Pickett Invitational Rodeo

Pickett (Bill) Invitational Rodeo

Various weekends from February through NovemberThe Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, in operation since 1984, is a series of rodeo competitions in the United States that features the nation's only touring black rodeo. The event is named in honor of Bill Pickett (1870-1932), the first African American selected to the Rodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Okla.
The tour begins in February in Memphis, Tenn., and draws more than 100,000 annually. During the regular season, cowboys and cowgirls compete in weekend events in cities throughout the country. Events include bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding, calf roping, steer undecorating, and bulldogging. Bulldogging, also known as steer wrestling, is an event created by the rodeo's namesake, who performed in the famous 101 Ranch Wild West Show with "Buffalo Bill" Cody, Will Rogers, and Tom Mix. A timed event, it features a cowboy on horseback racing a 600- to 700-pound bull, grabbing onto its horns, jumping out of his saddle, and wrestling the bull to the ground—all within a few seconds.
The top 10 finishers in each event at the end of the season in September are invited to compete in the championship rodeo held in November in Las Vegas, Nev. The championship festivities include a number of social and sporting events, with a formal reception for the participants and a golf tournament.
CONTACTS:
Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo
P.O. Box 39163
Denver, CO 80239-1163
303-373-1246; fax: 303-373-2747
www.billpickettrodeo.com
SOURCES:
AAH-2007, p. 54