Some of the top professional cowboys and cowgirls will be competing today, Friday and Saturday, June 14-16), at the 71st annual Ute Mountain Roundup Rodeo at the American Legion Post 75 Arena.

Grand entry is 8 p.m. all three days.

Some top pro cowboys and cowgirls from around throughout the Southwest and West will be converging on Cortez. A few Four Corners area entries are also among those.

There are 23 entries in the bareback competition. Chris Washington from Towaoc will be one to watch Friday night. Cody Fox of Chivington, Colo., is a former Ute Mountain High School Rodeo Team member.

A total of 34 cowboys are entered in the saddle bronc event. Wes Hertzog of Craig is a former world champion and longtime rider. He rides tonight.

The largest field is for the bull riding competition. Ryan Greenlee of Cortez drew Jethro for tonight’s show. Jake Suckla of Slickrock and former Ute Mountain High School Rodeo Team competitor will compete Friday night on Firestone. Charley Blackmer of Dolores will be on Showering Embers on Saturday.

Calf roping has 34 entrants. Shane Hatch of Fruitland, N.M., has won the event several times here and will be competing tonight.

Steer wrestling drew 40 entries. Brian Cline of Dolores will try to bulldog his doggie Friday.

A total of 34 teams will be competing in the team roping event. Hatch will join Kirt Jones of Piedmont, Okla., tonight. Vic McKinley of Cortez and his partner Stacy McCurdy of Delta will work tonight. Steve Shure Jr. of Kirtland, N.M., and Ronnie Hyde of Bloomfield, N.M., will throw their lariats Friday. Clay Rathjen of Durango and partner Terry Forrest of Fruita will also compete Friday. A team to watch is Mark Simon of San Antone, N.M., and Bret Tonozzi of Loma, Colo. Deon Masters and Bobby Rathjen, both of Durango, will compete Saturday. Watch the Honeycutt Rodeo Co. wranglers Scott Honeycutt of Alamosa and teammate John Kissell of Penrose on Saturday.

Barrel Racing is always a great event to watch. Multi-world champion Kristie Peterson of Elbert is entered and will run the Texas Cloverleaf pattern tonight. Shelly Shure of Kirtland will ride Friday night. Kim Young of Dove Creek and Lacie Foutz of Farmington will both zip around the barrels Saturday.

Honeycutt and Sons Rodeo Co. of Alamosa and Waddell, Ariz., will once again be the stock contractor for this year’s 71st Ute Mountain Roundup Rodeo at the American Legion Post 75 Arena in Cortez.

The rodeo is the only Professional Cowboy Rodeo Association event in the Four Corners Area other than the weekly PRCA series in Durango. Grand entry is set for 8 p.m. each day.

Honeycutt rodeo prides itself for creating quality family entertainment by combining award-winning bucking stock, top contract personnel, and dynamic music.

The rodeo company had several stock at last year’s National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nev., including bareback horses Copenhagen Ragged Edge, and Skoal’s Dawson Creek, and bull Copenhagen Lookout.

Announcing on horseback will once again by Johnny Pope of Semmes, Ala. He has worked with Honeycutt and Sons Rodeo Co. for many years and has been the announcer at the Ute Mountain Roundup Rodeo many times.

There will be a new clown at this year’s rodeo. Scott "Funky Kol" Messina will be on hand.

Matt Lucking, who has performed here many times, is the bullfighter. Lucking, of Glendale, Ariz., has been a member of the PRCA since 1993. He was the bullfighting champion at the National Finals Rodeo Bucking Stock Sale in 1992. He also participates in roping events.

The annual Ute Mountain Roundup Rodeo has not raised ticket prices in many, many years. Reserve tickets are only $7 (for Friday and Saturday’s performances only) and now on sale at Nu-Way Western Wear in downtown Cortez. General admission seats are still $5 for adults and $3 for children under age 12. Tickets also can be purchased at the gate beginning at 7 p.m. each day.

Cowboys will compete in the regular PRCA events of bareback bronc, saddle bronc, bullriding, calf roping, team roping, and steer wrestling. All those who want to enter the rodeo need to be card-caring members of the PRCA and must register through the PRCA office. The only event for women is barrel racing, which is sanctioned by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.

Through the more recent years, Cortez pro rodeo fans have been lucky to have seen such stars as 2000 All-Around cowboy Joe Beaver who stopped off here last summer and then went on to win the title last December at the PRCA World Finals in Las Vegas. Fred Whitfield, who has won the all-around title as well as winning the 2000 calf roping crown was here in 1999 and 1998, 1999 world bareback champ Lan LaJeunesse was here in 1999 when nobody knew who he was except for Cortez fans who watched him win that event. Former world champ Ote Berry has won in steer wrestling here. Billy Etebauer, 1999-200 world champion saddle bronc rider has performed here several times.

The rodeo stop here also draws the best from the Mountain States PRCA Circuit. J.D. Crouse, an all-around cowboy and calf roper, has stopped here many times. Larry Sandvick, bareback champ, was here last year. Steer roper J.D. Yates has been here many times. Sean Mulligan has performed well here in the steer roping event. Former world champion saddle bronc rider Dan Mortensen has been on a horse in this arena. Team ropers header Jeff White and heeler Brent Trenary also have done well here.

Many up-and-coming stars have made their marks in Cortez. Shane Hatch of Flora Vista, N.M., and teammate Brent Lewis of Pinon, N.M., who also is current ranked no. 2 in the world in calf roping, have finished in the money many times. Bullrider Mike Moore of Fort Collins has won the event two straight years and finished the 2000 season ranked no. 29th in the world.