaking business (1968); The Round-Up Hall of Fame is established (1969).

Gambling at Happy Canyon is declared illegal (1970), but the Oregon Legislature passes the Happy Canyon Gambling Act, allowing nonprofit gambling (1971); The Hall of Fame Room is constructed under the south grandstand (1973); Cowboys are able to enter the rodeo with just a phone call. Contestants and stock also are matched up using the system operated by Rodeo Communications of America (RoComm) (1976).

Sheriff Tillman D. “Til” Taylor, president of the Pendleton Round-Up, poses for a picture with the first prize saddle in the early years of the Pendleton Round-Up.

Wayne Low/Contributed Photo

The Round-Up and Happy Canyon sponsor a reenactment wagon train moving from Ukiah to Pendleton (1980); The inaugural Exceptional Rodeo (now the Children’s Rodeo), pairing cowboys with mentally and physically handicapped youth, is held (1983); Author Ken Kesey writes a screenplay — which has never been made into a movie — based on the 1911 Round-Up bucking contest between George Fletcher, Jackson Sundown and John Spain (1984).

Women compete in roughstock events for the first time since 1929 (1990); Professional Bull Riding held for the first time in the Happy Canyon Arena (1999).

Barrel racing returns to the Round-Up (2000); The Happy Canyon Night Show is revamped to be more historically accurate, and includes expanded narration and the addition of speaking parts (2001); The Hall of Fame moves from under the south grandstand to the corner of Southeast 12th and Court Avenue (2006).

Centennial Plaza and the new west grandstands are built for the Centennial Round-Up; events such as hide races, wild horse races and the serpentine entry return to the rodeo in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first Round-Up (2010); Happy Canyon is named Oregon’s Official State Outdoor Pageant and Wild West Show (2011); four clones of former world champion bucking bull Panhandle Slim compete in the Round-Up, a first for cloned rough stock (2013); The Strip’n Chute bar is added to the north grandstands, serving whiskey and other liquor, and Happy Canyon completes the $1.5 million mezzanine project (2015); the Happy Canyon Night Show celebrates its centennial (2016); the Section DD Bar, serving beer, whiskey drinks and cigars, is added to the east grandstands (2017); The RoundUp and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame celebrates its centennial (2019).

The Pendleton Round-Up Association in 2020 made the challenging decision to put the show on hold while the coronavirus pandemic raged and government mandates banned big events. This was only the second time the Round-Up was cancelled. In place of the rodeo and all that goes with it, the Round-Up implemented Let ‘Er Buck Cares, an initiative that raised money to donate to dozens of local businesses and organizations that rely on Round-Up week to fill coffers; The Round-Up roars back, as strong as ever and Goldie’s Bar received a makeover (2021); First year back with no masks or social distancing (2022); Navy Leap Frogs parachute into the Wednesday rodeo and Thursday Children’s rodeo and a new medical facility opens to better serve contestants and fans (2023); The Golden Circle of Champions fundraiser is added to raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer, and a new permanent margarita bar structure is added in front of the Roy Raley Room (2024).

Aerial photo of circa 1944-45 Round-Up grounds.

A serpentine entry returned to the rodeo in celebration of the Centennial Round-Up (2010). An estimated 600 riders on horseback rode single-file into the Round-Up Grounds to recreate the serpentine grand entry for the first time in 60 years.

HISTORY ROUND-UP AND HAPPY CANYON HALL OF FAME

2024 Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame inductees

The Pendleton Round-Up & Happy Canyon Hall of Fame Board of Directors announced the 2024 Hall of Fame inductees May 14 during its annual membership meeting.

Inductees are Pat Nogle (contestant category), Bobby Christensen Jr. (contract personnel), Jesse Jones Sr. (early years), Scott and Bonnie Sager (Happy Canyon volunteers) and Ron and Linne Dodge (special board inductee).

The inductees will be celebrated Sept. 8 during the Pendleton Round-Up at the Hall of Fame Inductee Banquet and in the Round-Up Arena during the Sept. 11 rodeo performance. In addition, the inductees will be featured in the Hall of Fame with special exhibits.

Pat Nogle

A native Oregon cowboy, Nogle grew up on his family’s ranch in Grass Valley, where he continues to live. He competed primarily in the Pacific Northwest because he was dedicated to helping on the family ranch.

He won the Oregon High School championship twice and placed second those same years at the High School National Finals. While competing for Walla Walla College, he placed second in the nation three consecutive times.

