Brash Rodeo in Columbia Falls in full swing for the summer

COLUMBIA FALLS — It’s officially summer and that means it’s officially rodeo season.

Fans and competitors from across the Treasure State came to the weekly Brash Rodeo in Columbia Falls this week to get a taste of the action.

“It’s pretty crazy, but I love it, it’s really exciting,” said Ryder Cunningham, a native of Kenai, Alaska. “I have a lot of respect for athletes. I just love it when people come out and you know they put their lives on the line a little bit too. It’s very impressive. It’s scary work and it’s hard work.”

And one of those participants who risked his life was 9-year-old bareback rider Tristan Hutchinson from Grasmere, British Columbia.

“Actually my first ride was here,” said a proud Hutchinson, who won a check for $52. “I came second.”

Bryson Carter has been with the Brash Rodeo for three years. When it comes to the crowds he sees every Thursday night all summer long, he knows they can’t be beat.

“The crowd is beautiful, I love the people,” Carter said. “I really like the crowd, they are very energetic.”

And two of those audience members were the Dunne sisters, who live in Columbia Falls and have been coming to the Brash Rodeo every summer for years.

“Everyone here is nicer and more bubbly,” Ashley Dunne said. “And they make you feel at home.”

Her younger sister Jordyn shared a similar sentiment about all the wonderful people in attendance, but know that there is nothing better than the thrill of rodeo.

“The adrenaline,” the younger Dunne sister said, smiling. “It’s crazy to look at people and how crazy they are about animals.”

As for Cunningham, who attended his first-ever rodeo, his expectations were exceeded.

“It’s different than I thought it was, and again I had virtually no idea about it about an hour and a half ago,” Cunningham said.

“But I definitely say it surpassed them. I was really surprised by the amount of energy there is. I thought there would be a little more quiet, but it’s really something different, you know, you have to see it.”

The Brash Rodeo will continue to provide the perfect place for rodeo fans to get some hollering and hollering every Thursday night at the Blue Moon Arena between Whitefish and Columbia Falls for the rest of the summer.