Rodeo Time: Bear Paw Roundup on tap

It’s rodeo time in Montana. And for fans, as well as many cowboys and cowgirls from all over the state, it doesn’t get any better than this weekend in Chinook.

The annual Bear Paw Roundup PRCA Rodeo returns to the Chinook Fairgrounds tonight, with the first performance starting at 7. There is also slack on Saturday morning and another performance Saturday night at 7 p.m.

The Bear Paw Roundup is one of the biggest payouts on the Montana PRCA summer circuit, and this year’s extravaganza will feature plenty of excitement. The summer rodeo season kicked off in Belt last weekend, and many of the top hands from that rodeo, including Dustin Bird and Parker Breding, will likely be on hand this weekend in Chinook.

But the Chinook rodeo doesn’t just offer a big payout, and a chance to grab an early leg up in the Montana PRCA standings, it also features plenty for the fans to see as well. The rodeo will offer the “Ring of Fire” in which contestants stand inside a drawn circle in the arena, with a bull released from the shoot. The objective is to stay inside the circle for as long as possible, and the last man standing wins. There’s also several other exciting shows during the rodeo itself.

The annual Bear Paw Roundup PRCA Rodeo starts tonight at 7 in Chinook. Saturday night’s performance will also be at 7 p.m.