Nogle competed in the Pendleton Round-Up from the 1970s until the early 2000s, wining the steer wrestling championship in 1976. In addition, he won championship buckles in Ellensburg, Washington; Salinas, California; Omak, Washington (five times); St. Paul (three times), and the Columbia River Circuit numerous times over three decades.

Nogle continues to promote rodeo through this involvement in rodeo schools around the Pacific Northwest.

Bobby Christensen Jr.

Christensen has been involved with the Pendleton Round-Up for more than 60 years, including attending as a child, volunteering, as a competitor and as a stock contractor.

A second-generation rodeo stock contractor, Christensen became joint business partner and general manager of the Christensen Brothers Rodeo and Stock Company in 1969. His family has served as the primary stock contractor for the Round-Up for more than 50 years.

In the 1960s, he competed for eight years in bareback riding. He also tried the wild horse race. In addition, Christensen worked as a pick-up man for approximately 25 years, including when the ABC “Wide World of Sports” crew broadcast the Pendleton Round-Up in 1964. After the dissolution of the Christensen Brothers Rodeo and Stock Company in 1989, he continued to volunteer in the backlot helping to guide new cowboys and assist with the flow of arena events.

Most recently, Christensen has assisted the Hall of Fame by researching the history of contestants and animals for exhibits. In 2021, he participated in the “Cowboy Special Moments” TV series on behalf of the Hall of Fame “War Paint Horse of the Decades” celebration.

Jesse Jones Sr.

Also known as Chief Umapine, Jones agreed to have his people of the Cayuse Tribe participate in the Pendleton Round-Up celebration in August 1910. He was known to be part of numerous functions throughout the Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. He, along with the other chiefs of the Umatilla tribes, voted unanimously to participate in the first Round-Up celebration.

He raised and trained horses for Indian chiefs, war chiefs, and warriors of the three tribes of the Umatilla reservation. He later became the chief of the Cayuse and became a “local legend” in Umapine.

He was well known for leading numerous ceremonies, spreading Native American awareness and participating in significant events, including the Pendleton Round-Up for 40-plus years.

Scott and Bonnie Sager

Dedicated to behind-the-scenes activities for more than 63 years, the Sagers are best known as the “go-to” couple for wisdom in project development and the historic connections that are vital to Happy Canyon and Pendleton Round-Up. Both have spearheaded significant projects, including planning and fundraising for the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame building, where Bonnie served as a threeterm president.

She was also the leader behind developing the “Rendezvous” Wagon Train in 1983, which continues today as the Pendleton Round-Up Wagon Train. She also started the Happy Canyon Rendezvous Ceremonial Celebration/International Media Event in 1988 and Scott created a stop at Indian Lake which included ceremonial participation from Native Americans in memory of Chief Clarence Burke.

Scott served as a Happy Canyon director from 1984-1993, while Bonnie served on the Hall of Fame Board from 1995-2002. Scott also provided security work for many years for the Round-Up, working primarily in the Happy Canyon and Round-Up grounds. Scott performed in the town scenes in the early 1960s, Bonnie joined in the early 1980s, and both actively participate today.

By

Ron and Linne Dodge

This year, the Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame Board of Directors approved the special induction of the Dodges. Ron and Linne’s induction is based on their long-lasting positive impact on the Round-Up and Happy Canyon organizations, including their connection with Hood River Distillers.

When the first Pendleton Whisky was poured in 2003, it opened the door for a lasting friendship with the Dodges. The Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon came to realize how humble and generous these two people could be.

The couple helps coordinate the visit of more than 50 guests each year during Pendleton Round-Up. Linne makes a point of sharing the history and tradition surrounding Pendleton and the Western lifestyle. The couple served as grand marshals for the Westward Ho! Parade in 2013. In recent years, Linne and Ron have enjoyed camping and riding with the annual Pendleton Round-Up Wagon Train up in the Blue Mountains.

Step back in time at the Hall of Fame

East Oregonian

The Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame allows visitors to explore the cultural history and yesteryears of one of the world’s largest outdoor rodeos.

The nonprofit museum was founded in 1969 to help preserve and protect rodeo history. Their exhibitions include highlights of the Wild West shows, best bronco riding champions and queen and princess pageantries. The exhibit covers a variety of significant rodeo antiquity — old bucking shoes, trophies, Native American beads, teepees, cowboy and cowgirl apparel, wagons, and vintage firearms. One of the exhibitions includes the hand made saddles by master craftsman Duff Severe, who’s saddles are also on display at the Smithsonian Institute.

