Jennifer Fumiko Cahill jennifer@northcoastjournal.com
Calendar Editor
Kali Cozyris calendar@northcoastjournal.com
Contributing Writers
Susan J.P. O’Hara, Alex Service, Meg Wall-Wild Production Manager
Holly Harvey holly@northcoastjournal.com
Graphic Design/Production
Rory Hubbard, ncjads@northcoastjournal.com
Senior Advertising Representative
Bryan Walker bryan@northcoastjournal.com
Advertising Representative Asia Benoit asia@northcoastjournal.com
Classified Advertising
Mark Boyd
classified@northcoastjournal.com
Bookkeeper
Deborah Henry billing@northcoastjournal.com
Office Manager
Michelle Dickinson michelle@northcoastjournal.com
Photo by Phil Doyle
2026 Rodeo Committee
Fortuna Rodeo Association, Inc. (a nonprofit organization) is sponsored jointly by the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce and the Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department.
Chris Broadstock Secretary/Treasurer, Street Games
2026 Fortuna Rodeo President’s Message
Welcome to the 105th Annual Fortuna Rodeo!
It is truly an honor to welcome you to another year of the Fortuna Rodeo. As President of the Fortuna Rodeo Association, I have the privilege of seeing firsthand what makes this event so special. It’s not just the exciting rodeo performances or the traditions we’ve carried on for more than a century — it’s the people.
Every year I’m reminded that this rodeo is built by a community that believes in hard work, service and helping one another. Months before the first contestant enters the arena, volunteers are already hard at work preparing the grounds, repairing facilities, organizing events and taking care of countless details that most people never see. Their dedication is what keeps this tradition alive, and I can’t thank them enough.
I’d also like to extend my sincere appreciation to our sponsors, committee members, local businesses, contestants, and everyone who contributes their time, talents and resources. Your support allows us to continue celebrating the western heritage and agricultural roots that have always been at the heart of Fortuna and Humboldt County.
One of the things I enjoy most about rodeo weekend is watching generations of families come together. Grandparents bring grandchildren, friends reconnect and new traditions are created alongside old ones. In a world that seems to move a little faster every year, it’s refreshing to spend time celebrating the values that have stood the test of time — faith, family, country, respect, responsibility and the western way of life.
Whether you’re a lifelong supporter or attending your very first Fortuna Rodeo, I hope you’ll take time to enjoy everything our community has to offer. Cheer on the contestants, thank a volunteer, support our vendors and sponsors, and most of all, make memories with the people around you.
Thank you for being part of the 105th Annual Fortuna Rodeo. Your support ensures this incredible tradition will continue for generations to come. I hope you have a safe, enjoyable and unforgettable rodeo week. I’ll see you at the rodeo!
Happy Trails, Shannon McWhorter President
Fortuna
Rodeo Association
MICHELLE
Anniversary Sponsors!
WYCKOFF’S PLUMBINGWYCKOFF’S PLUMBING
Centurion
• Bear River Casino and Resort
• Eel River Brewing Co.
• Eureka Chrysler Dodge
• Freedom Fuel
• GRS Construction
• Harbers Insurance Agency
• Les Schwab Tire
• Sequoia Gas/Blue Star Gas
• Wyckoff’s Plumbing All Around Champion
• American Ag Credit
• Columbia Bank
• Fortuna ACE Hardware
• Fortuna Grocery Outlet
• Humboldt Beer Distributors
• Humboldt Fence Co.
• J&G Lawn and Garden
• Jack Hurst Trucking
• MCI Contractor
• Pacific Pastures
Organic Grass Fed Beef
• Rays Quality Cars
• Redwood Capital Bank
• Redwood Glass and Windows
• Rental Guys
• Sequoia Springs
• Wendt Construction
• Whitchurch Engineering Gold Buckle
• 4 Sisters Organic Dairy
• CTS Customer Truck Service
• Kramer Investment Corp.
• Rays Food Place Silver Spur
• Beacom Construction
• Boot Leg Trucking
• Michelle Bushnell, Supervisor
• Pace Supply
• Peterson Cat
• Power House Garage
• R&S Livestock Supply
• Rocha’s Automotive
• Smokin’ Barrels
• Whisker City Boarding
• Wyatt, Whitchurch & Anderson, Inc.
Gary Edgmon Memorial All Around Saddle
• American Ag Credit
• Edgmon Family
• Sequoia Gas/Blue Star Gas All-Around Saddle and Award Buckle Sponsors
• 3B Farms
• Humboldt Veterinary Group
• Owsley Electric
• Xotic Flavorz
Event Sponsors
• FORTUNA RODEO WEEK: Fortuna Rodeo Association
• COUNTRY ON THE COAST: J&G Lawn & Garden
• DEPOT MUSEUM 50TH ANNIVERSARY: Fortuna Depot Museum
• FORTUNA RODEO RUN: Six Rivers Running Club
• CHILI COOK-OFF: Fortuna Chamber of Commerce
• CARNIVAL:
Fortuna Rodeo Association
• JUNIOR RODEO: Fortuna Junior Rodeo
• STREET GAMES: McClean Foundation
• FIREMAN’S GAMES: Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department
• Cal Poly Humboldt
• Carla Diaz Realtor
• Coast Central Credit Union
• Dave’s Auto Electric
• Elloway and Wonenburg DDS
• Rice Land & Livestock
• Titus AI Supply
• Valley Pacific
• Visiting Angels
• Wildwood Saw
Top Hand
• Advanced Security Systems
• Anderson, Lucas, Somerville and Borges, Accounting
• Bodyworks Fitness Club
• Demello, McCauley, McReynolds & Holland
• Eel River Hay
• Fortuna Iron
• Fortuna Liquors
• Green’s Fortuna Pharmacy
• Heidi Olsen Insurance
• Humboldt Redwood
• The Hurst Group
• Johnny’s Flooring
• Lisa Fryrear State Farm Insurance
• McLean Foundation
• Mountain Mike’s Pizza
• FULL THROTTLE FRIDAY BULLS & QUADS: Bear River Casino and Resort
• PANCAKE BREAKFAST: Fortuna Kiwanis
• PARADE:
Fortuna Rodeo Association
• RODEO SATURDAY: Eureka Chrysler Dodge
• SADDLE BRONC SATURDAY: Whitchurch Engineering
• BARBECUE: Pacific Pastures
Organic Grass Fed Beef
• RODEO SUNDAY: Humboldt Beer Distributors
Bucking Chute Sponsors
• Boot Barn
• Edward Jones
• Eel River Brewing Co.
