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Bull Bash set for Civic CenterJan 21, 2011 (The Montana Standard - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Butte Civic Center is knee deep in dirt in anticipation of this weekend's Butte Bull Bash. The Elite Professional Bullriders will stage the organization's third appearance in the Mining City, as 70 cowboys will test their mettle against a stockyard full of bulls. Shows are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights. Civic Center manager Bill Melvin said more than 500 yards of good quality Montana rodeo dirt is covering the event floor at the building, which will have a new twist this weekend. The Civic Center's brand-new instant-replay system will get its first exposure during the bash, as cowboys' rides will be played on the arena's big screen over the course of the evening. "Those rides only last eight seconds, so we'll be able to run them again in slow motion," Melvin said. "We're excited to be able to use the system." Butte is the eighth stop on the 32-event schedule, and the first of 2011. Event promoter Bill Fisher said the Bash has bigger names due to the time of year and lack of conflicts with other bull riding events, along with more money than any of the other events to date this season. "The total purse will be more than $13,000," Fisher said. "We'll have some good cowboys coming in for this one." Fisher has been hard at work, running a Cowbiy Calcutta Thursday at the Butte Depot, and also organizing what has been an exciting opening for the event itself. The Butte Bash is sanctioned with Elite Professional Bullriders, a corporation started three years ago that has grown from 12 events its first year to the current 32-event slate. Membership has also grown from 75 riders to more than 150. Stock contractors for the weekend's show include Hofer Bucking Bulls and the Corey and Horst Rodeo Company, both of which consistently provide top rough stock to events such as the Professional Bull Riders Tour and the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The announcer for the event will be Belt cowboy Jeff Marn, a past Montana Pro Rodeo Finals and Northern Rodeo Association champion bullrider. Marn has been announcing bullrides for the last five years at events including PBR, EPB and the Badlands Professional Rodeo. Judges for the bash are two well known cowboys in Scott Breding and Doug Clark. Breding, a former PRCA champion bullrider, was the last cowboy to ever climb aboard the hated Bodacious. Now, the only bull rope Scott pulls is his son Parker's, who has dominated high school rodeo, the NRA, and more recently, the EPB. Parker is not on this weekend's roster, however. Clark comes from a big rodeo family and, like his brother Don, Doug has judged for more than 10 years. Clark is one of the most well known and well respected judges in Elite Professional Bullriders. The bash will also feature barrelman Donnie Landis, a fourth-generation cowboy who started working the barrel with his father nearly 40 years ago. Landis was the NFR barrelman in 1993 and 95, and an alternated in 1997. Since then he has expanded to events all over the west, including PBR, CBR and the EBP, and has worked the Calgary Stampede. Bullfighter Dave Whitmoyer will return after an appearance at the Civic Center last January. Hailing from Helena, Whitmoyer had a successful football career at Carroll College, and will appear alongside Laurel's Beau Hart and Ty Berg of Deer Lodge. Other personnel include judge P.J. Morrison from Spokane, chute boss Mike Lenning from Billings, along with flank man Rich Osborne and timer Toni Osborne out of Columbus. In addition, EPB President Jim Hale of Darby will be running scores during the event. Among the cowboys slated to ride this weekend is a pair from Butte. Levi Cunningham is scheduled to appear Friday night, while Chris Schalk will try his hand Saturday. To see more of The Montana Standard, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mtstandard.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Montana Standard, Butte Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |