The Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair is a wrap.
The May long weekend saw the rodeo celebrated its 69th year to go along with the 127th year of family fun at the country fair.
More than 85,000 fairgoers attended the Country Fair, and more than 23,000 rodeo fans attended the five days of rodeo performances.
Strong weather helped the rodeo performances take place in front of some of the strongest crowds in decades. Even with the added seating, the rodeo saw two back-to-back sell-outs for Saturday and Sunday afternoon performances, and a near sold-out stadium on Monday as well.
The country fair showcased the world’s top skateboarders for the fourth annual World Freestyle Round-Up skateboarding competition, where riders representing ten nations competed.
Other attractions included the inaugural West Fine Art Show, Richards Racers Pig Racing, West Coast Lumberjack Show, the Cone Zone, and a new BC Country Music Association outdoor music pavilion.
On the rodeo grounds, winners split more than $325,000 in prize money.
Jessy Davis walked away with the $20,000 first place prize, dominating bareback riding all weekend and finishing off strong with a score of 89 on Monday.
Tyrell Larsen dominated the saddle bronc competition from start to finish, winning $20,000 in the final.
Kamloops native Julie Leggett rode to victory in ladies barrel racing with an impressive time of 16.195 seconds.
The 2014 Cloverdale Rodeo bull riding champ Steve Woolsey once again takes the grand prize of $44,000 with a score of 86.5.
He will be going home with a total of $46,800 for the weekend as well as the title of 2015 Cloverdale Rodeo bull riding champion.
Skateboarders extraordinaire
Gathering top pro and amateur freestyle skateboarders from around the world, the World Freestyle Round-Up took place inside the Cloverdale Curling Rink, featuring a flawless concrete floor that is ideal for flatland freestyle skateboarding.
The final day saw every competitor stepping up their game big time with White Rock native Andy Anderson taking first place in the Amateur Division, and Surrey locals Dillanger Kane and Chadd Sinclair rounding out fifth and 10th place, respectively.
Last year’s first place amateur winner, 12-year-old Isamu Yamamoto from Japan, took fourth place in the World Roundup, competing for his first time in the Pro Division.
Ultimately, it was Guenter Mokulys from Berlin who cleaned up the competition taking home the Pro division First Place win.