Full-scale rodeo taking place in Millersburg this weekend
Rodeo on the Ridge is set to take place Oct. 28-29 at the Hardwood Furniture Guild Expo Center in Millersburg.
A rodeo unlike anything Holmes County has seen in quite some time is coming to Millersburg this weekend.
Rodeo on the Ridge, presented by Harvest Ridge and Buckeye Rodeo Company, is set to take place Friday and Saturday at the Hardwood Furniture Guild Expo Center.
“We’re bringing you a full eight-event rodeo,” said BRC owner CE Taft, whose company is based out of nearby Nashville. “There will be top-notch talent. It’s the first time we’re going to be in this indoor building. I expect a high-energy crowd. I think it’s going to be a really good time.
“The livestock and the competitors will both be kind of geeked up for that, and it should make for a really good show.”
Buckeye Rodeo Company has supplied livestock for one of the two rodeo nights at the Holmes County Fair for several years. The shows are limited, though, since they take place during the fair.
Taft said a standalone rodeo event that brings in top-level talent from all over the United States, like what’s taking place Oct. 28-29, is a little bit more special.
Rodeo on the Ridge is sanctioned by the International Professional Rodeo Association, which is the second-largest rodeo association in the United States. Seven standard events — bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, team roping, steer wrestling and barrel racing — will take place. Ladies breakaway roping, which has grown in popularity in recent years, will be offered as an optional event.
Taft said this rodeo will be one of the final bigger rodeos before the International Finals Rodeo takes place in January. Some contestants will be trying to earn points toward going to the finals while others will be looking to solidify their spots to win a championship at the finals.
“I’m expecting contestants from all over the country, from as far away as maybe Missouri or Oklahoma, the Carolinas, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois (and) Pennsylvania,” Taft said. “We’ll draw a pretty good group of contestants. We also as a rodeo company have a pretty strong following. They know when they come to our rodeos, it’s some of the best stock in the country, and if they show up and do their job, they have a chance to win.
“I think we’ll have several former world champions and probably several that are definitely in contention for championships this year entered in this rodeo. I know the cowboys that are sitting first and second in the all-around competition for the IPRA are planning on attending.”
Taft’s company has put on rodeos in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia for nearly 40 years. According to Taft, getting to do a full-scale rodeo so close to home is extra special.
“This is as close to a hometown rodeo as you can get for us, so it’s nice to come in and work with the folks around home here,” he said. “It also gives me a chance for people that I know who don’t always get to travel to some of our events that are further away … (to come and see our livestock) perform. They don’t always get to do that because a lot of our events are a little bit further away.
“This will give them a chance to come in there and check them out.”
Tara Sheldon, secretary of the Holmes County Agricultural Society, expects both nights to have big crowds. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased for $20 online at www. harvestridgeohio.com. If tickets don’t sell out before each night, they will be available at the door for $25.
“It’s a good show,” Sheldon said. “You’re going to get a few hours for a reasonable price. I think some people look at things as being pricey, but when you look at sporting events and concerts and things like that, this is a very reasonable price to bring a family out and get a whole evening of entertainment.
“With rodeos, it’s not just the riders. There’s going to be an entertainment piece, too, with the rodeo clowns. It’s going to be a nice evening. There will be food, of course.”
An indoor rodeo of this quality has been in the works for several years.
“The rodeo is always a popular thing,” Sheldon said. “Of course, we hold two during the fair. Our community seems to really enjoy it, and it’s nice to bring people from the outside in, but we always want to make sure that we’re doing things that keep our community involved.
“With that being such a good pull during the fair, we wanted to try it another time of the year.”