87th Annual Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo
Our 2024 Events
Whistle-Nut & Ole
The Whistle-Nut & Ole Rodeo Team is a professional PRCA rodeo specialty act. Whistle-Nut aka Jason Dent is the barrel man and Ole is Whistle-Nut's trained bull. Together, with a team of fighting bulls, Whistle-Nut & Ole perform in the U.S. and Canada for some of the most crowd entertaining shows in professional rodeo.
Whistle-Nut (Jason) is the entertainer, barrel man, clown, and stuntman. He offers comedy, stunts, personal interaction with the crowd and options for promotion before and after the rodeos. Jason was also featured on CBS's reality show Big Brother 19 in 2017.
Ole is a trained bull that Whistle-Nut can ride like a horse.
Sweetheart and Wrangler
Friday, June 28 at 5:30pm at the American Legion
Will Rogers Memorial Rodoe Queen and Princess Contest
Saturday, June 29th at 6:00pm inside the arena
There are 7 princesses and 5 queens vying for the title this year.
Championship Pro Rodeo
Championship Pro Rodeo is proudly bringing you the championship legacy that is PRCA Pro Rodeo like never seen before! With dedication to bringing rodeo fans action-packed, non-stop, rodeo entertainment that will leave you wanting more... the new and improved Championship Pro Rodeo will bring fans to the edge of their seat.
Championship prides themselves on working with the best cowboys in the game to bring you animal athletes that they love to compete on. With innovative ideas like sponsored athletes, paying the way for permit riders, and putting on schools to raise the next generation, we are upping the ante on what it takes to be at the top of the rodeo game.
Not only is Championship Pro Rodeo one of the elite rodeo producers in the Great Lakes Circuit, but their superb award-winning stock has been featured far and wide from coast to coast as well as at the super bowl of rodeo - the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. America is alive and well and we aim to bring you a little piece of the wild west- so hang on tight because it's gonna be a wild ride!
Our 2024 Royalty
Our Gallery
Our Sponsors
Our Gold Sponsors
Austin Brown Ins Agency Inc
24/7 on the water assistance
(918) 782-8600
Post Commanders Note
We, the members of the American Legion, Post#40 of Vinita, are proud to sponsor the 87th Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo and extend a cordial invitation to enjoy one of the finest rodeos in the country. As Commander of our post, I am proud of all of the Legionnaires, Auxiliary, and Son's members, our community members who work and live in the Vinita and surrounding areas and volunteer their time to make this event a success each year. To all of you I say thank you. To our sponsors, we extend an invitation for you to partner with us as we implement changes leading up to our 90th Rodeo in 2027. The Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo is more than a rodeo, it is our way of celebrating our past history and looking forward to the future. Please help us with your generous support in keeping our tradition alive and well for generations to come.
Thank you,
BJ Floyd - Commander
Meet Our Rodeo Chairman
Hello, my name is Bobby Long and I am honored to be your 87th Annual Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo Chairman. We are excited about changes we are working on to make this the "Best Rodeo in Oklahoma". The Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo is a nonprofit event whose mission is to promote agriculture by hosting an annual, family-friendly experience that entertains the public about our community history and the western way of life. As a long time volunteer myself, and someone who has family ties to Rodeo, it is especially meaningful to see our community and rodeo family come together to keep our tradition alive. Our Rodeo Committee is working hard to make this event a continued success. Our volunteers are a reflection of our community. I could not be more proud of all the support. As the largest event that happens in our community, change is inevitable. We invite you and your business to be a part of the change as we are building to our 90th year Anniversary in 2027. No donation is too big or too small. We appreciate each and everyone and look forward to our 87th Annual Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo.
Thank you,
Bobby Long - Rodeo Chairman
Our History
Will Rogers was born in 1879 at a ranch house on the Verdigris River and the only towns that existed nearby Vinita, Indian Territory (which later became Oklahoma), and Coffeyville, Kansas. After his mother died in 1890, Will was sent to several schools away from the ranch, but the one he grew to like the most was Willie Halsell College located in Vinita. He attended three terms, from 1892 until 1895 and he never forgot his happy days he spent there or friends he made. Years later, while attending a school reunion in 1934, Will Rogers told the Vinita folks, "Have a rodeo here next year and I'll come back." He returned that fall for the old-timer's parade, but on August 15th, 1935 just days before the rodeo, Will Rogers and famed pilot Wiley Post were both tragically killed in a plane crash. It was decided that the Vinita rodeo would be held as a memorial to Vinita's cherished "son" Will Rogers, as it has been every year since. The Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo has become one of the most outstanding rodeos in the entire southwest.