• Sequoia Gas/Blue Star Gas
• Vern’s Furniture
• Windy Point Fencing
Media Sponsors
• Big Red Country
• North Coast Journal
Schedule of Events
Saturday • July 11
COUNTRY ON THE COAST
5-11 p.m. Rodeo Grounds, Rohner Park. Country on the Coast opens Fortuna Rodeo Week with the legendary SHENANDOAH. Also featuring Chad Bushnell, Luke Powell and a rockin’ afterparty with Monument Road. Get details and tickets at fortunarodeo.com
Sunday • July 12
FORTUNA 5K RODEO RUN
9 a.m., 12th and Main streets in Fortuna. Sponsored by Six Rivers Running Club. For details, contact Catrina Howatt (catrina. howatt@gmail.com) or visit 6rrc.com.
DEPOT MUSEUM 50TH ANNIVERSARY
2-5 p.m., Rohner Park, Fortuna. Celebrate a vital part of preserving our history with an ice cream social. View exhibits of various organizations including the Fortuna Rodeo.
Monday • July 13
CHILI COOK-OFF
5-7 p.m., Main Street, Fortuna. Presented by the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce. Free admission and chili tasting. Live music. Details and entry forms at fortunarodeo.com.
Tuesday • July 14
CARNIVAL
Noon. Rohner Park. Wrist bands $45.
Wednesday • July 15
JUNIOR RODEO
9 a.m. til end. Rodeo Grounds, Rohner Park. Young cowhands compete for saddles, buckles, and cash awards. Free admission. Visit Fortuna Junior Rodeo on Facebook.
CARNIVAL
Noon. Rohner Park. Wrist bands $45.
STREET GAMES
6-8 p.m., Main Street, Fortuna. ALL children’s events are FREE! Stick Horse Race, Egg Toss, Kid’s Bounce House, Tony Johnston Penny
Please Note TICKETS for all Fortuna Rodeo events are available online. CASH ONLY will be accepted at the gate. PRE-SALE TICKETS and Packages are available! ATMs will be on site. NO PETS: Fortuna Rodeo Week events are pet-free. Please leave your pets at home. All children’s events are FREE.
Scramble (ages 3 and under with parents, 4 & 5 Years, 6 & 7 years & more). Refreshments: Hamburgers and hotdogs provided by Eel River Valley Technical Rescue Team.
Thursday • July 16
JUNIOR RODEO
9 a.m. til end. Rodeo Grounds, Rohner Park. CARNIVAL
Noon. Rohner Park. Wrist bands $45. FIREMAN’S GAMES
6:30-8 p.m. on Main Street. Volunteer firefighters take over Main Street. NOT to be missed!
6-10 p.m. Rodeo Grounds, Rohner Park. Enjoy bull riding, junior bull riding, steer riding, sheep riding, the famous QUADIATORS and 4-wheeler competitions: barrel racing, hyde racing and relay racing. Live music by MONUMENT ROAD. Details, tickets and entry forms at fortunarodeo.com. $5-$15.
Saturday • July 18
FORTUNA KIWANIS PANCAKE BREAKFAST
7-10 a.m. Rohner Park Cook Shack. CARNIVAL
Noon. Rohner Park. Wrist bands $45.
PARADE
11 a.m. Main Street. Theme: “SADDLE UP AND CELEBRATE 250 YEARS OF AMERICAN FREEDOM.” Parade entries accepted in regular and horse division categories. Get entry forms at fortunarodeo.com.
RODEO
Sponsored by Eureka Chrysler Dodge 1:30-5 p.m. Rodeo Grounds. Tickets: $15 adults, $5 under 12. Signups and tickets at fortunarodeo.com.
SADDLE BRONCS SATURDAY!
Sponsored by Whitchurch Engineering and Fortuna Grocery Outlet
6 p.m., gates and music. Rodeo Grounds. Live music by MONUMENT ROAD. Mutton bustin’ at 7 p.m. Bronc riding and breakaway roping at 8 p.m. Tickets: $15 adults, $5 under 12. Get tickets at fortunarodeo.com.
Sunday • July 19
BARBECUE
Sponsored by Pacific Pastures Organic Grass-fed Beef
11 a.m.-1 p.m. Rohner Park. Legendary barbecue and live music. Tickets: $25 at fortunarodeo.com.
CARNIVAL
Noon. Rohner Park. Wrist bands $45.
RODEO
Sponsored by Humboldt Beer Distributors 1:30-5 p.m. Rodeo Grounds. Tickets: $15 adults, $5 under 12. Signups and tickets at fortunarodeo.com. ✪
CLEAR BAG POLICY (SEE BELOW) The following are not allowed in the fairgrounds: NO Weapons, laser pointers, artificial noisemakers, professional cameras w/detachable lenses, video cameras (including gopro), banners and signs, outside food and drinks, cans or glass bottles and personal coolers, umbrellas, pets. ALL BAGS, JACKETS, AND BLANKETS WILL BE SEARCHED.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
2025 Fortuna Rodeo Champions
Gary Edgemon Memorial Saddle – Emily Machado Sponsored by Sequoia Gas Co. American Ag Credit, Edgemon Family
Fred Barry Humboldt County Top Hand – Mackenzie Frick
Tom McWhorter All Around Cowboy – Cash Robinson Sponsored by MCI Mobley Family
Woman’s All Around – Mackenzie Frick Sponsored by Hurst Trucking
Team Roping – Ben McWhorter and Aaron Bean Sponsored by DCI Builders
Ribbon Roping – Aaron and Jenna Bean
Bull Riding – No participants Sponsored by Bear River Resort
Barrel Racing – Mackenzie Frick Sponsored by US Bank
Breakaway Roping – Reagan Russ Sponsored by Eel River Brewery
Steer Wrestling – Cash Robinson Sponsored by Wycko ’s Plumbing
Calf Roping – Garett Cristansen Sponsored by Harbers Insurance
Fortuna Rodeo Honors the Centers
By Meg Wall-Wild
The Fortuna Rodeo Parade is the perfect place to honor Grand Marshals Rick and Jo Anne Center for their service to the community. The Centers embody the spirit of Saddle Up and Celebrate 250 Years of Freedom all the time. The flags that wave over your head as you watch the parade didn’t raise themselves. Before every Fourth of July and a few special events and holidays, Rick and Jo Anne rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Over the past 10 years, the Centers have helped raise an estimated 12,000 flags. Rick Center was raised in Crescent City. He was lucky that Jo Anne’s family moved to town so he could meet his future wife at Del Norte High School. After graduation, Rick joined the U.S. Navy Submarine Service. Four years into Rick’s six-year stint, they got married.
