Marion Rodeo draws crowd to Perry County, photo gallery

The 27^th Annual Marion Rodeo was held June 17 and 18, and the promoters are pleased with how many people turned out to watch the cowboys and cowgirls. 

The rodeo opened with the always-popular mutton busting. These kids are training for bigger things in their rodeo future, but for now they entertained the crowd by riding sheep. Another really popular event was the little wranglers event, a Mardi Gras-style parade where kids threw beads to the crowd from the back of a pickup truck.  

Marion Rodeo is a fundraiser for the Perry County Fire Association, which includes 14 fire stations around Perry County. The opening ceremony featured a rescue squad carrying Old Glory, and two of the ladies who later rode in the rodeo carrying the colors. A special treat for the opening was a fly-by by the Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter.

There were plenty of events for the kids. The most popular was the Gold Rush that had kids dive into a pile of hay to uncover hidden treasure. 

Promoter Jennifer Hoggle said she was really pleased at the number of people who came. “The riders come from all over, and the fans do to,” Hoggle said. She said the rodeo is the largest tourist attraction. “I don’t know any dollar amounts, but these people come from all over and eat in our restaurants and buy snacks and gas here in town,” Hoggle said. “This event effects businesses all over the county.”

The Marion Rodeo is co-sanctioned by The Professional Cowboys Association and the International Professional Rodeo Association, which means that cowboys that competed this weekend earned points to go to the PCA finals and the IPRA finals.