HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Saddle bronc riding, above, and tie-down roping, below, will be two of the major events in the PRCA Rodeo, to be contested today, Saturday and Sunday in McCullough Arena. The rodeo starts at 8 p.m. both today and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Advertisement

Can't get tickets to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas?

The next best thing -- the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's appearance at the Pahrump Fall Festival -- starts at 8 p.m. today, with encores at 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in McCullough Arena.

Tickets are $12 for each performance and are available at several outlets throughout Pahrump, including the Pahrump Chamber of Commerce, Ace Hardware, Shadow Mountain Feed and Case's Country Corner.

Rodeo stock will be provided by Bar T Rodeo Co., Inc., of Chester, Utah. The announcer will be J.W. Kinder of Cody, Wyo.

It will be a full rodeo, with bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, steer roping, barrel racing and the premier event of any go-around, bull riding.

Who will compete at the rodeo has not been announced, but it's possible men and women in the top 15 in their various events could decide to show up in Pahrump.

It is the top 15 in all events which qualify for the NFR, to be contested in Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas Nov. 30-Dec. 9.

Check out the ProRodeo Cowboys World Standings in bull riding. There are daredevils from Texas, Utah, Nebraska, Idaho, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Missouri, Colorado, Washington and Kansas listed. The leader, through Tuesday, was Matt Austin of Wills Point, Texas, with $138,958, about $36,000 ahead of Sonny Murphy of Herriman, Utah.

Ranked 22nd is Pahranagat Valley's Jake Wade, who has earned $55,462 this year and was the winner in the event at the 2005 Fall Festival.

In barrel racing, Brittany Pozzi of Victoria, Texas, is ranked No. 1 with $116,194.40; at No. 2 is Mary Burger of Pauls Valley, Okla., with $96,471.55. Riders in the top 15 are also from Florida, Alberta (Canada), North Carolina, Montana and Colorado.

There is no guarantee any of the first 15 in any of the events will be in Pahrump, but in the past, Fall Festival rodeos have proved to be profitable to those who venture to this Nye County-based rodeo.

Consider that in the 2005 rodeo here:

T.W. Parker worked only 0:03.8 seconds to win steer wrestling and earn a $1,556.58 paycheck.

In tie-down roping, Jessie Egan took 0:09.9 seconds to win and pocket $1,287.96.

In team roping, Logan Olson and Cody Hintz needed 0:04.4 seconds to win and earn $1,597.90 each.

Those checks were part of payoffs that totaled $34,552.35 -- awarded in the Dodge-PRCA rodeo that drew capacity or near-capacity crowds Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon.

Also winning in the 2005 rodeo:

Janna Caldwaller, barrel racing, 0:17.64, $752.93;

Rusty Allen, saddle bronc riding, 85 points, $1,238.22;

Kyle Bowers, bareback riding, 87 points, $1,018.88, and the before-mentioned Wade, bull riding, 83 points, $1,191.30.

There were 262 total entries for the rodeo. Team roping drew a rodeo-high 72 competitors and produced a payout of $11,020.