One of the biggest features and focal points of the museum is War Paint, the three time Round-Up Bucking Horse of the Year legend and hero. War Paint was a saddle bronc horse from the 1950s that knocked-off 90% of the cowboys who dared to mount his back. A taxidermist preserved War Paint in

suspended action with his hind legs kicking in the air.

Each year the Hall of Fame board of directors kick off Round-Up by inducting the men and women and sometimes livestock honorees into the hall of fame at the Pendleton Convention Center. They will also honor their inductees, or their family if they passed on, by bringing them out on a wagon during Round-Up.

On the second floor of the museum they commemorate a large photo gallery of all the Round-Up cowgirl queens and Indigenous princesses.

All the members and workers at the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame volunteer to help preserve the vastly rich rodeo tradition. Some of the contributions at the museum have been donated from family members and friends of the inductees, which adds a dense layer of narrative to the exhibitions.

The Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame is at 1114 SW Court Ave., Pendleton. Admission is free, but it accepts donations.

War Paint, who was a top bucking horse in the sport of rodeo, is featured in an exhibit at the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame. The museum is open at 1114 SW Court Ave., Pendleton.

ON EXHIBIT NOW!

Another incredible exhibit from the Fred L. Mitchell Collection, this time featuring nearly 100 vests, bags, gauntlets, cu s and more with expertly beaded impressions of elk and deer. This collection o ers an up close view of Plateau beadwork at its finest!

CULTURAL INSTITUTE

www.tamastslikt.org I-84, Exit 216 | Pendleton, OR Open Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm

CONCERT AND TWO PARADES

Kick-Off concert

Get things rocking with Clay Walker, Eddie Montgomery

Chart-topping country star and ’90s hitmaker Clay Walker will headline the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Kick-Off Concert on Sept. 7 at the Happy Canyon Arena. In addition, the special guest is Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry.

To reserve tickets, visit www.pendletonroundup. com or call 541-276-2553.

According to a press release, while Walker is known for his string of smash hits like “Live Until I Die,” “Hypnotize the Moon,” “Rumor Has It,” “Then What” and “She Won’t Be Lonely Long,” he’s seeing a resurgence and comeback thanks to the country fans behind the almost 20 million on-demand and video streams for his latest single, “Need a Bar Sometimes.” Walker released his 11th studio album — his first with Show Dog Nashville, “Texas to Tennessee,” in July 2021.

CHART-TOPPING COUNTRY STAR AND ’90S HITMAKER CLAY WALKER WILL HEADLINE THE PENDLETON ROUND-UP AND HAPPY CANYON KICK-OFF CONCERT ON SEPT. 7 AT THE HAPPY CANYON ARENA.

The realities of place are as central as this comeback album’s name implies: Nashville busily working toward the next fresh hit; Texas moving at its inimitable and familiar pace. There’s also a mix of songwriting and production approaches, evident and more nuanced relationships between the songs themselves, and the overarching presence of a naturally gifted vocalist who relentlessly pursues his own development as a singer. Walker has also become known for his battle against multiple sclerosis, which he was diagnosed in 1996. Since then, he’s become a passionate advocate and fundraiser for others with the disease through his Band Against MS. Among his efforts are the annual Clay Walker Charity Classic at Pebble Beach. The golf event highlights the highly active way Walker has approached the disease, continuing to perform and raise a growing family while showing no signs of slowing down.

Eddie Montgomery

Clay Walker

You might catch Eddie Montgomery taking a quick glance at an empty space beside him when he and The Wild Bunch take the stage to play the expected duet hits as well as tunes from his mostly raucous solo debut “Ain’t No Closing Me Down,” which was released in 2022.

The man who is always “with” Montgomery on stage and immersed in the soul of his first solo album is his longtime partner, Troy Gentry, who died Sept. 8, 2017, in a helicopter crash that could have put a tragic end to Montgomery Gentry sound. However, Montgomery made a promise that the MG sound would go on — which, at its heart, is what this new album is all about.

Rowdily honed in honky-tonks and at parties in their Kentucky homeland, Montgomery Gentry rocked to stardom in 1999 with their propulsive collection “Tattoos & Scars.” Over the next 18 years, the duo had 20-plus charted singles, collected Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music and Grammy nominations and awards with No. 1s including “If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” “Something to be Proud Of,” “Lucky Man,” “Back When I Knew It All” and “Roll With Me.”

