TRAVEL
Photo Courtesy of
Clark Fork Valley Press
The summer rodeo road is something that
not only the athletes look forward to but
also the fans. When it comes to hitting
the rodeo road in North America, there
are plenty of big rodeos where you can
catch favorite athlete, stock contractor or
rodeo announcer.
But one small town rodeo located in the
Northwest of Montana is easily considered
one of the best kept secrets of the pros
when they talk about their PRCA summer
run.
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www.rodeofame.com
Plains, Montana is located in what’s called
the ‘Banana Belt’ in Sanders County
approximately a 1.5 hour drive from
northwest of Missoula Montana, and 2 hour
drive from southwest of Kalispell Montana.
The tiny town of around 1,100 population
comes to life during the summer as it sits
in the hidden valley waiting for the annual
fair. Surprisingly, this small set rodeo held
over three days is a favorite among top
rodeo athletes who enjoy stopping by the
Sanders County Fair each year over the
Labor Day weekend.
For 33 years the Powder River Rodeo
Company along with D & H Cattle have
been instrumental in making that happen.
Hank and Lori Franzen along with their
family and crew were instrumental in
turning the small county fair rodeo into the
PRCA show it is today.
“There is something about Plains, and
Sanders County that we fell in love with,
and we look forward to pulling into the
grounds each year,” said Lori Franzen
when asked about the yearly rodeo.