The Molalla Buckeroo Rodeo is an annual rodeo

Rodeo

Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...

 in Molalla, Oregon

Molalla, Oregon

Molalla is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 5,647 at the 2000 census.-History:Molalla was named after the Molalla River, which in turn was named for the Molala, a Native American tribe that inhabited the area. William H. Vaughan took up a donation land claim in...

, United States. It is held on Independence Day

Independence Day (United States)

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...

, July 4.

History

The Molalla Buckeroo has been held annually since September 1913, when the railroad came to town. During the early years, the local fireman sponsored the rodeo as an equipment fundraiser. In 1923, the Molalla Buckeroo Association was formed and took over the operation of the Rodeo.

Mission

1. Support community charitable programs, organizations, and causes
2. Support and promote a family oriented community event
3. Preserve the oldest form of American Heritage, the rodeo
4. Promote tourism and development in Clackamas County
   Clackamas County, Oregon
   Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...
   
   

Organization

Currently the Molalla Buckeroo Rodeo Association, a nonprofit corporation, has over 60 active members who are all volunteers. These volunteers provide the management, production, and labor to ensure the continued success of the annual Buckeroo event, as well as helping with other events throughout the year. The Molalla Buckeroo Association is a major part of the Molalla community.

The main structure of the Molalla Buckeroo Association is made up of a Board of Directors. The Board of Directors, under the association's bylaws allow up to 50 directors. There is also Honorary members, who have been elected to Honoary status by the Board of Directors. Honorary members are previous regular directors that can still be active or inactive in the Association. Like Directors, Honorary Directors can vote on decisions made by the Board of Directors. Associate Members are members
who have been accepted into the association by the Executive Committee. after at least 1 year, an associate member can be voted into the Association as a Director by the Board of Directors when positions open up.

The Buckeroo has a seven-member executive committee that is responsible for managing the extensive and varied committee structure of this organization. The Executive committee members are elected to the committee by the Board of Directors.

As a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is an organization whose members compete in rodeos throughout North America, primarily in the United States. The PRCA sanctions rodeo venues and events through the PRCA Circuit System. Its championship event is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo...

 (PRCA), the Molalla Buckeroo Association puts on one of the largest rodeos in the Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...

 and of the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 Circuit of the PRCA. The Molalla Buckeroo was named Columbia River Circuit Rodeo of the Year in 2005.

In addition to the annual PRCA rodeo, the Molalla Buckeroo Association also hosts several Willamette Valley

Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...

 Junior Rodeo Association events, BRN 4D Barrel racing

Barrel racing

Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a clover-leaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Though both boys and girls compete at the youth level and men compete in some amateur venues, in collegiate and professional ranks, it is primarily a rodeo...

, and the annual Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Ross Coleman Invitational/Make-a-Wish Foundation

Make-A-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...

 event.

Events

There are seven events that are held at the Molalla Buckeroo Rodeo:

• Bareback riding
  Saddle bronc and bareback riding
  Bronc riding, either saddle bronc or bareback bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding on a horse , that attempts to throw or buck off the rider...
  
  
• Calf roping
  Calf roping
  Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount from the horse, run to the calf, and restrain it by...
  
  
• Steer wrestling
  Steer wrestling
  Steer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by twisting its horns. Like all rodeo events, there are concerns from the animal rights community that the competition...
  
  
• Saddle bronc riding
  Saddle bronc and bareback riding
  Bronc riding, either saddle bronc or bareback bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding on a horse , that attempts to throw or buck off the rider...
  
  
• Team roping
  Team roping
  Team roping also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a steer and two mounted riders. The first roper is referred to as the "header," the person who ropes the front of the steer, usually around the horns, but it is also legal for the rope to go around the neck, or go around...
  
  
• Barrel racing
  Barrel racing
  Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a clover-leaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Though both boys and girls compete at the youth level and men compete in some amateur venues, in collegiate and professional ranks, it is primarily a rodeo...
  
  
• Bull riding
  Bull riding
  Bull riding refers to rodeo sports that involve a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal attempts to buck off the rider....
  
  

External links

• Molalla Buckeroo (official website)