RCAN Ranch Rodeo to be held at PC Fair

The 2020 Phillips County Fair will be hosting the third installment of the Rural Communities & Agricultural Neighbors (RCAN) Ranch Rodeo Scrambler Qualifier in 2020. The event will be the P.C. Fair’s first Grandstand Event and takes place on Thursday, July 30, at 4:30 p.m.

The event gives ranch rodeo teams a chance to qualify for the RCAN Ranch Rodeo Finals and event scheduled for Saturday, January 2, 2021, and Sunday, January 3, 2021, in Malta.

“Our PC Fair is important for our county and its community members,” RCAN President Katie Brown said. “With all the uncertainty in the world, we need something positive.”

According to Brown, RCAN is a group of community members dedicated to tackling the issues facing our rural and agricultural communities.

“Basically we are here for our community far and wide,” Brown said. “We have a very wide spectrum of goals that we would like to accomplish. It is just going to take time.”

This year’s Fair Rodeo will feature local teams as well as teams from around the state. Brown said that the teams that will compete in this rodeo are real cowboys and that the event will be a good show.

“For our RCAN Ranch Rodeo Scrambles, a four-man team will come into the arena and they will have eight minutes to finish all five of their events in one shot,” Brown said. “Then the next team and so forth. Fastest time wins.”

Brown said that typically the RCAN Ranch Rodeos can fit at least 25 teams in an event and finish in roughly three hours. Brown’s favorite event is when the top five teams are brought back for the championship round.

“It is a little different than the main round where all 25 compete, we have three events that need to be done in eight minutes but the events get harder,” Brown said.

According to Brown, the RCAN Rodeo strives to make the rodeos worth the cowboys and cowgirls time with prize money. The events payout at least 75 percent of entries plus other prizes.

Teams that make it to the short go (top 5) will be auctioned in a Calcutta. During the short go, teams will participate in more challenging events which may include wild cow milking and/or wild cow riding.

“Depending on the teams we can pay out over $8,000 worth of cash prizes,” Brown said emphatically. “And of course our local co-op has been extremely helpful and gracious in helping us with our prizes.”

This year’s event will also feature an All-Girls Section, as well as it’s typical co-ed events because there are girls teams that want to compete in a regular setting.

The RCAN Ranch rodeo will accept entries until all slots are filled. To enter call Jolynn at 945-0378 or visit the RCAN - Rural Communities & Agricultural Neighbors Facebook page.