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N.B. Kinsmen rodeo kicks off Friday

Apr 26, 2018 | 2:00 PM

The 48th annual Kinsmen Indoor Rodeo will be returning to North Battleford starting Friday evening.

The event runs from April 27 to 29 at the North Battleford Civic Centre. 

The rodeo kicks off Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday from 1:30 p.m., wrapping up at about 4:30 p.m.

Some of the highlights include bull riding, steer wrestling, and the saddle bronc competitions. There are also some events for the kids such as the wild pony rides on Friday and Saturday. 

The rodeo will have a new clown this year hailing from Texas to provide entertainment.

Daphne Findlay and her husband Blaine Fyson, of the Canadian Cowboys Association (CCA), are involved in putting on the rodeo show. They have been contracted to provide the stock for the event.

“We have lots of bronc riders, lots of bareback riders,” Findlay said. “We have nine bull riders a night.”

She said there is a bonus round planned for Sunday – the top championship round with the top six placing participants in each event.

The top performers in each competition will be selected Saturday night.

“By about midnight everybody will know who the top six are coming back,” Findlay said.

She said participants will be coming from Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and B.C. Some competitors are also coming from Australia to take part in the bare-back and bull riding competitions Friday and Saturday nights.

A number of competitors from the Battlefords will also be taking part.

North Battleford area participants Lane LaPlante will be competing in bull riding and Jared Sparrow will be in the steer wrestling timed-event in Saturday night’s competitions.

Many of the prized bulls taking part are winning champions themselves.

“We have some really good stock coming,” Findlay said. “One of our bulls, Snake Eyes, who is out Friday night and then Sunday, has been three times the CCA Bull of the Year. He is going to be there.”  

 

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

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