PRESTON – This year there is a new twist to That Famous Preston Night Rodeo. The Rodeo Queens are sisters. Julian Christensen, 16, is this year’s Queen and her sister Greenlee, 14, is the Jr. Queen. The two locals have earned their place in Preston’s rodeo history.
Cheryl Kimball, a member of the rodeo committee, said they deserved it.
“I’ve been involved in our rodeo forever and a day, and this is the first time I can remember that the Queen and Jr. Queen were local and sisters,” she said. “We’ve had relatives, but I think this is the first time we’ve had sisters.”
“They deserved it. They were judged by three good judges,” she added. “We had six contestants, and the Christensen girls actually nailed the interview and the horsemanship part of the competition.”
There have been relatives that have been Queen and Jr. Queen but never sisters.
“This is a cool experience being part of this rodeo,” Julian said. “We will represent the people we know and love in our hometown.”
She has competed in Jr. High and High School Rodeo roping events.
Greenlee enjoys pushing cows on their Birch Creek ranch rather than competing in an arena.
“I’m excited we could do this together,” Greenlee said. “It was a tough to compete against the other girls, but I’m happy with the way it turned out.”
That Famous Preston Night Rodeo begins Thursday, Aug. 1 and runs through Saturday, Aug. 3. That Famous Preston Night Rodeo claims to be the oldest night rodeo on this side of the Mississippi River.
Each of the three nights the pre-rodeo events start at 8 p.m.
The Famous Preston Night Rodeo started in 1934 and has been going every year since, except for one year during the war and one year during COVID.
This battle of livestock and cowboys is Franklin County’s biggest event and celebration of the year. There are three full days of parades, horses, ropes, barrels, and bulls. Year after year there are loads of action, entertainment, carnival rides, food trucks, and sidewalk sales for visitors to enjoy.
This rodeo attracts some of the biggest names in the industry and they have increased the seating capacity to 6,100 new seats so more people can experience the fun.
Each night the rodeo has a theme. Thursday is “Man Up: Domestic Abuse Awareness and Prevention.” Color is purple.
Friday is “Patriot Night.” Color is red, white and blue. Saturday is “Celebrate Cowboy Night.”
This year’s rodeo parade begins at 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. This year’s Grand Marshals are Steve and Myrna Fuller.
JJ Harrison is back as the barrel man and clown. He’s one of the most sought after barrel men in the rodeo business. He is as much of an improvisor and stand up comedian than he is a barrel man.
There is a chuckwagon breakfast from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m.
Last year the Preston rodeo was inducted to the Idaho Rodeo Hall of Fame.
For more information on That Famous Preston Night Rodeo go to prestonrodeo.com.