Red Bluff Round-Up

 

The Red Bluff Round-Up is returning for its 101st. year. It will be held during the third week in April and lasts three days from Friday the 21 to Sunday the 23. The Round-Up includes a live music performance, the wild ride, and of course the rodeo itself. The Round-Up has a lot of important history surrounding not just the rodeo but the contestants and the livestock that have competed there.

 

The Red Bluff Round-Up was actually not the first rodeo in Tehama County. The first was in 1918 at the A.H. Clough Ranch in Los Molinos. It took place after the spring “round-up” of their herds. People traveled from near and far to watch true cattlemen rope, bull-dog, ride saddle broncs, and take on wild steers. The next spring the Northern California Round-Up Association held its first rodeo in Deer Creek. It was so successful that they decided to form the Red Bluff Round-Up association. The Round-Up today is known as the largest three day rodeo in the country. A huge milestone for the Red Bluff Round-Up was hosting our 100th anniversary in 2021. .This is amazing and rare because less than 25 of the 650 rodeos in the country have been around long enough to do this.

 

The Round-Up has had many famous cowboys and cowgirls, livestock, and country music singers attend this great rodeo. Lane Frost rode Red Rock, Spencer Wright, Tuf Cooper, and Chris LeDoux are just some of these people.

 

The Round-Up also has a huge impact on our local economy. More than seven million dollars are brought to Tehama Country as hotels and restaurants fill up with people from all over the world. They come to watch the top cowgirls and cowboys that compete for the Red Bluff Round-Up Title. 

 

Lloyd Faria, the livestock director for the Round-Up, has been involved for 30 years. He started out by picking up bucking horses and four years ago became a champion for the rodeo. He thinks,” The rodeo is the best that it has ever been”. He says that this is due to the fact that they have some amazing stock contractors, sponsors, and volunteers. The stock is provided by 6 contractors, two of which only bring horses, (Calgary stampede and C5 Rodeo) and the other four bring both horses and bulls (Flying U Rodeo, Bridwell Pro Rodeos, Four-Star Rodeo, and Powder River). This many contractors allows for the stock to all be at the same performance level for the competitors. The sponsors donate and provide plenty of things like water trucks, welders, tractors,and people for the rodeo to use. Lloyd explained how the rodeo could not go on or be this great without the volunteers. In his department he has 40 volunteers that help  with the out gates, stripping shoots, loading, etc. One thing that I learned is that the flag girls are all volunteers. He called the volunteers “loyal, special, people”  that put on this “rain or shine deal”. 

 

Tickets will cost 28$ – 40$ but children 4 and under are free.