“We are thrilled to have Clay Walker and Eddie Montgomery take the stage at the Happy Canyon Arena in September,” said Happy Canyon President Kipp Curtis. “Last year’s concert with Craig Morgan and Clint Black showed our fans crave those ’90s country superstars, and we’re sure that Clay Walker and Eddie Montgomery will bring some of that ’90s nostalgia along with some great new hits.”

kick-off

Concert Tickets

Chart-topping country star and ’90s hitmaker Clay Walker will headline the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Kick-Off Concert Sept. 7 at the Happy Canyon Arena. In addition, the special guest is Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry.

To reserve tickets: Go to www.pendletonroundup.com or call 541-276-2553

By East Oregonian

Westward Ho! Parade and Dress-Up Parade

You have two chances to catch a parade during Round-Up week, and each is about as opposite as possible.

The Main Street Cowboys get the fun rolling Saturday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. with the Dress-Up Parade. The pageant is one of the unofficial starts of Pendleton Round-Up week.

The parade features all kinds of groups, clubs, organizations and individuals waltzing, trotting, driving and dancing through the streets. More than 100 entrants partake in the annual parade, which features classic cars, high school marching bands and floats.

The Dress-Up Parade tends to be for a more local crowd. But the second parade takes place as the town’s population reaches its peak for Round-Up.

The Westward Ho! Parade begins at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 13. It is organized by the Pendleton Round-Up Association.

The nonmotorized parade features oxen-drawn covered wagons, Mormon carts, a mounted band and more. The Westward Ho! Parade is another tribute to the early days in the West and to the pioneers whose descendants are participating in the Round-Up.

Parade attendees often stake out prime viewing spots the night before, but even if sidewalks fill up, there’s room to take in the unique scene of the Westward Ho!

The two parades, though, have a few things in common.

They take the same route, starting on Southwest Dorion Avenue in front of Pendleton City Hall, heading east until turning north onto Southeast Fifth Street, then a block later turn west onto Southwest Court Avenue and parade right on down to the Pendleton Convention Center.

The parades also begin with the blast of a cannon announcing their starts.

And participants in the parades sweeten the fun along the route, tossing candy curbside to children. Or even adults.

ATTRACTIONS INDIAN VILLAGE

Building a village

An integral part of Round-Up and essential aspect of the rodeo’s history

When Round-Up was envisioned by its original organizers in 1910, they decided to invite the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. At first, they weren’t sure how the invitation was received, but right before the rodeo started, tribal members arrived on their horses and set up their camp.

Since that day, the Indian Village has been an integral part of Round-Up and an essential aspect of the rodeo’s history.

“Since the beginning,” said Jason Hill, the Round-Up director in charge of Indian relations.

The village is structured almost the same way, with family plots and teepee materials passed from family member to family member.

“There are close to 300 teepees every year,” Hill said. “As far as I know of rodeos in the United States, it’s the largest one. It has a visual impact.”

Generations of families have camped in the same spot for years.

“The names have not changed much, or at all, since the beginning,” Hill said.

Situated right next to the Round-Up Arena, the Indian Village will be up for a week, from Sept. 8 through Sept. 14. Tribal members make quick work of setting up the camp on Sunday morning.

By East Oregonian

“From an empty grass field to a teepee village in about two hours,” Hill said.

The majority of the village is made up of members of the Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla tribes, however, other tribal members also come, such as the Yakama, Warm Springs, Nez Perce and Colville tribes. Members stay in, and live in, the village for the week, and many are able to participate in the Happy Canyon Night Show.

“For me, and for a lot of people, the tribal involvement in Pendleton is so special and unique,” Hill said.

For many of the families, it is a time for reunion and gathering. Some fly in from different parts of the country every year to stay with their families and get together after time spent apart.

From Wednesday to Saturday, across from the village at Roy Raley Park, vendors staying in the village offer Native American crafts.

Additionally, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday there will be tribal dancing and awards on Saturday in the Round-Up Arena.

Hill said those attending Round-Up festivities are welcome to tour through the Indian Village, but to be mindful of the area.

“Be respectful — it’s a person’s home for the week,” he said.

EXPERIENCE THE EASTERN EDGE

PROUD SUPPORTER OF THE PENDLETON ROUND-UP

Fun ramps up for the night life

Round-Up competition ends at 5 p.m., but the night life gets rolling with the Happy Canyon Night Show and then Goldie’s Bar at the Canyon.

The Pendleton Round-Up wraps up each day of competition at 5 p.m., but the night life gets rolling with the Happy Canyon Night Show and then Goldie’s Bar at the Canyon.

The Night Show features locals playing roles handed down to them through seven generations and authentic regalia up to 200 years old. The century-old pageant begins with the lives of American Indians on the Columbia Plateau before white settlers arrived. Members of the local Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla tribes portray ceremonial dances and other traditions from the time.

The show moves through conflicts between the Indians and settlers — including some gunplay and crowd-pleasing stunts — and a somber treaty-signing ceremony, before turning into a more humorous, vaudeville-like Wild West encapsulating the rambunctiousness of early town life in the West.

IN ADDITION TO LIVE ACTORS, STUNTS AND ANIMALS, THE HAPPY CANYON NIGHT SHOW IS SET TO LIVE ORCHESTRA MUSIC THAT EBBS AND FLOWS WITH THE ACTION ONSTAGE. ABOUT 750 PEOPLE COME TOGETHER TO BRING THE NIGHT SHOW TO LIFE.

When the tribes meet Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and Sacajawea, the actors portraying the exploration party are being greeted by descendants of those who welcomed the real explorers in 1805.

Roy Raley wrote the Wild West side of the show in 1914 and added the second act two years later with the help of Anna Minthorn Wannassay, a member of the Cayuse tribe, to form the full Happy Canyon Night Show.

In addition to live actors, stunts and animals, the Happy Canyon Night Show is set to live orchestra music that ebbs and flows with the action onstage. In all, about 750 people come together to bring the Night Show to life.

The 2024 show features trick rider/roman rider Piper Yule and trick roper, Bleu LeDoux, granddaughter of Chris LeDoux.

The Happy Canyon Night Show runs evenings during Round-Up week, Wednesday through Saturday.

By East Oregonian

“You don’t want to miss the world’s oldest Indian Pageant and Wild West Show left in America — it is a show for all ages!” said Becky Waggoner, show director.

The Oregon Legislature in 2013 declared Happy Canyon the state’s official outdoor pageant and Wild West show. The show runs Wednesday through Saturday following the Pendleton Round-Up, Sept. 11-14 in the Happy Canyon Arena at 7:45 p.m.

The Goldie's Experience

After the pageant ends, audience members can stroll into Goldie’s Bar at the Pendleton Convention Center next door. The bar, for patrons 21 and older, features live music, gambling, drinking and dancing. It opens at 8 p.m. each night and stays open late — midnight on Wednesday, then 2 a.m. the remainder of the week.

“Typically it starts right after Happy Canyon ends,” said Shawn Towne, Goldie’s director for Happy Canyon. “Goldie’s is the official after-party of the Pendleton Round-Up.”

Wednesday is locals nights with no cover charge. After that, the cover charge is $5.

The evenings feature a live DJ inside the convention center, while a live band sets up on the stage in the sawdust arena.

In 2023, Goldie’s Grill debuted with food by Pendleton Catering Company. That food option returns this year with an expanded menu.

Also returning is the mechanical pig, and new to Friday and Saturday will be a goat-tying competition.

Another change is that, instead of drink chips, attendees can purchase scrips to use as a drink voucher — something Towne said was a tradition for Goldie’s in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Although Pendleton has a lot of choices during Round-Up, Towne said a visit to Goldie’s is a must.

“It’s only here the week of, and it’s an experience that lasts a lifetime,” he said.

A game of blackjack is underway at Goldie’s Bar at the Pendleton Convention Center after the Happy Canyon Night Show.

ATTRACTIONS RESTAURANTS AND WATERING HOLES

Hungry? Check out these places

Thousands of people come from all over the world to participate in the spectacle that is the Pendleton Round-Up ... And they all have to eat.

With all those people in town it’s good to know ahead of time where you and your friends and family are going to head out for a bite to eat or a drink. The Round-Up Grounds have various food vendors operating out of trucks and trailers, plus several bars and venues, but venture a bit further for a true taste of the town.

A breakfast fit for a cowboy (or girl)

Start your day with a hearty and filling breakfast at the local’s favorite morning meal joint, The Saddle Restaurant and Lounge. This place is famous for its chicken-fried steak breakfast and biscuits and gravy, both of which you will find on their consolidated menu during the week of Round-Up.

While the restaurant at 2220 SE Court Ave. is a popular place for locals to eat year-round, the establishment gets some special visitors during Round-Up, including rodeo courts.

