One of the staple events in Southern Oregon is the annual Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo at the Jackson County Expo, 1 Peninger Road, Central Point. This year’s rodeo runs Thursday through Saturday, May 16-18. The Wild Rogue rodeo is the home of the only 100-point bull ride in rodeo history, and top performers of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association will compete for over $81,000 in prize money. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the rodeo begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20-$25, $5-$10 for parking. For details, call 541-774-8270 or see attheexpo.com/rodeo.

Staff at the Jackson County Expo are gearing up for three nights of bull riding, roping and barrel racing at the Central Point Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo.

Set Thursday to Saturday, May 16-18, spectators will be treated to numerous events, including barrels, bareback racing, broncs, tie-down roping, team roping and bull riding.

Many of the nation’s top cowboys, cowgirls and National Finals Rodeo stock will take part in the rodeo as they look to add to their point totals to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo, the premier rodeo event in America held each year in Las Vegas.

“The Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo is a three-day event, and there will be different riders every night. We sometimes have the top 20 in the world that come here, especially on Thursday,” said Rob Holmbeck, general manager of The Expo.

Thursday, May 16, is Bi-Mart’s Kids night, allowing parents or guardians to purchase general admission tickets and pick up free general admission tickets for kids 12 years of age and under. Friday, May 17, will be a tribute night to first responders, and the final night, Saturday, May 18, is Patriot Night, honoring those who have served in the armed forces.

Doors to the Seven Feathers Event Center at The Expo, 1 Peninger Road, Central Point, open at 6 p.m. all three nights, with the rodeo starting at 7 p.m.

General admission and wheelchair seating tickets cost $20 per person and $25 for reserved seating. Parking at The Expo’s main parking lot is $10 per car, or $5 per car for parking in the north lot.

To purchase tickets and parking passes, visit tickets.attheexpo.com/tickets.

“I just think it’s amazing that people are crazy enough get on a 2,000-pound bull and just the athleticism of the riders. It’s just exciting,” Holmbeck said. “We’ve got world-class animals and world-class riders all in one place.”

The Rogue Valley is also home to one of the most significant achievements in rodeo history after rider Wade Leslie became the only cowboy to achieve a perfect 100-point score — the only perfect score in rodeo history — at the rodeo in Central Point in 1991.

Outside of the bull bucking and barrel racing, a group of vendors will be returning with western wear to check out.

“This year, we’re bringing back the Cowboy Marketplace with a bunch of western wear vendors from around the valley,” Holmbeck said.

This year’s Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo will feature new announcer Kade Rogge and new clown Austin Singley.

For Singley and others in his position, the rodeo clown role entails much more than just keeping the crowd entertained.

“My role is to keep the crowd engaged and be part of the action,” Singley said. “It is a dangerous job, and it’s all fun and games, but not always fun and games. It gets pretty dangerous, and you have to be athletic to do it.”

“I am there as an island of safety for the cowboys,” Singley added, referencing the role of distracting the bulls once a cowboy’s been bucked off to ensure they escape safely.

As an announcer for more than a decade and an avid rodeo participant and spectator since he was a kid, Rogge has always been involved in the sport since growing up in Idaho.

“I really don’t remember a time when I wasn’t involved with the ranching aspect and lifestyle … I really had a spark and passion for roping and horses,” Rogge said. “I still get to be involved with the sport I love, and I’m just a big fan of it all.”

For Rogge, Singley and others, rodeo is something that can be enjoyed by all.

“Rodeo is American heritage on display; it’s high-impact, high-energy entertainment. It doesn’t matter if you’re 6 or 96, rodeo is for everybody,” Singley said.

“When it’s done right, it’s for absolutely everybody; there’s something everybody can enjoy there,” Rogge said.

To learn more about the Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo and other events at The Expo, visit attheexpo.com.