Back again with bull riding, roping and barrel racing, the Starkville Rotary Club will hosting its eighth annual Rotary Classic Rodeo at 7 p.m. Friday night at the Miss. Horse Park.
Friday will be children’s night, with free admission for children under the age of 12. From 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night, the rodeo will feature a petting zoo and pony rides on the arena floor with free admission for children under the age of three. Standard admission is $15 at the door and $12 in advance.
John Forde, co-chair of the classic rotary committee, said the Rotary Rodeo is one of the biggest events of the year and features an arena that holds about 3,500 people.
“Some people fantasize about being a cowboy, and it just shows how much the rodeo is a big part of the lives of people,” Forde said. 
“I’ve been on the committee for three to four years, and I’ve always enjoyed the rodeo as a spectator. It’s a great event, and we encourage everyone to come out and enjoy,” Forde said.
Bricklee Miller, director of the Mississippi Horse Park, said this weekend’s rodeo has 84 contestants in the barrel racing competition and will also feature world champions and National Rodeo finalists.
“This assures everyone’s chance to witness pro-rodeo at its finest,” Miller said. “We will witness true National Rodeo finalists, and it’s going to be a great rodeo.”
According to Miller, the National Rodeo finalists consist of all three of the Wright brothers from Utah in the saddle bronco, bull riding will feature Jacob O’Mara from Los Angeles, Elliot Jacoby from Texas and Zeb Lanham from Idaho 
“Our clown is John Harrison, and he is known as the king of comedy in the Rodeo World, winning specialty act of the year and Man in the Can for 2013,” Miller said. 
Along with entertainment provided by bull riding, steer wrestling and tie down roping, proceeds from the annual rotary rodeo benefit many Starkville programs across the Golden Triangle.
Proceeds from the rodeo benefit the Boy Scouts of America, Starkville Parks and Recreation Tee ball, Pilot Club Music Trail, Starkville Soccer Association, Habitat for Humanity, the Tuition Guarantee Program, Cotton District Arts Festival and the Boys and Girls Club of the Golden Triangle.
Corrine Jackson, sophomore accounting major, said she recalls loving rodeos since she was four years old and was the flag girl for the Starkville Rotary Rodeo from 2010 until 2012.
“I really look forward to the level of expertise featured in the rodeo,” Jackson said. “It is pro-level, so it features some of the best cowgirls and cowboys in the U.S. It’s a great place for family, but anyone would enjoy it because it provides such fun and entertainment.”
Brent Fountain, president of the Starkville Rotary Club, said Rotary is a civic organization over 100 years old and has over 1.2 million members worldwide.
“Our club is celebrating our 90th anniversary in Starkville this year,” Fountain said. “We have great events all over Starkville thanks to MSU. This year’s rodeo is another opportunity for family to come together. It provides people with something that you don’t see every day. It also allows the professional bull riders to come and enjoy our hospitality, and that is something that we are really proud of.“