The Centers were a couple with a plan. They moved to Stockton so Rick could attend pharmacy school. With degree in hand, the Centers knew where they wanted to settle with their two young daughters. “Fortuna was a really great place to raise our family.” Rick helped to cure your aches and pains for 34 years, starting
in 1973 when he worked at Green’s Pharmacy. But the couple still had a plan. The Center Community Pharmacy (formerly at 2340 Main St.) opened its doors in 1984, and a family business was born. “Rick was the pharmacist and I did everything else,” co-owner Jo Anne says as she and Rick chuckled. Daughters Kristen Center Brown and Kerri Center Chavez pitched in, too, even when home on college breaks. Their pharmacy not only dispensed life-saving medications for 23 years, but also had the right gift for grandma’s birthday (thanks to Jo Anne who went to two gift shows every year). Their busy business did not keep them from helping Fortuna grow. They were even named Citizens of the Year in 2003. After running their own pharmacy for 23 years, Rick and Jo Anne decided to sell the business. They may have retired in 2007, but they did not stop working.
Jo Anne served as Fortuna Chamber of Commerce president. Although Rick was an active member, he did not have time to serve on the board until retirement. The Centers have been a pillar of support for Redwood Community Hospital and its re-
Continued on page 16
Grand Marshals Rick and Jo Anne Center. Submitted
Grand Marshall Rick and Jo Ann Center
Continued from page 15
Support Local
gional partner, Providence St. Joseph Hospital, serving on their boards, too. “We really enjoy being part of the chamber, Redwood Memorial fundraisers and our church. Being in the community,” she says. They’re still plugged into Fortuna’s community life when they could be kicking up their feet in matching recliners.
“Fortuna has always been the Friendly City. We still go to high school games,” Jo Anne says. The high school sweethearts are happy to support the Huskies. “We were named Fans of the Year of Fortuna High School in 2023. Not for glory,” she says, “just for love.” Also for love, daughters Kerri and Kristen will travel from Chico and Texas to watch their parents receive the Fortuna Rodeo’s accolades. “Our grandchildren are coming, too,” Jo Anne says, looking forward to seeing Kristen’s partner Courtney and
their daughters Claire and Mary Catherine, and Kerri’s partner Matt and their daughters Casey and Tessa. The third generation will see firsthand why their grandparents are so honored.
Rick, himself a veteran, saw raising Old Glory as an opportunity to honor Fortuna’s veterans for their service to town and country. He galvanized the Fortuna Rotary, and Jo Anne rallied her fellow Soroptimists of the Eel River Valley chapter. The simple act of honoring veterans grew into a community tradition of the best kind. After putting up thousands of flags to honor others, it is fitting that the Centers ride down Main Street under those same flags as Fortuna honors them. Find your spot on Main Street on Saturday, July 18, by 11 a.m. Show the Centers how much Fortuna appreciates their service to our community. ✪
Granddaughter Claire and her husband Thane, daughter Kerri, daughter Kristen and her husband Courtney with Rick and Jo Anne Center. Submtited.
Rick and Jo Anne Center. Submtited.
Country on the Coast Brings Noteworthy Nashville to the 105th Fortuna Rodeo
By Meg Wall-Wild
Anticipation is in the air. It’s 5 o’clock on a beautiful Friday night. The excited crowd lets out a cheer as the gate opens! Not to let out a buckin’ bronco, but to let you in. Country on the Coast kicks off the 2026 Fortuna Rodeo at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, when local strummer Luke Powell picks up his guitar. The teen tunesmith has caught the ear of Nashville so you better get a listen in while you can. Red Bluff’s own Chad Bushnell gets you in the mood with songs pulled from his rancher roots. This Christian Country Music chart-topper has rubbed guitar picks with greats like Dwight Yoakam and Mark Chestnutt, so you are in for a treat.
Shenandoah hits the main stage to tug at your feels with favorite classics like the Grammy-winning “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart.” That’s the one that with the amazing Marty
Raybon and Allison Krauss duet (although on this particular Saturday night, Allison will be on a different Maine stage). These country music legends will show you how they earned those gold albums. Not every band tours with over a dozen Top 10 hits in its back pocket. Don’t forget to bring your appetite, as chuckwagons are on hand to fuel those tapping toes. We all know “If Bubba Can Dance,” he’s gonna need something grilled. And maybe a libation to get him two-steppin’.
Still need to boot scoot? The After Party kicks off with Fortuna Rodeo’s favorite musical nightcap, Monument Road. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the gate, parking for the night is $10. Make sure the babysitter is cool with you getting home late as the party doesn’t stop until midnight (long after the cows got home). ✪
Chad Bushnell
Shenandoah
Luke Powell
Monument Road
Captures the Spirit of the American Rodeo
By Meg Wall-Wild
Celebrating America’s 250 years is easy with the opportunity to rope up the painting used as the 2026 Fortuna Rodeo poster. This piece of neo-Americana by Bradley Chance Hays will be auctioned off on Saturday, July 18, during Broncs, Break Aways & Brews! Hays’ painting captures a bucking dynamo and cowboy surrounded by what makes the Fortuna Rodeo great.
You don’t need to ask where Hays gets his inspiration. His vibrant watercolors reflect life seen through the eyes of a rodeo roper — as in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association kind. The son of a professional tie-down roper father and an artist mother, Hays grew up wanting to do both. So he did. He competed in college rodeos representing Oklahoma Panhandle
University before picking up the brushes at Oklahoma State University to earn his art degree. Hays didn’t stop until he had a Master of Fine Arts from West Texas A&M University. At press time, he was getting more inspiration riding in the backcountry with no cell phone service. Lucky guy!
