POCATELLO — The heartbeat of the Wild West is drawing fresh blood back to the Gate City when the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association returns this Friday.
It has been a decade since a PRCA rodeo event in Pocatello, and this weekend will mark the first time the Gate City has hosted a PRCA regular-season event.
The inaugural Bannock County PRCA Rodeo kicks off Friday, May 22, and continues into Saturday, May 23, at the Bannock County Events Complex on Fairground Drive.
Pocatello previously hosted the National Circuit Finals Rodeo for more than two decades before the event departed in 2010. Organizers attempted a short-lived PRCA rodeo in 2012 with a Wrangler Million Dollar Silver Tour.
Now, professional rodeo returns to the Portneuf Valley with steady boots, a furrowed brow and a loop of rope ready to fly.
Cowfolk of all ages are invited to dust off their boots, don their favorite hats, latch on their spurs and experience two full days of top-tier rodeo action.
Attendees will see bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding. Patrons will also enjoy food vendors, family-friendly entertainment including shops, and activities for all ages.
Gold level sponsors of the event will be treated to special arena access and a VIP catering experience provided by local restaurants Texas Roadhouse and Jeri’s Jumbos Cafe.
Utah and Nevada-based production company Big Bucks ProRodeo, in conjunction with Bannock County, will bring top athletes to compete for saddle-scarred glory in the dust-coated event center battlegrounds.
Big Bucks ProRodeo’s bucking stock traces its lineage back more than 75 years to the first National Finals Rodeo in 1959, descending from the legendary Kerby and Mosbrucker bloodlines — two of the most respected names in professional rodeo.
But bucking broncos and big buckles are only part of the show.
Evening entertainment will also feature the Stellar Trick Riding Cowgirls performing both nights. Sisters Kate and Tera Flitton perform at approximately 20 rodeos a year, combining Roman riding, trick roping, extreme whip cracking and side-mount galloping. The pair previously performed at South Point in Las Vegas during the 2024 National Finals Ladies Breakaway Roping.
The rodeo will also feature notable competing livestock, including saddle bronc mare 701 Freckles, a five-time Wrangler National Finals competitor.
Rounding out the lineup is rodeo entertainer Dustin “The Jester” Jenkins, who will bring his comedic flair to the fairgrounds. Bullfighters Mason Sheldon and Lelo Garcia will provide protection for cowboys throughout the competition.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children, with advance purchases available at bannockcountyprcarodeo.com. Children 12 and under are admitted free with one paid adult ticket on Friday’s Family Night.
Gates open at 6 p.m. Friday with performances beginning at 7 p.m.
Saturday’s gates open at 1 p.m. with performances beginning at 2 p.m. An Indian relay race will follow.
Big Bucks ProRodeo has expressed its intention to grow the Bannock County PRCA Rodeo annually, pledging to work with Bannock County to upgrade facilities at the Events Complex.
For a city that once sat at the edge of the frontier, shaped by generations of those who came before, the professional rodeo’s return marks a meaningful revival of a tradition the Gate City holds close to its heart.