Rodeo time in Chinook

Every summer, there are two big pro rodeos which come to the Hi-Line. And while the Great Northern Stampede is still a month away, the first big rodeo hits Chinook this weekend.

The annual Bear Paw Roundup PRCA Rodeo will take place tonight and Saturday at the Blaine County Fairgrounds. The event is one of the most popular on the Montana PRCA Circuit because of its big paydays and it’s challenging rough stock.

This year’s rodeo is the 15th annual Bear paw Roundup, and record crowds are expected over the weekend. The 2012 Bear Paw Roundup set attendance records, and rodeo committee president Justin Simonson is expecting more of the same over the next two nights.

The annual PRCA event will feature some of the top professional cowboys and cowgirls from around Montana, as well as neighboring states, and it should be a very competitive rodeo, with at least 10 or more entrants in each event during each performance.

Fans will also be treated to Bull Poker, which will take place tonight, as people will sit around a table in the arena and a bull will be let loose. The last person to leave the table wins.

Both tonight and Saturday night’s performances of the 15th annual Bear Paw Roundup will begin at 7 p.m. There is also slack set for 9 a.m. Saturday morning. All of the PRCA action takes place at the Blaine County Fairgrounds in Chinook.