Hays’ training comes out in his easy use of acrylics, oils, pastels, pencil and watercolors. Check out his work online. Then look for the Wrangler video of the young artist, because the venerable brand recognized Hays’ talents both at the easel and in the saddle. The storied 6666 Ranch took notice, too. Have you seen its Quarter Horses? They definitely know their way around equine art, since they breed it.
This is your chance to own a Hays with the coolest Fortuna Rodeo connection. ✪
2026 Fortuna Rodeo poster art by Bradley Chance Hays.
Friday Night Battles and Boogie
By Meg Wall-Wild
Hmutton at the rodeo.
ang on to your Stetsons! Friday night at the Fortuna Rodeo roars to life with Full Throttle FridayBulls & Quads, July 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. (Fortuna Rodeo Grounds, 5 Park St.).
Before the quads enter the arena, Mutton Bustin’ and Jr. Bulls let little cowhands in training show their mettle riding wooly fluff and some sterner stuff. Then big cowhands hit the dirt to show the next gen how it’s done. Can that mad bull shake off its sticky rider? The Fortuna Rodeo is sanctioned by the California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association, so they play for reals.
The high-octane Motorsports & Quadiators will get your adrenaline pumping.
Quad barrel racing brings your whole family to its feet. Hide racing is brought to a whole new level. And then there’s the battle royale that is Quadiators, with padded batons flying everywhere! The event promises action, speed, wrecks and laughs. Sign yourself up to find out and claim your just rewards ($250 for barrel and hide racing; $500 for quadiators, $25 to enter).
Someone must’ve let the cows catch World Cup fever. Angry Heifer Zorb Ball Soccer gives cows the upper hoof on the field of play. Watch 2,000 pounds of beef with a beef wham into a zorb ball, making it fly across the ring. But the zorb has legs! There is a crazy brave human encased in that inflatable ball. Willingly. Plan your liba-
Motorsport madness on Friday night.
Carol Niles Photography
Bustin’
Photo by Gerard Horan
tion runs carefully as the zorb-happy cows come out between events.
Did you remember to wear your dancing Justins? Hopefully so because your Rodeo nightcap is live music by Monument Road! Still in your work boots? No worries. That won’t stop your partner from pulling you close for a dance. The band strikes up after the last competitor leaves the arena, so you have plenty of time to boogie. ✪
Hanging on until the buzzer during the bull riding competition.
Photo by Gerard Horan
Broncs, Breakaway & Brews
Deep Pit Barbecue
Broncs, Breakaways and Brews … and Zorb Balls
By Meg Wall-Wild
The chutes burst open for Broncs, Breakaways and Brews! on Saturday, July 18, from 6 to 10 p.m. (Fortuna Rodeo Grounds, 5 Park St.). Tickets are available online or at the gate: $15, $5 under 12. This is your last chance to show your partner the dance moves you picked up on the sly watching Dancing with the Stars. Monument Road starts your Fortuna Rodeo date night with tunes that keep you humming until next July. Then at 7 p.m., you can let loose some big old guffaws watching Jr. Mutton Bustin’.
The excitement ratchets up at 8 p.m., when Saddle Bronc and Breakaway Roping competitions begin. The broncos know that the Fortuna Rodeo is a California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association sanctioned event, so they buck extra high!
You will find yourself ab-Zorbed when Angry Heifter Zorb Ball Soccer takes the field between competitions. Will you root for the cow or the bubble-encased human about to get walloped? ✪
The thirsty work of riding bucking broncs. Photo by Gerard Horan
Saddle Up for Great Eats
By Meg Wall-Wild
You sniff the air like a dog searching for a lost cow. But which enticing trail to follow? Fortunately, they all lead to great victuals! Country on the Coast has roped up eager food trucks to tame the fierce hunger you’ve been nursing all day — you just have to last until 5 p.m. On Saturday, July 11, Humboldt’s mobile meisters will stand ready to satisfy: Cooks’ Catering, Geo’s Pizza, Humboldt Bay Burgers, Patron Kitchen, Humboldt County Cattlewomen and the sweet Buttercream Broomstick. Wash it all
p.m. Last year, Humboldt Spice Co. pulled a repeat for Hottest Chili, naturally. Can they make it a three-peat? It’s not all about the hot stuff — The Rhinestone Cowboys brought the flash in 2025 to snag Best Dressed. Music by Humboldt’s own April Moore and the Ranch Party will keep your toes tapping.
down with a cold one from Easy Squeezy Lemonade (designated drivers, rejoice!), a frozen one from the Slushie Shop, a caffeinated one from Rustic Bull Coffee Co., or a frosty one from Eel River Brewing Co. You can chase it with a Pendleton Whiskey, which is easier than chasing calves around a dusty rodeo ring.
A spicy scent entices you out of your car. (Good thing you are already parked!)
Your nose leads you to Main Street and the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce Chili Cook-off on Monday, July 13, from 5 to 7
Think of all the cooking you can avoid during rodeo week! You can relax from Friday to Sunday, July 16-18, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., as local nonprofits feed the family crew. Although the Native Sons of the Golden West carry the 2025 crown for Fortuna’s Best Chili, they also know their way around a grill, serving up hot dogs, hamburgers and oysters. Not to be outdone, the Fortuna Fire Ladies Auxiliary brings its own heat, dishing out chili and hamburgers Support the home team with a pulled pork burrito from the Fortuna High School Husky Boosters.
And what rodeo is complete without at least one tri-tip sandwich from the Humboldt County Cattlewomen? Before the birds outside your window had the chance to wake you up, your overexcited kids just might. It’s Fortuna Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast Day! At least this means you don’t have to make breakfast. The orange juice and milk are cold, and there’s a hot cup of coffee waiting just for you. You can fill up your children’s empty tummies with stacks of fluffy pancakes. Head to Rohner Park
on July 18 from 7 to 10 a.m. and let them lead you to the Cook Shack. All you have to do is pony up some dough ($12 adult, $8 child) and pick up a fork. The hardest part? Pouring just enough pancake syrup to keep your sweet tooth happy. Proceeds go to make children happy, because that is what Fortuna Kiwanis does, pancakes or not. Whittle down some toothpicks by Sunday, July 19, because it’s time for deep pit barbecue! The song of the pitmaster calls all hungry cowpokes to gather around a hole in the ground filled with hot coals and simmering meat. Mmmmm. It’s 4,000 pounds of local Pacific Pastures grass-fed beef. Not to mention enough rolls to sop up sauce and the storied potato salad. Then there are the beans, because all buckaroos need beans. Get your tickets in advance ($25) to make sure you get yours because this barbecue is coveted by hordes of hungry rodeo fans. Volunteers at the Rohner Park Cook Shack start slinging at 11 a.m. and stop at 1 p.m. You might want to skip Sunday breakfast. To wrap it all up, Sunday is Humboldt Beer Distributor Day. It’s easy to show your appreciation for their hard work! Thirst plus tastebuds plus Humboldt Beer equals happy folks. Hopefully your belt notches can accommodate the results of your Fortuna Rodeo culinary adventures. If not, just buy a new one. ✪
Dining on rodeo bounty. Carol Niles Photography
Tending to the pit beef. File
Main Street Gives Way to Fun Family Mayhem
By Meg Wall-Wild
It’s finally Fortuna Rodeo Week! Yippee for so many ways to entertain the family!
you play all day long. Visit TuesdayThursday, noon-11 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, noon to midnight.
Head to Rohner Park on Sunday, July 12, from 2 to 5 p.m. for the Depot Museum 50th Anniversary Celebration. Reward the kiddos for learning about local history at the depot’s ice cream social. Stand by to wipe cute chins clean. The exhibits from the Fortuna Rodeo and other organizations show your family what made Fortuna. The Fortuna RodeoCarnival midway springs to life on Tuesday, July 14, until the lights are turned off on Sunday, July 19, at midnight. Remember when your parents told you they were scared and held your trembling hand at the top of the Ferris wheel? Now it’s your turn to hold a little hand. From swirls of cotton candy to the catawampus fun house, those childhood memories are ready to be relived and passed on. Ride bracelets ($45) let
Groom that stick pony because it’s time for Street Games (July 15, 6 to 8 p.m.). Main Street hosts the free family event created just for kids. Even the little ones can dive into games like the Tony Johnston Penny Scramble. Their participation will include you if they are 3 years old and under. Otherwise, you get to watch from the sidelines for giggling groups 4-5 years old, 6-7 years old and above. The Egg Toss is bound to make you laugh. As always, make sure to visit the bounce house before getting a hot dog or hamburger from the Eel River Technical Rescue Team. Snap a photo of your favorite horse and rider as they cross the Stick Horse Race finish line. Don’t forget to cheer!
Watch the look of wonder on your toddler’s face when they see adults playing with water — lots of water!
Racing stick horses on Main Street.
Photo by Carol Niles Photography
The Fireman’s Games on Main Street (July 16, 6:30 p.m.) is a child’s dream come true. Firetrucks are amazing and so are the brave firefighters of the Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department. See who gets a dunking this year because the fun is for you, too!
Saddle Up and Celebrate 250 Years of American Freedom at the Fortuna Rodeo Parade! Find your favorite spot on Main Street by 11 a.m. on Saturday,
July 18. Be there as the American flag leads the way. Cheer for first responders, rodeo royalty and all that comes between. Parades make the whole family happy — the little truck driver in training, the cowhand wannabe and the budding band member. You can enjoy watching your kids wave back at Grand Marshals Rick and Jo Anne Center before the parade marches to a halt at Fortuna Boulevard and Smith Lane. ✪
The excitement of the Penny Scramble.
Photo by Carol Niles Photography
A firefighter’s bucket brigade.
Photo by Carol Niles Photography
Rodeo Events
Saddle Up and Celebrate 250 Years of Freedom
Welcome to the 105th annual Fortuna Rodeo, the centerpiece of the Friendly City’s week-long summer celebration! Fortuna is proud to offer the largest rodeo in the region, giving cowboys up and down the state a chance to show off the skills that built the American West. In addition to competing in the individual events, which are described in the following pages, each cowboy’s individual scores are totaled together to make them eligible for three all-around cowboy prizes — the rodeo’s top honors. They are:
Tom McWhorter
Memorial
All-Around Cowboy
Award given to the cowboy who has won the most money overall across all events of the rodeo.
Sponsor: Mobley Construction (MCI)
The Fred Barry Memorial Top Hand
Award for the Humboldt County Top Hand. Given to the Humboldt Countybased cowboy with the highest overall standings in all events of the rodeo.
Sponsor: Law O ces of Patrick J. Barry
All-Around Cowgirl
Awarded to the cowgirl who has won the most money.
Sponsor: Jack Hurst Trucking
Photo by Phil Doyle
Law Offices of Patrick J. Barry
JACK HURST TRUCKING
Bull Riding
Maybe the most popular event and probably the most dangerous, bull riding is a battle of wits and brute strength between a cowboy and the most dangerous of ranch animals. The cowboy attempts to ride for eight seconds, strapped to a bucking, whirling 1-ton bull, holding on with only one hand. This is a judged competition: Points are awarded for the cowboy’s form and for the di culty of the ride. But if the rider is bucked o , or if he touches the bull with his free hand, he is disqualified.
continued on next page
Photo by Gerard Horan
Tie Down Roping
Tie-down roping — also called calf roping — introduces another element into the mix. Not only must the cowboy rope the animal, as in breakaway roping, he must also bring it to a full stop and immobilize it. After the animal is lassoed, the cowboy dismounts and runs to the calf carrying a small rope in his teeth. He then throws the calf to the ground and binds three of its legs, after which he signals to the judges and time is called. The event isn’t over, though — if the calf kicks o the rope on its legs within six seconds, the contestant is disqualified.
Photo by Phil Doyle
Saddle Bronc
Bronc riding comes from the essential cowboy skill of taming (or “breaking”) a horse for use. As in bull riding, a contestant must stay atop the wild animal for eight seconds using only one hand. But the bronc rider has additional considerations — he is also judged on how well he spurs the horse to action with his boots, and he must keep his feet in the stirrups at all times. Bronc riders come out of the chute with their legs over the horse’s shoulders in order to give the animal the initial advantage.
