Unique equipment rodeo all set to entertain on Sept. 12

Get ready to dig in: the first-ever No-Bull Equipment Rodeo arrives on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Coarsegold Rodeo Grounds with heavy equipment operators competing in precision challenges.

The No-Bull Equipment Rodeo is a one-of-a-kind community event where skilled operators engage heavy equipment like skid steers, excavators and backhoes in a show of control, accuracy and skill.

It’s a fundraiser for the nonprofit Perspectives Project founded by longtime area resident and current Yosemite Unified School District trustee, Jennifer Rogers.

The family-friendly equipment rodeo combines “precision, power, community and purpose.”

“The No-Bull Equipment Rodeo brings together local operators, businesses and families for a day that blends competition, entertainment and community,” said founder Jennifer Rogers.

The event was envisioned and created in partnership with H&H Works, the father and son demolition and excavation team of Keith Horton and Matthew Horton, Rogers’ husband and son.

The lineup of competitors is impressive already with just two spots to fill in the Open Division.

Open Division competition in Excavator Tire Tennis, Excavator Hole in One, Backhoe Basketball, Backhoe Manipulation and Skid Loader Obstacle Course so far includes 10 strong contenders with room for a couple more.

These five events will feature Dominick Aguilar, Joseph Armstrong, Cameron Cardoza, John Danenhauer, Paul Dixon, William Gerberding, Scott Lawson, Radley Roybal, William Thompson and Justin Wilson, all competing for the buckle.

Set to challenge in the Novice Division are Billy Adams with events including Excavator Tire Tennis, Excavator Hole in One, Backhoe Basketball, Backhoe Manipulation and Skid Loader Obstacle Course and Ernest Walker with Excavator Hole in One, Backhoe Manipulation and Skid Loader Obstacle Course.

Participants pay to complete in the equipment rodeo fundraiser for the Perspectives Project, an organization focused largely on uplifting youth who are navigating adversity.

Beyond the main event of the equipment rodeo organizers plan to host some of the area’s favorite food vendors, local merchants, a Kids Zone staffed and organized by MY Club and a mechanical bull, all in a welcoming atmosphere that makes it just as fun to watch as it will be to compete.

Community advocate and former county supervisor Tom Wheeler is rodeo Grand Marshal.

“He really stepped up to help make this happen,” Rogers said of Wheeler, who himself knows his way around a backhoe and more. “He’s done so much in the community, he cares deeply for the people here and it shows in everything he does. And he’s so excited about this!”

The exclusively John Deere equipment at the rodeo will be loaned by Pape’ Machinery in Fowler and H&H. Each competitor will be spotlighted and the custom belt is up for grabs along with serious bragging rights.

“It’s a fun way to prove you’re king or queen of the mountain and can run that piece of equipment as well as anybody else,” Rogers said.

Rodeo clowns will entertain and a professional traditional rodeo announcer will narrate the competition. The Fresno band Jaded will perform rock, pop and Top 40 from the 1960s to now.

Pre-purchased tickets to attend are recommended and the cost for spectators is set at $20 for tickets purchased in advance. Kids enter the family friendly event for $5 and those under three get in free.

“This includes a whole day of festival fun: you get to watch the competition, dine at the food trucks, enjoy a beer garden and see a live band at night.”

It’s worth mentioning again: the equipment rodeo supports a great cause, too. It’s not just about shifting dirt, it’s about shifting perspectives.

The Perspectives Project

The idea for the equipment rodeo came about because Rogers was focused on organizing a fundraiser for the Perspectives Project (www.theperspectivesproject.org/).

“Through transformative programs offered to young people facing serious challenges, marginalized and overlooked communities and justive-involved individuals, participants begin to see themselves and their lives with a fresh perspective and new possibility,” the website reads.

“We create spaces where people rediscover something powerful within themselves — their resilience, their wisdom and their capacity for change.”

A unique nonprofit organization deserves a unique fundraiser.

“I wanted to create something the whole community could get behind and I was looking for something fun we could do here where kids and adults could get involved — something that could grow with time and draw people from all over,” Rogers shared.

Her husband Keith Horton has been in excavation since he was a kid.

“We thought, ‘what if we take the fun of a little heavy equipment competition and mix it with a festival that everybody could enjoy?’ Keith knows the work and he has the precision and skill to create these games that are going to show off the operators — the people who literally built the foundations of our entire community. And everyone we tell about it, their eyes light up.”

Rogers said hundreds are expected to attend this inaugural event. Support and sponsorship for the No-Bull Equipment Rodeo has been great.

The rodeo is presented by sponsors including California Fire Safe Council of Eastern Madera County, Pape’ Machinery, Coarsegold Rodeo Grounds, Harris Equipment Company and McCaffrey Homes. Loader Level sponsors include Sierra Sky Ranch, Sierra News Online, Tom Bohna Ranch, Inc. and The Lodge at Two Moons. For a full list of sponsors visit the website.

For more information, tickets and registration visit www.no-bullrodeo.com/ and socials.