Local watering holes and chuck wagons

Downtown Pendleton offers a variety of delicious options.

The Rainbow Cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and slinging drinks from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and from 6 a.m. to midnight on Sundays. A local fixture, “The ‘bow,” 209 S. Main St., stakes a claim as oldest tavern in Oregon, though there has been some recent debate, having operated in the current spot since perhaps 1883.

Although they do now accept cards, bring cash if you can — during the evenings of Round-Up, like much of the rest of town, The Rainbow turns into a sea of people packed shoulder to shoulder.

The bar itself is full of not just Pendleton but Round-Up history. Memorabilia and photos cover the walls, including the All-Around Cowboys back to 1910.

The Rainbow Cafe

By East Oregonian

Down a cool one at The Packard

The Main Street Cowboys put on live music and other entertainment on Main Street, adding to the party ambience at The Packard Tavern.

If you are only looking to shoot some pool and grab a beer while in town for Round-Up, look no farther than The Packard. A beer bar with two pool tables in the back and a jukebox, this local spot can become crowded during Round-Up week. However, because The Packard doesn’t serve liquor, you might find this to be a nice spot to break away from some of the busier locations in downtown Pendleton.

Rustle up a steak at Virgil's

If you want to eat like Round-Up royalty head to Virgil’s at Cimmiyotti’s Restaurant & Lounge, 137 S. Main St. It helps to make a reservation, but you can add your name to the list and wait outside for a table. The regionally famous steakhouse opens their back patio area to serve three times their average capacity during Round-Up week.

Virgil’s provide a classic old West feel with its crushed red velvet wallpaper in the dining room and the wait staff and bartenders dressed to the nines in bow ties and sparkly gowns.

Get the full treatment

The Great Pacific, 403 S. Main St., has a chill and cozy vibe and boasts a large menu that includes appetizers, small plates, hot and cold sandwiches, soups, salads and some of the best pizza in town.

Round-Up week can be a bit crazy, and the nights, depending on how hard you party, can be long. The Great Pacific has you covered with espresso and coffee from open to close.

The Packard Tavern

Virgil’s at Cimmiyotti’s Restaurant & Lounge

family fun on main street

Main Street Cowboys are a familiar sight in downtown Pendleton during Round-Up week — and they’re hard to miss in purple and light green shirts with white cowboy hats.

Their missions are to bring visitors and residents downtown during the Round-Up, and to promote the city’s history. The group is gearing up for another week filled with thousands enjoying food, music, vendors and family fun on Pendleton’s streets and in its businesses.

The cowboys’ Dress-Up Parade kicks off Round-Up week on the Saturday before the rodeo. The parade features a variety of groups, clubs, organizations and individuals waltzing through the streets. More than 100 entrants participate in the annual parade, including equestrians, classic cars, floats, marching and mounted bands.

The cowboys have enlivened downtown during Round-Up since 1950, when Morris Temple and fellow businessmen united to entertain rodeo fans after each day’s event. Their goal was to turn South Main Street into the “Greatest Free Show in the West.” They hoped to promote the rodeo by booking merchants, vendors, entertainers, dancers, musicians and carnival attractions. Their 1950 show cost about $1,445, with more than $220 left in the till.

The group transformed the Main Street area from a “rowdy drunken party” into a family-friendly gathering for all. The downtown activities attract the more than 20,000 rodeo-goers hanging around after watching events in Round-Up Stadium.

“How do you feed them? How do you entertain them?” said Johnny Blagg, a past president of the Main Street Cowboys. “The goal was to entice people to stay in town after the rodeo and take advantage of everything Pendleton has to offer.”

The entertainment stretches over four blocks on Main Street, with four stages that feature two different acts every hour.

“There’s something for everybody,” Blagg said.

Ken Hegge is the 2024 president for the Main Street Cowboys. He said music by the Brass Fire Band and Jodie Severe starts the week at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10.

“That’ll kick the whole thing off,” he said.

Entertainment continues through the week, starting around 3 p.m. each day. There will be two entertainers per block, who alternate every hour. Each act performs four shows in a day, Hegge said.

Although the music runs until midnight, he encourages families to check out the entertainment in the early part of the evening.

“Go down early — ride the carnival rides and listen to the music,” he said.

This year’s entertainment includes Jodie Severe, Brass Fire Band, Eli Mosley, Catherine Loyer, the Marsh Family Band, Mark Seymour, Brain Hanson, Gordy and Debbie Wensel, Talbott Brothers and the Mountain Saddle Band.

