Story and Pictures by Dr. Yvonne D. Nelson THE 2019 BILL PICKETT INVITATIONAL RODEO RETURNS TO MEMPHIS The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo was created and managed by promoter Lu Vason (1939 - 2015) who didn’t believe people were fully aware of the role black cowboys had played in the history of the United States. In 1977, while attending the Wyoming Cheyenne Frontier Days, Vason was aroused when no black cowboys were participants in the event. His revelation led to the creation, in 1984, of the all-black rodeo that he named after the legendary black cowboy Willie M. “Bill” Pickett (1870 - 1932), a rodeo performer he learned about while visiting the Black American West Museum of History in Denver, CO, and the person who originated the art of “bulldogging,” a move in which the cowboy rides alongside a steer eventually jumping onto its shoulders and wrestling the steer to the ground while digging his heels into the soft ground. Currently known as steer wrestling, it is one of, if not the most loved event performed in rodeos today. Now in its 35th year, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is a popular traveling series that reaches over 130,000 spectators annually across the United States. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo with “live black cowboys and black cowgirls doing that rodeo thing” arrived in Memphis April 5-6, 2019. The event was held at the Agricenter ShowPlace Arena, 105 South Germantown Parkway. On Friday morning the hour-long “Rodeo for Kidz Sake” show featuring youth and adult riders tie down roping calves, bareback riding, bull-dogging (steer wrestling), bull riding, barrel racing, and more began at 10:30 am. Spanky the Clown took center stage to keep the crowd entertained throughout the event. Children from various schools attended, cheered, danced, and enjoyed learning about and watching the black cowboys and cowgirls perform various stunts on horses. The full Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo followed Saturday evening at 7. Designed to celebrate and honor black cowboys and cowgirls and their many contributions to building the west, the event serves as a cultural event that provides families an opportunity to enjoy and to embrace the cowboy culture while being educated and entertained with western adventure. Information on the Bill Pickett Memorial Scholarship Fund (BPMSF), the schedule of events and more is available online at The Greatest Show on Dirt! The National Office is located at 5829 South Quintero Circle, Centennial, CO 80015, phone (303) 373-1246. They can be reached by email or by emailing the local Coordinator Ms. Kitty or phoning her at (901) 487-4722. 4
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