FORT SCOTT - A bull riding event organized by three Fort Scott natives returns for its fourth year at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at 2097 Poplar Road.
Coy Pollmeier, who puts on the event with his brother, Tate Pollmeier, and childhood friend Trey Holston, said the arena has been behind his parents' house for as long as he can remember.
"They used to put on a bull riding there every fall," Pollmeier said.
Mark and Jamie Pollmeier hosted it for seven or eight years, then stopped as their sons began junior rodeo, he said. Years later, the brothers and Holston, who all rodeoed together as kids, decided to start their own.
"We kind of talked about how cool it would be to put on a bull riding of our own," Pollmeier said.
Unlike a lot of events in the area, the bulls compete too. Thirteen to 15 contractors from Iowa, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas will each bring a two-bull team, and the teams compete against each other alongside the riders, Pollmeier said.
Recruiting riders, taking bull-team entries and making sure there are enough pens, bulls and riders is the biggest part of the preparation, he said.
"Everything kind of matches up, and that's probably the biggest thing is just getting ready for all the different contractors that are coming in," Pollmeier said.
The riders include competitors originally from Brazil who now live in the United States, Professional Bull Riders competitors who rode in Kansas City last weekend and qualifiers for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December, Pollmeier said.
The organizers have their own credentials. Holston, a former Fort Scott Community College rodeo team member, has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo twice, and Pollmeier won the 2023 Lea County Xtreme Bulls in New Mexico, according to published rodeo coverage.
Pollmeier said he has competed across the country, from Kissimmee, Florida, to Pendleton, Oregon. He said all three had been competing in roughly 100 or more events a year before injuries slowed them in recent years.
Those years on the road helped the three build connections with riders from Brazil and elsewhere, he said. They have competed against many of the riders coming to Fort Scott this weekend.
"So we kind of became friends with and have connections with them," Pollmeier said.
The number of competitors has stayed about the same each year by design, Pollmeier said, because the organizers want a tight, two-hour production. What has grown is the interest from town.
"It seems like this year we all kind of talk about it each week, and how many people have came to us asking about the event and what time it starts," he said.
Two local celebrity riders will get on bulls: James Wood, owner of Holmtown Pub and Grill, and a representative of sponsor Crossland Construction.
Admission is $10 at the gate, with no advance sales. Pollmeier said he believes children 6 and under will be admitted free. Four or five food trucks and other vendors are expected, he said.
Brian Lumley and Red Dirt Underground will play live music after the bull riding, according to Poplar Productions' Facebook page.
"There's nothing you need to bring," Pollmeier said. "We're not turning anybody away."
