Eleven years ago in July 2015, I attended my first Philomath Frolic and Rodeo as the editor of the local newspaper.
Looking back on my coverage, I could see that the organization was going through some changes with a move to return to its roots when it comes to activities. A sidewalk chalk contest and a fish rodeo were examples of new community-connected events — and both remain today on the Frolic’s lineup of fun stuff to do.
One of my early feature stories was about Scott Allen, the popular rodeo announcer who has included Philomath on his schedule for — gosh, it must be more than a quarter of a century now.
“I think what I like most about it is that the people that come out are invested to it to a degree,” Allen told me. “You really get to know the community a little bit and the people … You have a relationship that goes beyond my side of the fence and their side of the fence.”
I also interviewed Cody Labahn that year about his plans to transition the Frolic’s logging exhibition into an actual competition with professional competitors. Labahn, a Philomath High graduate, was 24 at the time and competing in timbersports at Oregon State. I also wrote a column about rodeo clown Bert Davis — for those who might remember, he went by the “Coppertown Clown” and performed in the arena with his dogs.
Back then, the slack rodeo was on Thursday night and rodeo performances occurred on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon. The Frolic board made the change to three nights in 2018.
Gallery: Philomath Frolic and Rodeo (July 10, 2026)
A collection of photos from the 2026 Philomath Frolic and Rodeo from Friday night rodeo night to various activities and events.
“I’m not lying when I say I had a good time,” I wrote about attending my first Frolic rodeo with my wife. “It was great to get back to a rodeo arena, it’s been too long (at least five years). I thought announcer Scott Allen was very, very good with a sharp sense of humor and a way of letting you know what’s going on. And it was fun watching rodeo clown Bert Davis with his dogs … It was so much fun, I think we’ll be headed back tomorrow night.”
I’ve been at every Frolic and Rodeo ever since.
So, here we are in 2026 and although there have been some major changes, a lot of the same vibe remains. Allen still announces, the logging competition continues, you can still eat Marys Peak Search and Rescue’s barbecued chicken and the Philomath Lions Club’s rodeo breakfast and a few of those new events that were tested continue to be offered. The parade remains a popular draw and the fireworks show lights up the sky as usual on Friday nights.
The Frolic and Rodeo in recent years has billed itself as a three-day event but it actually gets started on Wednesday evening with Home Run Derby. Moved back to Philomath High’s softball field this year, Billy Scott served as the emcee and delivered with his charismatic, high-energy engagement of those participating and in attendance.
I got the camera out and shot images from various angles, including a shot through the back fence of Miguel Gaboni hitting a home run in the first round of the men’s division. Amazingly, he told me that he started playing softball just last year — picking up a bat for the first time since his youth baseball days. When I asked how he was able to connect for those home runs, he said simply, “I play golf.”
On Friday afternoon, I headed over to the rodeo grounds to conduct an interview with this year’s new rodeo clown before taking my two young sons to the Frolic Fish Rodeo. Last year, my then-7-year-old had a great time wading in the water and catching a trout with his bare hands. After tasting his catch hot off the grill, he discovered that he likes fish — this coming from a very picky eater. He liked it so much that we paid another $10 and he went a second time with the same result.
This time around, my youngest son also participated although he was wary about the whole catching-it-with-my-hands part of it. He worked past whatever fear he was experiencing and climbed into the water. It turned out that he’s a natural — getting his hands around a fish in maybe 30 seconds.
The kids had fun watching the Mutton Bustin’, which made a return to the Frolic this year. One of my older son’s elementary school friends competed, which made him think that maybe he’ll want to give it a try next year (if he still weighs less than 55 pounds).
The food vendor area has plenty of variety from tacos, barbecue, burgers and dogs and Thai food to dirty sodas, fry bread, ice cream, donuts, kettle corn and lemonade. The entire vendor area featured the beer tent right in the middle facing the back of the grandstands for easy access for those who wanted to enjoy a cold one.
There were plenty of empty seats at the Thursday night rodeo, but that’s nothing new with the first performance always drawing fewer than Friday and Saturday nights. Allen was there of course and part of the lead-up to the rodeo was a nice tribute to the late Tom Hering, who was involved with the Frolic and Rodeo for decades — even helping build the very first facility.
On Friday morning, I stopped at the sidewalk chalk event at the library to check out the artwork. I shot a few photos and chatted with a man who was there with his wife and daughter. They had just moved to Philomath about a month ago and you know, it warmed my heart seeing one of our community’s newest residents participating in that activity.
My wife and two sons went to the rodeo on Friday night — it’s always somewhat of a challenge for the youngest to sit still for that long so there’s plenty of getting up and walking around. I went ahead and splurged on a couple of cowboy hats for the kids and our youngest had plenty of questions, such as “Why do they try to get the little animals?” doing calf roping. The bull riding was definitely the highlight for him.
One of the coolest moments occurs as the rodeo wraps up with the stampede in the arena. And of course the kids enjoyed the fireworks display.
Here on this Saturday morning, I’m hoping to hit the Lions Club Breakfast before it’s time to make my way over to the high school to see if I can catch up with the parade’s grand marshals.
Then it’s on to the Philomath Classic Car Show to enjoy vintage vehicles and chat with folks along with chicken teriyaki if I feel the urge to eat. The parade and car show coverage will keep me busy with writing leading up to Saturday night’s rodeo finale when we find out who wins the Frolic’s queen competition.
When the post-rodeo dance wraps up at around midnight, that will end another Frolic and Rodeo.
This year’s event was the 73rd for the Frolic. Curious to read about its beginnings and to clarify if the first year was 1953 or 1954, I searched through newspaper archives and found several articles published in 1954 that show the inaugural Philomath Buckaroos and Loggers Frolic — as it was known at the time — took place that year on June 12-13.
In 1973, an article reported on how the Frolic was celebrating its 20th year featured a lot of historical information and included a photo of the first queen, Jani Ryker, getting her crown in 1954. A story on the 50th anniversary appeared in 2003 when the sole surviving founder, 82-year-old Esther Castle, was the grand marshal of the parade.
One note to mention: A story published in 2010 previewing the 57th annual Frolic and Rodeo identified the first year as 1953 but based on the research, that appears to be incorrect and unfortunately, the error was repeated in a few stories that appeared in the following years. Perhaps the three couples involved with the Frolic’s founding came up with the idea in 1953 leading up to the first actual event in 1954.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
Thoroughly enjoyed your article on the Rodeo. Loved your inclusion of the history along with the description of current activities.