Fair arena roars with rodeo action

The arena at the fairgrounds was roaring Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights with various events in the rodeo.

On Saturday, Felix Santana from Utah started the show on his Friesian stallion Zorro carrying the American flag for the national anthem. Santana and Zorro performed several moves to the audience's delight. Later Santana returned to the arena to show his Andilusian stallion dancing around the arena.

Bareback riders were few. They kicked up their heels for a show. Trevar McAllister from Ronan was one of the three riders. Tristen Hansen was another Montana rider from Dillon. Steer wrestling had all Montana participants, as did the mutton bustin' group of young participants. Team roping and bronc riding flew by. Kain Stroh from Glendive had a rough ride on Miss Valley who wanted to steal the show. Sage Newman from Melstone, Montana, won the event with a high score of 84 points.

Tie down roping had its own challenges for the cowboys wanting to be in the money. James Ramirez from Churchill, Montana, had a calf that couldn't be released. His dutiful horse held strong causing Ramirez to lose his points.

Barrel racing had seven participants. The high score was 17.15 from a Texas rider. Heather Crowley from Poplar had the second best with a 17.40 score. The last horse had a spill around the second barrel, leaving Valee Miller from Billings in the dust.

The bulls ended the night with three underwhelmed participants. The cowboys were ready to ride but the bulls didn't buck. Payton Fitzpatrick from Polson managed to get a score of 85.50 out of his bull.