Bullfighter Barry named Sisters Rodeo Parade grand marshal

Sisters Rodeo said Friday it has selected bullfighter Rowdy Barry as the 2018 grand marshal of the rodeo parade to honor his decades of dedication to the sport and 25 years of “membership” in the Sisters Rodeo family.

Barry is retiring from bullfighting after the 2018 rodeo season.

“Sisters is a special rodeo for me, beginning with Smets, but it is also like coming home,” Barry explained. “I’ve watched kids grow up at Sisters just as the membership has watched mine grow. And Sisters Rodeo is where I met my wife.”

A rancher in Kennewick, Washington, Barry has also served as the President of the Columbia River Circuit Rodeo for the last six years.

Barry’s rodeo job is to protect bull riders from bulls after their attempt at eight second rides. The job requires great athleticism, instincts and risk, which Barry has been doing well since he was 14-years-old. In 1986, he became a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

In 2015, Barry and his bullfighting partner were instrumental in rescuing Curt Kallberg, a Sisters Rodeo chute boss. An irate bull slammed the cowboy into chute gates and began pummeling him on the ground. The quick thinking and expertise of the bullfighters prevented Kallberg from suffering more serious injuries. That’s the nature of the job.

“He’s been so dependable and done such a great job for us,” said John Leavitt, Sisters Rodeo arena director and board member. “He’s there when you need him and does anything you ask.” Leavitt reiterated that Barry is part of the Sisters rodeo family.

Barry is also an accomplished artist, whose paintings and bronze sculptures represent the life of rodeo and Western tradition.

This true cowboy grew up with a paint brush in his hands, inspired by his mother’s thought that it would help him “pass the time” in long Wyoming winters. In 1997, his wife gifted him with a sculpting class, which opened another neurological gate to creativity. His paintings and bronze artwork is shown at galleries across the United States.

Meanwhile, Sisters Rodeo is having a contest for residents of Central Oregon who would like to sing the National Anthem at a rodeo performance this year.

Any Central Oregon resident can enter the contest. The person must send a visual recording of singing the anthem to info@sistersrodeo.com by April 15. These recordings can be from cell phones or other devices or can be mailed to Sisters Rodeo Song Contest, PO Box 1018, Sisters, OR, 97759. Discs will not be returned after the contest.

There may be four different singers for the four rodeo performances from June 8-10. A youth will perform on Sunday, which is now Family Day at the rodeo.

Singers must be able to commit to a live contest performance at a date to be determined by the contest judges and Sisters Rodeo. They must also be able to commit to a sound check and orientation on Friday, June 8, during the day.

Appropriate rodeo attire is required. Performance on a horse is optional, with a horse conditioned to handle large crowds, confusion and noise. This also will require the performer to make any arrangements for transporting a horse and removing it from the grounds after the National Anthem is sung. The youth performer on Sunday must have an adult chaperone.

The contest also requires a firm commitment from each singer to be available for the performance for which that singer is assigned.

The contest entry must include name, address and telephone number, age and a brief description of experience. The singer will be performing for a crowd of over 6,000 people, so he or she must be comfortable with large crowds.

“It is hard to not get emotional in the arena after the Grand Entry and the flag have set the stage for the anthem,” said Tehan. “That’s what brings a sense of community and the patriotism we all feel, especially when people in the stands sing along.”

“I am excited for other people to have the opportunity to share that experience. I have felt so honored every year in which I have had that special moment,” she concluded.

Sisters Rodeo will begin June 6 with Xtreme Bulls, followed by four rodeo performances June 8-10. For tickets and information, call the ticket hotline at 541-549-0121 or 1-800-827-7522, or visit the ticket office at 220 W. Cascade Ave. in Sisters. For information, visit www.sistersrodeo.com.