BINFORD, N.D. - The clouds were dreary and the North Dakota wind was blowing, but that didn't stop people from attending the Professional Bull Riders rodeo in Binford, N.D., on June 24. The stands were full and lines were long as people settled in to see some of the best bull riders in the world compete.
Fourteen years ago, a group of Binford-area residents met at a restaurant to create an event that would bring their community together. In previous years Binford had hosted a local rodeo, but saw a steady decline in attendance. Residents knew they needed to change up the rodeo, which lead to them bringing the PBR into their arena.
Over the years, the PBR rodeo has grown larger than Binford's population of roughly 160 people. Today anywhere between 2,700 to 2,800 people from the area come and support the PBR rodeo.
"We couldn't do it without hard work and the sponsorship we get from businesses," says Ron Eggermont, a manager of the event.
This year, some big names traveled to Binford for the rodeo. Flint Rasmussen, an exclusive entertainer of the PBR, provided the audience with countless laughs, and announcer Clint Adkins was also in attendance. Chad Berger who is a six-time Stock Contractor of the Year, has been the stock contractor for the Binford PBR rodeo since the very beginning. Berger travels across the country, but Binford is a special place to him.
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"Watching my bulls buck is a hobby and passion of mine, and I get to do that in a place like this," says Berger. "Binford is the hardest working community I work for. This is a small community, but they were able to get some of the best people in the world to compete right here in Binford, N.D. - they did all of this."
Every year the Binford PBR rodeo club is looking to expand the rodeo. This year new bleachers were added to the arena. "We've been working to set up the bleachers since April, and we invested over a thousand hours of work to put them up," Todd LaPlant says.
LaPlant's father had helped to start up the event, and now Todd is one of the managers. He says he hopes to see younger community members begin to take on roles, and pass down the event and its success through future generations.
The PBR is an international professional bull riding organization, and competitors compete across the U.S. in cities such as Nashville, Tulsa and Austin, Texas. In Binford, thirty-five bull riders competed, and the event counts towards the PBR World Finals held in Las Vegas, Nev., in November.
The results from the 2017 rodeo in Binford include:
• Jess Lockwood - Volborg, Mont.
• Tye Chandler - Celina, Texas
• Brandon Davis - Cabot, Ark.
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• Brant Atwood * - Pampa, Texas
• Zac Peterson * - Velva, N.D.
* Means a tie between competitors.