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Photo by Phil Doyle
Steer Wrestling
Steer wrestling (or “bulldogging”) tests the cowboy’s strength as well as his skill at handling both horse and cattle. In this timed event, the steer leaves the chute at a run, tailed by one horseman (“the hazer”) who keeps the animal running in a straight line. After a head start, the barrier holding back the mounted contestant is tripped, and the steer wrestler races after his quarry. When he catches up, he dismounts his horse at a run and transfers his weight to the steer, which he then wrestles to the ground. Quickest time wins, but as with all timed events the contestant gets a 10-second penalty if he leaves the chute too early.
Photo by Carol Niles Photography
Ribbon Roping
In this two-person, timed rodeo event, the roper, who starts out in the box, and the runner, who starts from another location in the arena determined by the field judge, attempt to rope a steer and take a ribbon from its tail. Once the steer comes through the barrier, the roper can use any catch to rope it, then loop the rope around their saddle horn. The runner then snatches the ribbon from the steer’s tail and sprints to the box with the barrier as the finish line.
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Brett Rojo, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Team Roping
The only team event in the rodeo, team roping features two di erent styles of lasso work. A steer leaves the chute running. After a short head start, two cowboys follow on horseback. The first must rope the animal’s head or horns to stop its forward progress, moving it into a turn. Then the second — the “heeler” — attempts to lasso the animal’s rear legs. A five-second penalty is assessed if he manages to rope only one leg. The clock is stopped when the steer is fully roped and the contestants’ two horses face one another.
Breakaway
Roping
This fast-paced event is the purest test of a cowgirl’s lasso skills. As in steer wrestling, a calf leaves the chute at a run and after a head start trips the barrier holding back the cowgirl. The contestant then gives chase and attempts to lasso the calf’s head. She has the rope tied to her saddle horn with a string and halts her horse. Time is called when the calf, which is still running, breaks the string.
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Photo by Phil Doyle
Barrel Racing
The premier women’s event in the rodeo, barrel racing is the ultimate test of speed and agility. Riders attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around the three barrels in the fastest time possible. The quickness of the clockwise and counterclockwise pivots around the barrels are crucial, as is the final sprint back to the starting line. Riders are penalized five seconds if they tip over a barrel. ✪
Photo by Phil Doyle
Saddle & Silver
There are plenty of reasons to mount up for rodeo competition, practice for countless hours and risk injury in the dusty arena. But long after the cheering has subsided and the purse is spent, the trophies taken home by champion cowboys shine on. Here are the the storied prizes riders are shooting for at the Fortuna Rodeo.
Gary Edgmon Memorial Saddle
The Gary Edgmon Memorial Saddle is awarded to the top local all-around cowboy. Competitors must reside in Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity or Mendocino counties to qualify for this award. Edgmon was the owner of Ferndale Meat Co. and a member of the Fortuna Rodeo Board for many years. He was in charge of the rodeo’s deep pit barbecue while on the board and he served up a great meal. Edgmon passed away in 1998 and a memorial saddle has been given in his name ever since. He was a lifetime Fortuna resident known for his lighthearted humor and giving personality. American AgCredit, the Edgmon Famly, and Sequoia Gas Co. are proud to sponsor this award.
Fred Barry
Memorial Buckle
The Fred Barry Memorial Buckle, named after one of the larger figures in Fortuna Rodeo lore, is awarded yearly to the Humboldt County top hand. Born and raised in Humboldt County, Barry was a cowboy and rancher. He won the all-around cowboy award at the 1941 Fortuna Rodeo and would later go on to have a successful rodeo career on the national circuit, competing in many of the big rodeos, including the Cheyenne Frontier Days, Pendelton Roundup and the Calgary Stampede. After retiring from rodeo, Fred ran a successful cattle ranching operation in Loleta and continued to be a big supporter of the Fortuna Rodeo. The Fred Barry Memorial Buckle carries on his spirit, sponsored by his son Patrick Barry
Tom McWhorter Memorial All-Around Buckle
This buckle is presented to the Fortuna Rodeo’s all-around cowboy. Mobley Construction proudly sponsors this award.
Rodeo has always been a McWhorter family tradition. For 54 years, Tom McWhorter served on the Fortuna Rodeo Board, enjoying the sport and camaraderie that are part of the cowboy way of life. From 2005 until 2012, Tom’s family granted the Tom McWhorter Rodeo Scholarship to local high school rodeo participants in the California High School Rodeo Association.
Tom grew up on a ranch in Yager Creek and always enjoyed going to the high school rodeos, watching the young people develop their skills and grow into world-class athletes. “District Two has had a number of state and college champions who started in the local high school rodeo circuit,” said McWhorter’s son Ted, who continues the family’s rodeo tradition working for West Coast Rodeo Co. “We have an excellent reputation for outstanding competitors from our district.” ✪
Runners taking off from the starting line. For all results and more photos, visit.6rrc.com.
Rodeo Runners Sprint Their Way to Fun
By Meg Wall-Wild
The smiling volunteers of the Six Rivers Running Club have your number. It’s the one they will hand you when you sign in for the 5K Fortuna Rodeo Run/Walk (Redwood Cafe parking lot, 12th and Main streets). Register online as you lounge in bed or arrive at least 40 minutes before the 9 a.m. Sunday, July 12 start time. Registration is free for club members, or $10 for those who just want to breeze up and down Fortuna waving at the crowd. Not a member? Not a problem! Join the club for $32.80 ($54 for families).
The Fortuna Rodeo Run/Walk has been held, in one form or another,
since 1983. That’s a lot of rubber hitting the road! Last year, Juan Ornelas put in a quick 17:59 with a serious look of determination to make it a two-fer this year. Karen Kidwell kicked up her heels to cross the line with a cool 22:26. Although some serious speed demons lead the way, this family event is a fun one. How sweet to have your toddler’s hand in yours so you can walk side by side until the lure of the stroller takes hold. Or bring up the rear as you watch your offspring outpace you in a game of friendly sibling rivalry. Check that closet. You might need a new pair of running shoes just to keep up. ✪
Photos courtesy of Six Rivers Running Club
Karen Kidwell was the first woman across the finsh line with a time of 22:26.
