Bull riding, barrel racing aplenty at upcoming Columbia County Fair and Rodeo

Team roping, barrel racing and bull riding are huge events at rodeos, and starting Friday, July 19, the Northwest Pro Rodeo Association annual rodeo takes place at the Columbia County Fair and Rodeo in St. Helens.

This year, the rodeo will take place Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20, both days starting at 6 p.m. in the rodeo arena. The Junior Rodeo takes place Thursday, July 18, also at 6 p.m.

Mark Sandstrom, president of the rodeo committee, said the main rodeo includes participants from throughout Oregon.

“They’ll come from all over,” Sandstrom said. “We co-sanction with Idaho, so they can come from the Idaho side … Some people step down from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association side and come to NPRA when they start to slow down and try to semi-retire from trying to make the big show.”

For those not familiar with rodeo, Sandstrom said there is much to enjoy.

“Our rodeo gets a lot of draw from the public,” he said. “Usually, it’s just standing room only. The seats are all taken Friday and Saturday night … It’s usually a sellout crowd every time we’ve had one, since I have been involved with it for over 20 years.”

Sandstrom did admit that more seating is needed for the rodeo. “Seating is hard to get.”

As an example of its popularity, the NPRA named the Columbia County rodeo as Best Fair Rodeo in 2023.

Under the system at the St. Helens fair, different riders will appear each night.

“Half the cowboys will ride on Friday, another half will be on Saturday,” he said, noting that some of the cowboys come from across the Pacific Northwest. “We get Idaho, California, Washington, a lot of Washington.”

At the Junior Rodeo, to be held Thursday, July 18, youngsters are involved in events such as steer riding and calf riding, with older kids taking part in bull riding.

Sandstrom noted that children can get an early start with rodeo events.

“Oh yes, we’ve had a lot of kids who have moved on from mutton busting and just keep going to barrel racing, a little bit of roping,” he said. “A lot of them will do the junior rodeo circuit.”

For those not familiar, mutton busting is where youngsters ride sheep.

Speaking of the rodeo experience, Sandstrom said, “It’s the biggest draw to our county fair. Most people come to the fair just to come to the rodeo part.”

For more information on the Columbia County Fair and Rodeo, visit www.columbiacountyfairgrounds.com .