The Philomath Frolic and Rodeo’s three-day summer celebration runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday and in addition to the action inside an upgraded and expanded arena, there will be a variety of events, fireworks and the annual community parade.
One of the top rodeos in Oregon alongside the likes of Pendleton, St. Paul and Sisters, the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo attracts cowboys and cowgirls from all around the region. Operating as a stop on the Northwest Professional Rodeo Association circuit, performances begin each of the three evenings at 7 p.m. at the rodeo grounds in Skirvin Park.
“We’re fortunate — we have award-winning professionals that come every year,” Frolic and Rodeo spokesman Chris Workman said last week as volunteers hurried to get everything in place for this week’s fun.
One of those pros, Scott Allen, has been recognized for excellence by the NPRA as a top announcer for several years.
“He’s just a veteran — he’s heartfelt, he’s a patriot, he knows rodeo inside and out,” Workman said. “This is what he does. He sees these cowboys and cowgirls weekend after weekend … he sees them outside of the arena and he’s talking to them and meeting their families. He really does get to know the cowboys and the cowgirls that are competing. You can tell that during the rodeo performance because he talks about them personally.”
Another award-winning Frolic participant is stock contractor B Bar D.
“Great broncs, great horses, great bulls,” Workman said. “They take great care of their animals, they’ve got them trained well and the cowboys love riding them — just really good stock.”
Events include bareback riding, barrel racing, breakaway roping, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping and tie-down roping. Clint “Wolfey” Selvester will entertain and distract bulls as the rodeo clown. (Each evening’s draw sheets can be viewed online).
Positive rodeo ticket sales
Workman said ticket sales have gone well — Friday being the toughest to get and Saturday night about 50% sold a week in advance.
“That’s probably above average for us where we’ve only started doing online ticket sales five years ago,” he said. “A lot of people are still kind of old school and just like showing up and busting out their wallet and buying a ticket the night of. We’re getting to the point where you just can’t do that anymore.”
As such, Workman encourages everyone to buy their tickets in advance online.
“If you’ve been thinking about getting your tickets and you haven’t gotten them yet, now is the time,” Workman said. “You can make sure that you’ve got not just a selection to choose from but that you’ve got any tickets at all because I’m pretty sure we’ll sell out this year again.”
In a shift from earlier plans, the rodeo board decided to again put in a set of temporary bleachers in the section lost to the 2022 fire.
Donkey races will be back in the arena during an evening intermission to entertain the crowd. On the third night, the 2026 Philomath Frolic and Rodeo queen and princess will be announced with those candidates going through tryouts during the week. This year’s queen, Alora Wright, and princess, Cadence Stevens, will have high visibility with appearances on each rodeo night and as an entry in the parade. Wright will be wearing custom chaps that celebrate the history of the Frolic and the community.
All rodeo tickets are sold online. Standard tickets are required for ages 14 and older, junior tickets can be purchased for ages 3-13 and children 2 and under are free when sitting on a lap. Prices range from $14.80 to $55.50. General parking is $5 per day at the gate.
Fireworks, slack and music
The annual fireworks show will take place following the Friday night rodeo performance.
“We know there’s a lot of people in the community, even if they don’t go to the rodeo that night, they look forward to watching the fireworks show,” Workman said. “Our police officers at the city line up back behind here and they have a little barbecue and watch… families get together and watch — a lot of backyards have a great view for it. We’re happy that it’s a big part of the Frolic every year.”
There will also be a slack rodeo on Friday beginning at 11 a.m. The slack rodeo features only roping and barrel racing events. Tickets are $5.75 for ages 16 and older and free for children ages 15 and under.
Slicker will provide live music during the Friday and Saturday night dances in the Yew Wood Corral. On Thursday night, there will be deejay music with a mix of greatest hits. Admission to the dance is free with a paid rodeo ticket. For those interested in only attending the dance, tickets are $15 and available at the ticket office on the day of the event.
Grand Parade on Saturday
The Frolic and Rodeo’s Grand Parade begins at 10 a.m. and will follow the same route down Applegate Street from Philomath High School to South 15th to Cedar Street and to South 13th and into the rodeo grounds.
The Frolic and Rodeo board this year chose to honor Rick Wells as its grand marshal.
“He’ll be leading the parade, he’s super excited,” Workman said. “He felt honored and appreciative of the recognition. It’s well deserved, very well deserved.”
