This Saturday, the fearless rough riders and high-stepping horses of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR) will showcase their skills at the Agricenter Showplace Arena. Showtimes are 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. The arena is located at 105 South Germantown Parkway, between Walnut Grove and Wolf River Blvd.
Now in its 40th year, the Bill Pickett Rodeo was started in 1984 to educate the community about Black Cowboys and their influence on the American West.
“Historically, one out of every four cowboys was Black,” says Valeria Cunningham, BPIR president and owner. “However, this fact often remains overlooked in textbooks and media.”
Show highlights include bareback riding, bull riding, bull dogging, calf roping and more. Other events feature junior and ladies breakaway roping, barrel racing and ladies steer undecorating.
Women and children are featured in breakaway roping and barrel racing activities. Women also show off their riding and roping skills by chasing a steer, decorated with a ribbon that she must retrieve.
Born 153 years ago on December 5, 1870, Bill Pickett was a performer, an actor and the Black cowboy who invented the sport of cattle wrestling (also known as bulldogging). His online biography said that he achieved success even though most rodeos banned Black rodeo performers.
Cowboy Marcus Verser, who says “I’ve been rodeoing all my life,” is expected to be among the competitors on April 13th at the Agricenter.
https://billpicketinvitationalrodeo.ticketspice.com/2024-memphis-tn-tickets or by calling 901-378-7470.
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