It’s Pendleton Round-Up Time Once Again in Eastern Oregon — Sport Oregon Voices

Photo: Travel Pendleton

Iconic Northwest event marks its 113th edition this year

When it comes to major events in the Northwest, it simply doesn’t get much more iconic than the Pendleton Round-Up.

Steeped in more than a century’s worth of history, this year’s Pendleton Round-Up marks its 113th edition when it “lets ’er buck” once again. As always, the weeklong community celebration, which runs Saturday, Sept. 9 through Saturday, Sept. 16, is once again jam-packed with a host of wide-ranging events, including this Saturday’s traditional Dress-Up Parade on the streets of Pendleton and the Kick-Off Concert, which this year features co-headlining performances by Craig Morgan and Clint Black at Happy Canyon Arena. 

Annually based at the Pendleton Round-Up Stadium during the second full week of September, the major rodeo has been held since 1910 and is a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame (inducted in 2008). The timing of the Round-Up is no coincidence, either, as it is scheduled to accommodate the routine of area farmers and the traditional harvest season.

While rodeo is at the core of the Round-Up, it’s really much more. The event has inspired year-round community, private business and non-profit involvement, rallied around the area’s rich Western heritage, its diverse cultures and its spirit of partnership, friendship and work ethic. The Pendleton Round-Up was born out of a desire to bring the community together, and it’s done so to ever-increasing appeal ever since.    

Organizers estimate that 60,000-80,000 event-attendees will flock to Pendleton over the course of Round-Up week to take in all or some of the varied festivities. The humble town of approximately 17,000 residents adeptly stretches its limits each year to enthusiastically accommodate RVs, campers, tents and the like, which routinely dot the landscape of area sports fields and driveways throughout town during Round-Up week.

Further, officials estimate the annual event generates economic impact in the “tens of millions” of dollars, with that impact stretching to neighboring communities like Hermiston, Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities, and pretty much everywhere in between. The community-wide event undoubtedly propels the local economy like no other, providing a significant boost to local restaurants, retailers, hotels, and the many mom-and-pop businesses that welcome people from all over the country and the world to their quaint Eastern Oregon town each year. Each year the Round-Up relies on upwards of 1,5000 volunteers that help curate and execute an array of year-round events and programming in support of the Round-Up.

The Round-Up rodeo events include bull riding, breakaway roping, team roping, barrel racing, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, Indian relay racing, steer wrestling, steer roping and various timed slack events. Once the rodeoing begins, organizers encourage fans to be in their seats well before the standard 1:15 p.m. start time each day. Other events include a hall of fame banquet, a memorial golf tournament, VFW outdoor cowboy breakfasts, tribal ceremonial dancing and pageants, beauty contests, a children’s rodeo, live music shows at Goldie’s Bar at the Canyon and the traditional Westward Ho! Parade through downtown Pendleton on Friday, Sept. 15. The slate of events even includes wild-cow milking.

As one of the biggest rodeos in the PRCA, the Pendleton Round-Up is widely recognized as a top rodeo in the country. To date, it has been chosen as the Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year nine times by the organization.

There’s sure to be fun in store for all the cowboys and cowgirls out there, and for all the wanna-be cowboys and cowgirls.

To learn more about this year’s Pendleton Round-Up, we have listed a number of helpful links below:
Tickets
Schedule of Events
General Information
Main Website