Juan Ornelas was first to cross the finish line at 17:59.
One Hundred Years of Fortuna Rodeo
By Susan J.P. O’Hara and Alex Service
During the long history of the Fortuna Rodeo, many “firsts” have marked new ideas and new ways of building community involvement. Some of these firsts became treasured annual events; others lasted only a few years. Some became Fortuna Rodeo lore, preserving the memory of past rodeo heroes and setting standards for present competitors to achieve or surpass.
Chief among all “Fortuna Rodeo firsts” is the first Fortuna Rodeo itself, held at the newly created Rohner Park on August 27 and 28, 1921. It was sponsored by the Humboldt County Stockmen’s Association as entertainment for their annual picnic. Cowboys put on riding exhibitions to thrill the audience as well as some actual contests with local cowboys riding alongside Ty Stokes and Jesse Stahl, two well-known African American riders who were among the best rodeoers of the 1920s. Jesse Stahl was posthumously recognized for his abili-
ties in 1979 when he was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame, and he was the first of the many future Hall of Famers who rode at the Fortuna Rodeo.
By 1925, the local businessmen became involved in the rodeo, ensuring its position as one of Fortuna’s summer festivities. In 1927, the businessmen created the first Fortuna Rodeo parade, described at the time as a “historical pageant.” The parade featured an ox cart, a covered wagon and a stagecoach, with parade participants dressed as figures from California’s past such as padres and aristocrats from Spanish California, gold miners and pioneers. Members of the Hupa Tribe performed their White Deerskin Dance in what is believed to be the first time since 1879 that the dance was performed in public. Another first from 1927 was the first Fortuna Rodeo queen contest, won by Maxine Gould.
The first rodeo sponsored solely by
the Fortuna Businessmen’s Association was held in 1930. The stockmen felt they could no longer support the rodeo financially, due to the stock market crash of 1929. The Fortuna Rodeo made it through the first years of the Great Depression, but ultimately was canceled due to the economic hard times in 1934 and 1935. However, the rodeo returned with renewed vigor in 1936. At this time the “penny scramble” became a feature of Rodeo Week. This event is now for children only, but when it began, it was open to everyone (thanks to the Depression, most people could use a bit of extra pocket money). Also in the late 1930s, the Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department became involved with the rodeo, sponsoring the traditional Saturday night dance. The rodeo returned to its preeminence on the Professional Rodeo circuit, with riders such as Hall of Famer and National Champion Johnnie Schneider riding and roping at the event. The year 1941 marked a Fortuna
Rodeo high point when renowned rodeo photographer DeVere Helfrich attended and captured the action, his photographs chronicling national competitors as well as regional riders such as local favorite Clarence Bugenig.
In 1942, the Fortuna Businessmen decided to cancel the rodeo in order to focus on the war effort. However, that year a one-day amateur rodeo was sponsored by the Fortuna unit of the Women’s Ambulance and Defense Corps. The women used the money raised at this rodeo for purchasing an ambulance for local use during World War II. In 1943, the Armed Forces requested that the rodeo not be held, since if an emergency caused the highway to be closed, rodeo attendees would be stranded. Also, many of the local businessmen, as well as the cowboys themselves, were serving in the Armed Forces. With the end of the war, the rodeo resumed in 1946. Many favorite events
Photo courtesy of the Depot Museum
returned, such as the penny scramble (which had now become a kids-only event), a carnival, dances and a large parade.
A major first for the Fortuna Rodeo came in 1951, when the Fortuna Rodeo Association was formed, with a board made up of equal numbers from the Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department and the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce. The by-laws developed by the Association, which are still followed today, state that once expenses are paid, all funds raised by the rodeo will be used to maintain and improve facilities at Rohner Park.
The 1953 rodeo was the official celebration of the City of Fortuna’s “Diamond Jubilee” 75th anniversary. This year may also have been the first to feature a grand marshal for the Fortuna Rodeo parade. In 1953 the parade’s marshal was Captain Leroy Gates, who served as an air force pilot in both WWII and the Korean War and was one of the founders of the Rohnerville Airport. A rodeo tradition begun in 1953 was a pancake breakfast during Rodeo Weekend. This event was first sponsored by the women’s service organization the Quota Club, then by the Business and Professional Women’s Association from 1959 onward, and then
from 1997 by the Fortuna chapter of the Kiwanis Club.
In 1954, Clarence Bugenig won the local champion saddle. The year 1954 also saw the final professional rodeo held in Fortuna. In 1955, the Rodeo Association decided the Fortuna Rodeo would become an amateurs-only event. They hired Dick Hemsted to provide the stock animals, which Hemsted Rodeos continued to do into the 1990s. The 1950s also saw the return of the deep-pit rodeo barbecue and the queen contest. The first Fortuna Rodeos back in the 1920s had featured free barbecues, with stockmen donating the animals, but now the Rodeo Association charged a small admission fee for the ever-popular meal created by a team of volunteers led by “Super-Chef” Nat Evans, inventor of a secret blend of meat-seasoning spices. To this day, the beloved tradition of the Fortuna Rodeo barbecue continues, made possible by dedicated volunteers and featuring a closely-guarded secret recipe.
In 1964, Al Cooper won the first of his four local champion saddles and in 1965, Charlie Rodriquez won the first of his five local championships.
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Photo courtesy of the Depot Museum
History of the Fortuna Rodeo
These two men would remain the competitors with the highest number of local champion wins at the Fortuna Rodeo until Casey Minton achieved an astounding nine local champion saddles in the early 2000s. Popular Rodeo Week events in downtown Fortuna in the 1960s included street dances, a greased pole climbing contest, greased pig contest and an orange crate race, first sponsored by the Fortuna Junior Chamber of Commerce (the Jaycees) in 1966.
