Rodeo Board & About Us

The Newport Rodeo finds its home in the Pend Oreille River Valley in scenic Pend Oreille County, Washington. It originated on the Cusick flats in 1935 with a group of local ranchers and farmers that called themselves the Hoot Owl Gang. In 1949, they formed the Pend Oreille County Rodeo Association and joined the Rodeo Cowboys Association. The rodeo continued to be held in Cusick at The Pend Oreille County Fairgrounds until 1956, when it moved to the city of Newport and started being held at the McNeil Memorial Field. After 44 years as the Pend Oreille County Rodeo Association and a member of the now PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association), there came another change.

In 1993, the association changed its name to the Newport Rodeo Association, moved the rodeo date from August to June, and became affiliated with the Pro West (Professional Western Rodeo Association) for 27 years. During our time as a Pro West Rodeo, we accomplished many feats, such as hosting the Association Finals Rodeo to sellout crowds in 1996 & 1997. We were also selected by the Contestants and the Board of Directors as “Best Rodeo of the Year” many times, as a matter of fact, 8 times between 2009 and 2018. In 2019, the association reached another benchmark with its 70^th Anniversary Rodeo Performances and was once again named the Pro West Rodeo Association’s “Contestants’ Choice” Rodeo of the Year.

It then became clear to our association that it was again time to make a change; we had set our sights on once again becoming a “PRCA” rodeo. In 2020, we were all set to have our first PRCA rodeo in 27 years when the COVID-19 pandemic hit us, and for the first time in the association’s history, we were forced to cancel our rodeo. Now in 2021, we kicked open the bucking chutes to sold-out crowds. In “2022, ’23, & ’24,” we also hosted sellout crowds and were honored with the award for “Second Best Small Rodeo of the Year” in the PRCA’s Columbia River Circuit, which contains 58 rodeos within the circuit, in only our second year back! On to more changes in 2023, we installed new arena lights and added the use of a giant video board during our rodeo, which was live-streamed on the Cowboy Channel Plus App for the first time, along with several other facility upgrades.

In 2024, we celebrated by “Kicking Open New Bucking Chutes” during our 75^th Anniversary Rodeo! Now, as we approach our 77^th anniversary in 2026, we hope you will consider joining us once again on our fantastic ride as we continue to “Kick Open the Chutes” on the 4^th weekend of June!

June 25th, 26th & 27th, 2026!

“NOW THREE DAYS”

“Experience Newport”

“Experience Rodeo”

“Newport Experience Rodeo”