Keeping the peace

The cowboys also help keep the peace during Round-Up. They can be found on Main Street at all times, helping people figure out where to go, splitting up fights or contacting the authorities.

The Main Street events are meant for family fun. Pendleton does not permit the consumption of alcohol on the streets, and there are plenty of vendors and activities for children.

The Main Street Cowboys also make the commitment to preserve downtown and keep it clean.

The cowboys’ service to the community isn’t limited to the downtown show. They also supply stages, tents, benches and sound systems for the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Fourth of July parade and other local events.

To fund each year’s entertainment, the Main Street Cowboys rent tents and stages, and sell sponsorships for the benches they put out for the Round-Up parades and Main Street show.

For information on sponsoring a bench, send an email to mainstreetcowboys@gmail.com.

Also, new members are welcome — send an email to the address above to get an application.

Main Street Cowboys Michael Swanson, left, and Alan Berck, wear the organization’s iconic purple and green Western shirts while they help out at the 2023 Main Street SideSaddlers’ Twilight Breakfast at Stillman Park, Pendleton.

Twilight Breakfast benefits community

Donning their signature lavender blouses and white cowboy hats, the Main Street Sidesaddlers are the female counterparts to the Main Street Cowboys. With a focus on hospitality, they serve as ambassadors for Pendleton.

The group’s main fundraiser is the Twilight Breakfast. Calling it the “unofficial official start of Round-Up,” it’s on the Thursday prior to all the festivities.

The 2024 event is Thursday, Sept. 5, 4-7 p.m. at Stillman Park, 411 SE Byers Ave. In addition to a full plate of breakfast fare, the fundraiser features door prizes and live music. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children and free for ages 3 and under.

Each year, the group serves 400 to 600 meals at the Twilight Breakfast.

“We actually ran out of pancake batter,” Laura Boatwright, current vice president/secretary and former president, said of the 2023 event.

She said the group has about 25 members, from age 24 to 92, of which 20 are active in Round-Up activities.

When the group was initially formed in 1959, membership was limited to those married to a Main Street Cowboy. However, by the 1970s, the Sidesaddlers welcomed all local women with a desire to serve.

As September rolls around, the group is extra busy with behind-the-scenes preparation leading up to Pendleton RoundUp week. They offer a helping hand to Veterans of Foreign Wars Let ’er Buck Post No. 922 — cleaning grills and cutting ham. In addition, they spread Western hospitality by making appearances with Round-Up and Happy Canyon royalty for barbecues at area nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

And the Sidesaddlers get around — during Round-Up week, when the Cowboys transform South Main Street into “The Greatest Free Show in the West,” the Sidesaddlers serve in the vendor hospitality room and staff the downtown information booth.

In addition to handing out brochures and answering questions from visitors, they help sell Main Street Cowboys promotional merchandise.

“We are the smiling faces,” Boatwright said.

The Sidesaddlers participate in other activities throughout the year — from March to December, they appear in parades across the region with their signature calliope.

In addition, they are involved with Pendleton’s Hometown Christmas celebration and serving in the coaches/referee hospitality rooms during the Oregon School Activities Association 2A state basketball tournament.

The group has made donations to Clearview Disability Resource Center, Domestic Violence Services, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program and holiday giving trees. Risa Riggen said the Sidesaddlers are in the process of gaining its own nonprofit status to “more thoughtfully give money” back to the community.

The Twilight Breakfast is their main fundraiser for the year, which helps the Sidesaddlers give back to the community.

“If we see a need, we try to fill it,” Boatwright said.

The group grew by five new members this year, said President LaVonne Groshong. Anyone who would like to join the Sidesaddlers can fill out an application.

“We all have fun,” Groshong said. “We laugh a lot, joke a lot, support each other.”

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2023 Children's Rodeo draws largest number of participants

The Thursday of Pendleton Round-Up is a full day of rodeo action.

Between slack in the morning and the rodeo in the afternoon, Pendleton hosts a third set of cowboy and cowgirls: regional children with special needs.

The InterMountain Education Service District and the Pendleton Round-Up Association sponsor the annual Children’s Rodeo, giving children age 5-10 with special needs the opportunity to be cowboys and cowgirls inside the Pendleton Round-Up Grounds.

