‘Best Of The Best’ Professional Rodeo Coming To The Fair
First-ever PRCA event to showcase top riders, family fun, local heritage
It’s been years since Merced has experienced a real, pro-rodeo competition, even though this region has a rodeo heritage that dates back to the 1920s.
Well all that’s changing this year.
The first-ever Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) event is coming to the Grandstand arena of the Merced County Fair on Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13, starting at 7 p.m. each night.
We’re talking elite cowboys and cowgirls competing on a national level in bull riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, tie-down roping, team roping and barrel racing. And not only that. There’s going to be a Downtown Merced community festival blended into the festivities, along with some special surprises to delight people of all ages.
“We figured if we’re going to bring the rodeo back to Merced, we’re going to go big, or we’re going to go home,” said Doug Aue, the president of the Merced Western Heritage Foundation — the local organization that’s supporting and promoting the event.
“With the PRCA, you’re getting the best of the best,” Aue told the Times. “We’ve also teamed up with Flying U Rodeo, one of the biggest stock contractors in the West Coast. And they’re excited about coming to Merced. … They’re bringing all the steel, the bucking shoots; and they’re bringing all the stock. They’re bringing the bucking horses, the roping steers, the calves.”
One of the premier rodeo ranches in the United States, Flying U is headed up by industry standout Reno Rosser, who is also the son of the legendary Cotton Rosser, known as the “King of the Cowboys.” At the local level, the Merced Western Heritage Foundation was formed to preserve rodeo culture and celebrate the spirit of the American West through community events and education.
“We want to show our kids, a new generation, what it used to be like here in Merced back in the 1920s and ’30s when rodeo was huge,” Aue said. “But rodeo is for everybody. You can bring the entire family. And right now, it’s a very, very hot item because of TV shows like Yellowstone.”
Aue said the “Merced Western Days Rodeo” will consist of two high-energy evenings of competitive action during the annual run of the Merced County Fair. Opening night will also feature a special tribute for the 250th anniversary of the U.S.A.
All the adrenaline-pumping events will be included in the competition; however, Aue advised fans to keep an eye out for the women’s breakaway roping events — the fastest-growing category on the circuit.
“It’s the newest, hottest item in rodeo,” Aue remarked. “I mean people are just going crazy over it. … These women are roping calves in less than 2 seconds. It’s amazing.”
While the night belongs to the pros, the rodeo will have a variety of other family-friendly entertainment such as the Mutton Bustin’ competitions involving young competitors, ages 4 to 7, who ride bucking sheep around the arena and try to hang on. They will have some 15 young riders per night of the rodeo.
Another heart-warming highlight of the rodeo will include the “Golden Circle of Champions” on Saturday night — where up to five local children who are fighting pediatric cancer will be honored as champions. They will be outfitted with Western wear from Boot Barn and Resistol, and enjoy a VIP experience. The organization behind the celebration is dedicated to raising vital funds for these children and family members in their time of need.
Aue said the goal for both nights is to sell out the Grandstand which holds about 4,000 people. They’re making the event affordable for families too. If you purchase an advance ticket, it’s only $10, and kids 12 and under are free. Tickets at the gate will go for $15. Normally, Aue said, people will pay anywhere from $30 or higher for a ticket to watch a professional rodeo.
Use this online link for advance ticket sales:
https://mercedwesternheritage.
There is also a link on the Facebook page of the Merced Western Heritage Foundation.’
Downtown Rodeo Kickoff
On June 6, the Saturday before the County Fair starts, Downtown Merced will host a Rodeo Kickoff event in and around Bob Hart Square along Main Street.
“We’re going to have games down there for all the kids,” Aue said. “We’re going to have something called the ‘Running of the Bulls’ for the little ones. We also plan on having some professional ropers teaching the kids how to rope. We want these little kids to experience what the rodeo is about. The Sheriff’s Posse will be down there with their horses. We’re going to have as much as we can down there, but not only for the rodeo and the fair, but also to bring people to the local businesses on Main Street. We want to support those businesses too. Because our goal for our rodeo is to have the community involved in this. We want to bring our heritage back to Merced, and we want to include everybody.”
Merced Mayor Matt Serratto is on board with the effort, as well as Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke, who plans on bringing back some of the fun from the old Mercy Gulch Days that were once celebrated in Downtown Merced. Don’t be surprised to see some scenes from the Old West play out during the festival.
In this 1969 NFR picture of team roping, most of the men are from Merced County or surrounding counties.
Local ropers George Rocha and his brother Tony Rocha compete in a rodeo competition.
The legendary Cotton Rosser when he performed in the 1940s and ’50s before he became ‘The King of the Cowboys’ and leader of the Flying U Rodeo. The Flying U Rodeo has been in the rodeo business since 1956, and this is their 70th year. Merced County will have the privilege of experiencing this ‘Rodeo Dynasty Family’ that dominates professional rodeos during the Merced County Fair.
‘Oscar’ was a legendary American bucking bull, renowned as one of the toughest in PRCA history. In over 300 attempts, only eight cowboys made qualified 8-second rides. A small, 1,300-pound animal known for a violent left spin, Oscar was an inaugural 1979 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee and featured in the film The Great American Cowboy.