The 2012 Great Northern Fair officially opened this afternoon. The food, the rides, the exhibits, it’s all underway now.

    But tonight, inside the grand old arena at the Great Northern Fairgrounds, the sporting action gets going. And it’s the local youths who will kick things off as the annual Havre Junior R

Austin Swanson navigates his horse through the flag racing competition at the 2011 Havre Junior Rodeo during last July's Great Northern Fair. The 2012 Havre Junior Rodeo kicks off five straight nights of sporting events at the fair. The junior rodeo gets under way tonight at 5 at the Great Northern Fairgrounds arena.

    The junior rodeo always marks the beginning of the nightly entertainment at the fair and the 2012 junior rodeo will certainly be fun for local rodeo fans. Cowboys and cowgirls from Havre, Chinook, Big Sandy, Rocky Boy, Harlem, Hays, Fort Belknap, Kremlin, Gildford, Rudyard, Hingham and even Chester should be in action. Several competitors from Great Falls and Fort Benton are also slated to be in action tonight.

    The rodeo features most events, including the traditional rough stock events, as well as barrel racing and pole bending. There will also be team roping, calf roping and tie-down roping. For the younger cowboys and cowgirls, there will also be sheep riding, flag racing and goat tying.

    The junior rodeo is always a crowd favorite at the fair, and with so many local youths competing in the arena tonight, it’s an even that shouldn’t be missed.

    Tonight’s Havre Junior Rodeo begins at 5 and will run all evening. The junior rodeo precedes two nights of NRA pro rodeo action. The NRA’s Great Northern Stampede runs Thursday and Friday night.