The 2023 event marked the largest event since the InterMountain ESD began holding the Children’s Rodeo with 62 children participating from school districts in Umatilla, Morrow and Union counties. The children could ride a horse, sit on a longhorn bull, take a trip in a horse-drawn buggy, try out Native American drumming and more.

“I love that the kids are part of this. I love to see her joy, and I feel really proud of her,” Miriam Garcia said of her daughter, Yadhira. “She likes it, and she enjoys coming here. It makes her really happy. I’m very thankful for this opportunity and to see her happy.”

Many parents also were able to accompany their children on the field or watch from the grandstands. Anna Blue brought her daughter, Aeva, a first grader at Athena Elementary School.

“This is a good experience. It helps the people with disabilities get out and do stuff that they won’t get to do normally in their lives,” she said.

In addition to the parents, Children’s Rodeo participants were cheered by an audience of more than 200 other students from schools in Echo, La Grande and North Powder.

The 2023 events were bull riding, cow milking, steer roping, horse riding, buggy rides, drumming, barrel racing, steer wrestling and longhorn steer riding. Each child also received a hat, shirt, rope and bandana to take home, as well as a goody bag of sensory toys and a trophy. Each participant also had a photo taken with a cowboy or cowgirl.

More than 85 volunteers made the event happen in 2023, including multiple rodeo competitors.

The 2024 Children’s Rodeo is at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 12. For details, visit pendletonroundup.com.

Dillon takes a turn on a bull at the 2023 Pendleton Round-Up Arena during the annual Children’s Rodeo.

Jennifer Colton, for the East Oregonian

ATTRACTION XTREME BULLS FINALE

EVENTS

WILD

Monday, Sept. 9 and Tuesday, Sept 10, 2024 • 8 - 10 p.m. Happy Canyon Arena

Professional Bull Riding, the toughest sport on dirt. The rules are simple. Place a wiry 150 pound cowboy on the back of a hulking, snorting temperamental 2,000 pound bull and see if he can ride the beast for an eternal eight seconds…with one hand strapped to the bull’s massive backside. Professional bull riding is a fierce, rough, and grueling sport with roots deeply embedded in American culture. It’s America’s original extreme sport. Xtreme Bulls has evolved into a captivating and adrenaline charged sporting event.

COW MILKING

EVENTS

Closes each day of Pendleton Round-Up competition

Wild Cow Milking at the Pendleton Round-Up is an event that combines humor, chaos, and skill, providing a unique spectacle for the audience. Teams of cowboys and cowgirls attempt to lasso and milk a wild, uncooperative cow within a set time limit, resulting in a flurry of activity and laughter. This event showcases the participants’ roping abilities and quick reflexes as they navigate the unpredictable behavior of the cows. The blend of tradition and lively entertainment makes Wild Cow Milking a crowd favorite, highlighting the grit and determination of those brave enough to take on the challenge.

INDIAN RELAY RACES

3 Men’s Heats per day • Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 11 - 12, 2024

Ladies Race and Chief’s Race • Friday, Sept. 13, 2024

Top 4 Men’s Teams Championship • Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024

The fast-paced Indian Relay Races are one of the central attractions at the Pendleton Round-Up and are one of the rodeo’s most dangerous and unpredictable events.

The Round-Up opens the event to entries and works with the Horse Nations Indian Relay Council, which finds teams to compete.

The race features 12 teams of four and a lead-off rider who attempt to complete three laps around the Round-Up Arena on race horses. After each lap, the rider dismounts the horse and climbs on a new one — bareback.

GOLDEN CIRCLE OF CHAMPIONS

Saturday, September 14, 2024 • 1:15 - 5:30 p.m. • Cost: $20-$36

Pendleton Round-Up Stadium

The Pendleton Round-Up is thrilled to announce a remarkable collaboration with the Golden Circle of Champions. Since 2016, the Golden Circle of Champions has been dedicated to raising awareness and funds for children in need. Their mission is to support families by fulfilling urgent needs such as paying bills, purchasing medicine, and providing essential care.

The Round-Up will honor the Golden Kids during two special performances: Tuesday at the Xtreme Bulls Finale and Saturday at the Round-Up.

Tuesday at the Xtreme Bulls Finale and Saturday at the Pendleton Round-Up Spectators are encouraged to show support by wearing yellow or gold to both of these performances. Learn more at goldencircleofchampions.com

round-up shuttle service

Public Shuttle Service 541-379-5666

Elite Taxi Service 541-276-8294

Let'er Bus (Dial-A-Ride) 541-276-6476 24-hour notice required