trick rider Jessica Blair Fowlkes matt merritt rodeo entertainer

Presented by Elli’s Great American Restaurant

Matt Merritt started his career as an entertainer when he was just a teenager in NW Louisiana. Since then he has worked almost all major rodeos in the US. He worked his first Professional Bull Riding in 2004 and has traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and all across the United States to entertain crowds. He was also one of the featured entertainers in the Fox Studios/Nicholas Sparks movie “The Longest Ride.”

Matt says that in an age where everyone has a phone in their hand that is capable of providing that person with their version of entertainment it is becoming increasingly difficult to entertain with innovative and fresh material, but he welcomes the challenge.

Matt was in Salinas in 2019 and 2021 and we are happy to welcome him back this July!