Wells, a Kings Valley resident, recently completed 20 years of service with the Philomath School Board, has a heavy involvement with Benton County 4-H and may best be known for putting on the Santa Claus suit over the holidays.
“One of the more enjoyable parts of being on the Frolic and Rodeo board is talking about members of the community and trying to figure out who would be a good grand marshal for the parade,” Workman said. “When Rick Wells’s name came up, everybody in the room was like, ‘why haven’t we done this sooner?’”
The Frolic and Rodeo’s theme for this year’s celebration is “Dust and Denim.”
Parade check-in and same-day registration begins at 7 a.m. at the Philomath Middle School entrance. All registration is online either in advance or at the registration table on the morning of the parade.
Kids to be out front at parade
Leading the parade this year will be kid entries, which has occurred in the past but fizzled out in recent years.
“There’s no cost for the kids parade — they can decorate their bike, decorate their wagon, put a funny costume on their pet, whatever they want to do,” Workman said. “It’s a fun way for the kids to take part in the parade and it’s not that long of a walk, even for the younger kids.”
Parade committee chair Drew Denue has been trying to promote it.
“I can remember as a kid the couple of times that we were in a parade either on a float or on my bike or whatever … it was just a tone of fun,” Workman said. “Everybody was looking and waving and that was memorable. We want to give that opportunity to the kids in the community.”
Parents can register online for the kids’ parade entries.
Raffle plus various other events
For those feeling lucky to win prizes, the Frolic’s “Nobody Fights Alone Raffle” will feature several big items, including a homemade quilt. Proceeds benefit Project H.E.R. — a full-spectrum support service for cancer patients throughout the mid-Willamette Valley. Raffle tickets can be purchased online or at the raffle booth, which will be located near the Frolic’s souvenir hut.
“Project H.E.R. uses the funds that we raise during the rodeo from this raffle — they go directly towards families in our community that are in that situation,” Workman said. “It’s really a very personal project and an effort that the Frolic and Rodeo board has partnered with.”
A rundown of the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo’s various other events:
- Home Run Derby — The Home Run Derby is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the PYAC ballfields at the rodeo grounds. Organizers are offering three brackets — men’s, women’s and teens. In addition, for children 12 and under, there will be a farthest-hit contest.
- Cornhole Tournaments — The cornhole tournaments over three evenings will return. The Thursday tournament (5 p.m. start) will be for youth 17 and under, the Friday event (5 p.m.) will be an adult tournament geared toward experienced and semi-pro competitors and on Saturday, an open tournament (4 p.m.) for anyone of any age to enter will be staged.
- Frolic Fish Rodeo — The fish rodeo, scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday gives youngsters an opportunity to catch a live fish with their bare hands in a pool of water. Fish are even cleaned and cooked on site, if desired, or can be bagged to be taken home. Tickets are $8 each and can be purchased online. Ticket sales will be limited at 200.
- Sidewalk Chalk Roundup — The sidewalk-coloring contest for all ages is scheduled to run from 9-11 a.m. Friday at Philomath Community Library. Participation is free and no registration is required. Age category winners will receive gift cards.
- Marys Peak Search and Rescue Chicken BBQ — Marys Peak Search and Rescue will be back with its popular barbecued half-chicken meals. The group will be serving on both Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. until the food is gone. No advance tickets are needed with payment on site.
- Lions Club Rodeo Breakfast — The Philomath Lions Club Annual Rodeo Breakfast will run for three hours from 7-10 a.m., in the rodeo grounds shelter area. No advance tickets are needed with payment on site
- Frolic 5K Family Fun Run/Walk — The 5-kilometer run begins at 9:45 a.m. at the start of the parade route at Philomath High School, goes through Marys River Park and Natural Area and ends behind the rodeo grandstands. The registration fee is $10 for adults and teens, free for ages 12 and under and $50 for teams. In addition to the 5K course, there will be a 1K family-friendly course.
- Lumberjack Competition — Professional and novice lumberjack competitors will square off beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday at the rodeo grounds. Pro events include springboard, hot saw, stock saw, single buck, underhand chop and standing block chop. Novice events are single buck, stock saw and underhand chop. Admission is free.
- Food Booths and Craft Vendors — The Frolic will have approximately 40 vendors participating with food and crafts.
For details on the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo, see the organization’s website or read its online program.
