Riding Bulls at the 28th Great Northern Classic Rodeo

For 28 years the rodeo has been an end of summer tradition bringing cowboys and cowgirls from all over the Northland and beyond.

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Great Northern Classic Rodeo wrapped up in Superior Labor Day Weekend.

For 28 years the rodeo has been an end of summer tradition bringing cowboys and cowgirls from all over the Northland and beyond.

“It’s just you and the bull out there you don’t have to worry about anyone else, it’s just taking care of what you need to do and having fun,” said Jacob Nelson a bull rider from Kansas.

Nelson has been riding bulls for 15 years and says it is a feeling unlike any other.

“It’s amazing when you’re out there and you’re starting to make a good ride and you can kind of hear the crowd start to get louder and it keeps you going it keeps you amped up and you’re ready to conquer the world,” says Nelson.

The rodeo brings bull riding, broncos, and barrel racing to the Head of the Lakes fairgrounds in Superior.

Organizers believe it is important to keep the memory alive of how the forefathers kept the country alive.

“It’s a great family experience and when you go back you think this is why the country started so this is what it’s all about to me they get to see what the forefathers got to go through instead of all the modern equipment,” said Wayne Lehr, a board member at the rodeo.

For many involved with the rodeo being around animals is a part of every day life.

“When most people live up in the city they don’t get to have the experience that most people do in the country. You can’t be afraid to get hurt or to get a little bit of mud on you,” said Cody Pahos who has been involved in the rodeo since he was a child.

The rodeo also serves to educate people that their food does not just magically show up in the supermarkets.

“It’s important that people know where their groceries come when they go to the grocery store an then as farmers and ranchers that raise that food and it makes a difference when you understand that,” said Lee Downey, the Great Northern Classic Rodeo chaplain and pastor.

The atmosphere around the rodeo was full of smiles and laughs.

For those who have a role each year they have become very close.

“It’s family, these people have become a family. This is my 22nd or 23rd year doing this rodeo and its just coming home with a lot of people I’ve grown up with my family has grown up with. Hopefully they can carry on it’s time for us old timers to pass the torch,” said Downey.

The rodeo wrapped up over the weekend but organizers are already planning on the 2020 rodeo.