Heart of the North Spooner Rodeo

Heart of the North Spooner Rodeo Spooner Rodeo (Est. 1954) brings exciting professional rodeo entertainment to Spooner, Wisconsin every July
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Since 1954, Spooner Rodeo has guaranteed -- and delivered -- the biggest thrills, spills and outright excitement that professional rodeo can offer. Every year at Spooner, top-ranked competitors pit their skills against the clock and Barnes Company's biggest, roughest and wiliest stock in pro rodeo's most exciting events: bareback and saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, bull riding and team roping. Spooner Rodeo is world-class competition that you have got to see. Tickets should be purchased in advance by calling (800) 367-3306 or by stopping by the Washburn County Information Center at 122 North River St. in Spooner, just north of the stoplights at the junction of Hwys 63 & 70. For more information about the Heart of the North Spooner Rodeo, please visit their website at www.spoonerrodeo.com.

Today, we pause with heavy hearts to remember September 11, 2001. A day that forever changed our nation.We honor the inn...
09/11/2026

Today, we pause with heavy hearts to remember September 11, 2001. A day that forever changed our nation.

We honor the innocent lives lost, the heroes who ran toward danger, and the families who continue to carry an unimaginable loss. May we never forget their courage and sacrifice, or the strength and unity our country showed in the days that followed.

We remember. We honor. We will never forget.

This Labor Day, we proudly celebrate the hardworking men and women who built this great nation and continue to keep it m...
09/07/2026

This Labor Day, we proudly celebrate the hardworking men and women who built this great nation and continue to keep it moving forward. 🇺🇸

From our farmers and ranchers to our first responders, small-business owners, tradespeople, and everyone in between, we are grateful for the dedication, strength, and determination that make our communities strong.

We’re proud to be American, thankful for our freedoms, and honored to celebrate the hardworking spirit that is at the heart of rodeo.

Happy Labor Day from your Spooner Rodeo Family! ❤️🤍💙

🎟️ ONE MONTH TO GO! 🎟️In just ONE MONTH, tickets for the Spooner Rodeo officially go on sale! Get ready for action-packe...
09/05/2026

🎟️ ONE MONTH TO GO! 🎟️

In just ONE MONTH, tickets for the Spooner Rodeo officially go on sale! Get ready for action-packed performances and another exciting weekend at the Spooner Rodeo!

Set those reminders, you won’t want to miss your chance to grab your tickets! 🎟️🐎

We’ve been a little quiet around here… but don’t worry, we haven’t hung up our hats! 🤠🐎The rodeo dust may have settled, ...
08/26/2026

We’ve been a little quiet around here… but don’t worry, we haven’t hung up our hats! 🤠🐎

The rodeo dust may have settled, but the Spooner Rodeo spirit never does. ❤️

We’re already looking forward to more rodeo memories, good times, and seeing all of you back at the arena!

Until then… who else is missing rodeo season already?! 🙋‍♀️🤠

08/14/2026

Our Spooner Rodeo Royalty spent some time thanking a few of the incredible sponsors who help make our rodeo possible. 🤠 While this video doesn't feature everyone, we're grateful for each and every sponsor who supports our tradition! ❤️

Meet some of the faces behind the scenes! 🤠While the spotlight shines in the arena, it's our incredible volunteers who k...
08/10/2026

Meet some of the faces behind the scenes! 🤠

While the spotlight shines in the arena, it's our incredible volunteers who keep the Spooner Rodeo running from start to finish. Their hard work, dedication, and countless hours make it all possible.

Thank you to every volunteer who helps make the magic happen! ❤️👏

If you're heading to National Night Out tonight, be sure to stop by and meet Spooner Rodeo Queen Samantha and Princess A...
08/04/2026

If you're heading to National Night Out tonight, be sure to stop by and meet Spooner Rodeo Queen Samantha and Princess Arianna!

📍 Springbrook VFW Post 10568
🕔 5:00–8:00 PM

They'd love to meet you, say hello, and share all things rodeo! Whether you're a longtime rodeo fan or just getting to know the Spooner Rodeo tradition, be sure to stop by and visit with our amazing ambassadors.

We hope to see you there! ❤️🤍💙🐎

📷: Jeannine Anne Warnke

08/04/2026

He and his sister started with a truck, a dream and a string of rough stock in Peterson Iowa. Then they supplied the National Finals Rodeo every single year from the very first one ever held — and never missed a single edition across the entire history of the event.

Born April 19 1929 in Cherokee Iowa, Bob Barnes grew up competing as an amateur ba****ck rider and bull rider before the idea of producing rodeos even crossed his mind. Then in 1950 he and his sister Marjorie looked at each other and decided they could do it themselves. They produced their first professional show after Bob came home from serving in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. By 1953 the Barnes Rodeo Company hit the road with a full string of stock. The longest-running individually owned and operated stock contracting company in the history of professional rodeo had begun — in a pickup truck on the Iowa plains.

They called him the Colonel. Not because anyone gave him that title officially. Because of the way he carried himself. The way he ran his operation. The way he prided himself on being able to produce exactly what he advertised — a top professional rodeo — every single time without exception.

In 1959 when the National Finals Rodeo opened its gates for the very first time in Dallas Texas, Bob Barnes loaded his rough stock into trailers and brought them south. He came back in 1960. Then 1961. Then every single year across every city the NFR ever called home — Dallas Los Angeles Oklahoma City Las Vegas. Every venue. Every edition. Not one missed. Of the thousands of stock contractors across the entire history of professional rodeo only two can claim stock at every single NFR since the inaugural event in 1959. Bob Barnes is one of them.
His horses were as legendary as the company itself. Crystal Springs was the 1977 PRCA Bucking Horse of the Year. Boy Ballou — purchased as a weanling for just $400 in 1979 — went on to buck off the likes of Ty Murray Dan Mortensen and Billy Etbauer across a career that made him one of the most celebrated ba****ck horses in NFR history. He won NFR Ba****ck Bronc of the Year in 1989 1990 1991 and 1993. Cat Power carried Chet Johnson to a 91 point ride at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Animals raised with the Barnes brand competed at the highest level the sport had to offer.

He served on the PRCA Board of Directors for years and on the National Finals Rodeo Committee — a man who understood that the business of rodeo required the same care and commitment that every performance demanded. His wife Donita ran the operation alongside him from the very beginning — and when she passed away was posthumously awarded the inaugural PRCA Lifetime Achievement Award for contract personnel. The award was renamed in her honor in 2012.

Their children Marty Mitzi and John — whose initials gave the family's second company MJM Rodeo its name — carry the Barnes banner forward today into the third and fourth generations. The same company that started with a truck and a dream in Peterson Iowa now supplies roughly stock for as many as 50 rodeos a year across 18 states and still shows up every December in Las Vegas.
He passed away in 2013 at 84 years old. His eldest son Marty said he had spent his final days asking questions about the upcoming NFR. He just went to sleep. Still thinking about rodeo at the very end.

PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year in 1984. ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1994. National Rodeo Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

A Cherokee Iowa kid. A Marine. A sister named Marjorie. A truck full of rough stock. And a perfect attendance record at every National Finals Rodeo ever held.

That was Bob Barnes — The Colonel. 🤠🐴🏆

Address

Spooner, WI
54801

Telephone

+18003673306

Website

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