Tonight is opening night for the 23rd Annual Pike County Cattlemen’s Rodeo at the arena at Cattleman Park. The gates will open at 5 p.m. and the rodeo will get underway at 7:30 tonight and Saturday night.

More than 200 cowboys and cowgirls will compete throughout the weekend for the top prize money in eight popular rodeo events, including the granddaddy of all events, bull riding.

B.B. Palmer, Cattleman Park director, said the Pike County Cattlemen have contracted with one of the best announcers on the rodeo circuit and also one of the best clowns

“Clint Allemand is an eight-time Professional Cowboy Finals rodeo announcer and is unique in that he announces on horseback,” Palmer said. “He keeps the rodeo action exciting and up beat.

“Jake Willcox is a two-time PCA Rodeo Clown of the Year. He’ll keep rodeo fans laughing from the first bucking horse to the last bull ride.”

The Cattlemen’s concession stand will be open both nights of the rodeo with all-beef hamburgers and hotdogs, french fries, nachos and soft drinks and will be the venue for a variety of Western items for sale including hats, clothing and tack.

“This year, we’ll also have an artist whose artwork is all Western,” Palmer said. “Linda Evans will have about 32 paintings for people to see and enjoy, and they’ll also be for sale. We are looking forward to having Linda’s artwork on display.”

Evans’ interest in Western art can be traced back to the days of Western movies played on Saturday afternoon in picture shows.

“I’ve always loved Roy Rogers,” Evans said, with a smile. “I grew up in Clio and we didn’t have a lot to do, but we did get to go to the picture show to see mainly cowboy shows.”

As a youngster, the closest Evans got to the Wild West was the horse she and her sister Brenda shared.

“Her name was Queenie, and we had to ride her bareback because we couldn’t afford to buy a saddle,” Evans said. “I grew up loving anything that had to do with cowboys and the Old West.”

The opportunities to travel out west were exciting adventures for Evans. She visited the Gene Autrey Museum, the Cowboy Museum, the Grand Canyon, Four Corners and parts of Texas.

She draws from her childhood and her travels for her artwork. “I’ve painted everything from chuck wagons to bull riders, and I hope people will enjoy seeing them,” she said.

Evans will be at the rodeo both nights and is especially looking forward to seeing all the kids come in for the Western Festival on Saturday afternoon.

Gates will open at 4 p.m. Saturday and the Western Festival will begin at 5 p.m.

“We’ve got a lot of fun things for the kids to participate in like stick-horse races and roping” Palmer said. “We’ll have a steer head for them to rope just like the rodeo cowboys do.

“We encourage the kids to dress up in their Western attire and participate in the Buck-a-Roo contest.”

Tickets at the gate will be $12 for adults. Children six and under will be admitted free both nights. Children seven through 12, who are accompanied by an adult, will be admitted free Saturday night with tickets offered by the Cattlemen through the local schools.

Advanced tickets are $10 and are available at Troy Bank and Trust main branch, Don Walker’s Western Wear, Piggly Wiggly stores in Troy and Brundidge and the Banks Buy Rite.