In the late 1960s, the tradition began of the Volunteer Fire Department hosting a Firemen’s Games event on Main Street during Rodeo Week. For three years in the 1970s, Rodeo Week festivities included a children’s parade. Youngsters from the Strehl and Ryles families were among the frequent winners of children’s parade awards for entries like their “Five Little Ducks” in the 1974 “Disneyland of the West” kiddies’ parade. In 1975, a horseshoe-pitching competition became part of the Rodeo Week lineup, and around this same time, bicycle races were added to the week’s activities. Also for the first time in 1975, a volunteer Fortuna Rodeo Band was created to take part in the rodeo parade, composed of students from the local schools along with other community members. In 1976, the year of the United States’ Bicentennial celebrations, the Jaycees sponsored their first Fortuna Rodeo Tennis Tournament, which would be part of the annual events until the early 1990s. The Rodeo Association declared that 1979’s event would be the 50th anniversary rodeo, although later re-calculation led to the conclusion that this milestone was actually a few years off. (Matters were complicated by the several years without a Fortuna Rodeo during the Great Depression and World War II, and by disagreement about which events had been official Fortuna Rodeos.) As part of the official celebrations of the rodeo’s first 50 years, a Friday night fireworks display became part of Rodeo Week, remaining a highlight of the festivities until 1986. In 1980, for the first time, Outhouse Races were added to the Rodeo Week fun. This rip-roaring event continued until 1985 and later was re-introduced for several more years in the early 2000s. Early in the 1980s, the merchants of the new
Redwood Village Mall began sponsoring Rodeo Week entertainments, and during this decade, Redwood Village would become the location for the kids’ activities on the Tuesday of Rodeo Week.
A major milestone took place in 1984: for the first time, the winner of the local all-around champion saddle was a woman. Suzi Fusi captured the honor only one year after riding in her first rodeo (at the Fortuna Rodeo in 1983). Fusi also won the Pro Rodeo California Cowboys Association’s 1984 award for Rookie of the Year. In the first 100 years of the Fortuna Rodeo, two other competitors have joined Suzi Fusi in the ranks of women who have been Fortuna’s local all-around champions: Sherry Luman in 1988 and Jennifer Renner in 2019.
Foot races through town had joined the Rodeo Week lineup in or around 1980, and by 1984, the annual Fortuna Rodeo Fun Run was sponsored by the Six Rivers Running Club. Two beloved Fortuna Rodeo traditions came into being in 1986: the “kidnapped tourists” trial and the chili cook-off. The first tourists to be “kidnapped” and treated to a free weekend of rodeo-themed hospitality were Al and Raylene Key, a honeymooning couple from Vermont. Tourists continued to be “kidnapped” as part of the Rodeo Week shindigs until the final abduction of a vacationing family during the rodeo celebrations in 2016. The first chili cook-off took place in the parking lot of Del’s Liquors and Deli on Fortuna Boulevard; in later years the event would move to its current downtown location on Main Street. A major difference between the early chili cook-offs and the event we know today was a lack of beans: the “Fortuna Rodeo Chili Society” declared that “true chili” consists of “any kind of meat, or combinations of meats, cooked with chili peppers, various other spices and other ingredients, with the exception of items such as beans or spaghetti which are strictly forbidden.” Also in 1986, the Rodeo Association unveiled the first annual Country Music Showdown at the rodeo grounds. For several years, the showdown would be a highlight of Friday night’s events.
An “ugly dog contest” was introduced in Rodeo Week 1988, and took place for several years. Cyrus Comer’s Dalmatian/
English bulldog mix Jeremiah was the first pooch to be proclaimed Fortuna’s ugliest dog; in subsequent years Charlie Washburn’s scruffy little canine Rambo would be Jeremiah’s biggest rival for the title.
The biggest Fortuna Rodeo first of the 1990s was the creation in 1994 of a junior rodeo, the Fortuna Junior Round-Up. The event would grow to become one of the biggest and most popular junior rodeos in the northwest. In the late 1990s, Fortuna’s own West Coast Rodeo Co. inherited the mantle of the Hemsted Rodeo Company, becoming the stock contractor for the Fortuna Rodeo.
In the year 2000, the Rodeo Association decided to change the way past rodeos were counted. Things had gotten confusing over the years, with disagreements about the number of years in which no Fortuna Rodeo took place. From 2000 onward, the rodeos have been reckoned by the number of years since 1921’s first Fortuna Rodeo. This change created what might seem to be a case of time travel: 1999’s Fortuna Rodeo was advertised as the 70th annual rodeo, and 2000’s was the 79th. In 2002, the Association introduced “Family Night” at the rodeo grounds as a highlight of Rodeo Week’s Friday, with kid-focused activities such as piñatas and an “animal scramble.” Over the next few years, Friday’s activities morphed into the wild competition known as the Quadiators, and Friday became Motorsports Night at the Fortuna Rodeo.
The year 2006 brought another Fortuna first: the tradition of commissioning an original artwork each year to illustrate the rodeo’s posters and program. Don Brown, who was then the Rodeo Association member in charge of advertising, brought the idea to Fortuna. The first Fortuna Rodeo painting, by Arcata artist Forest Stearns, shows Ben McWhorter bullriding, with Roy Curless and Tom McWhorter among the spectators.
In 2013, a new event joined Saturday night’s lineup: Bands, Bulls and Brews (another b-word, Broncs, would later be added to the title). That first Bands, Bulls and Brews also featured a game of “cowboy poker,” pitting card-players in the arena against a bull: the last player to leave the table, after the bull had chased all the other players away, was the winner. Among the most recent Fortuna Rodeo firsts, in 2017, the elite bullfighting cadre Bullfighters Only, based in San Antonio, Texas, became the central attraction during Friday night’s festivities.
Some Fortuna Rodeo firsts are far less welcome than others. In 2020, due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, what would have been the 99th anniversary Fortuna Rodeo instead became the first Fortuna Rodeo to be cancelled since the end of World War II.
Since almost the very beginnings of the Fortuna Rodeo, it has been traditional for rodeo organizers to declare that the next year’s rodeo will be “bigger and better” than the one before. In 2021, for the 100th anniversary rodeo, a bigger and better rodeo again takes its rightful place as one of the greatest annual celebrations of life in the Friendly City of Fortuna. ✪
Historians Susan J.P. O’Hara and Alex Service are the authors of In and Around the Arena: The 100 Year History of the Fortuna Rodeo. The book, featuring over 800 photographs from the collections of local community members and museums, is available at the Fortuna Depot Museum and other local stores.
