Bear Paw Roundup Rodeo wins state award for 2023 show

Last year’s Bear Paw Roundup Rodeo won the 2023 Small Rodeo of the Year Award from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Montana Circuit, winning the award for the first time for its 25th annual rodeo.

Bear Paw Roundup Rodeo Committee Director Clinton Hansen said the award typically goes to one of a handful of rodeos in the state, chosen by a vote from rodeo contestants, and he’s happy that they were able to break into the running on the show’s 25th anniversary.

“We’re really excited about it,” Hansen said. “... We must be doing something right.”

He credited the award to a few changes they made last year that he thinks really made it a better event, one that drew their largest crowd ever, as well as a lot of quality contestants.

He said they hired J Bar J Pro Rodeo, an award-winning stock contractor out of Circle to help produce the rodeo, which really raised the bar for the event, but they were also able to more than double the winner’s purse that year as well.

Hansen said travel is becoming more expensive and Chinook is a bit remote so they raised the winner’s purse to try to attract more contestants, and it seemed to work.

He said they had some of the best saddle bronc riders in the world take to the ring in that rodeo and it made for an excellent show.

He said they were able to raise the purse this year, in part, due to an increase in local sponsorships and he wanted to thank the community for their support, which not only made the difference for this award, but is the only reason they can keep doing the rodeo at all.

“We are so grateful for the community stepping up, like they always do,” he said.

Hansen said the dates for this year’s rodeo have already been set, for Aug. 8-9, and they’ve already signed some award-winning specialty acts and entertainment, hoping to surpass last year’s rodeo.

“We look forward to having even more contestants and a great turnout this year,” he said.