As the bull riding segment of the Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo began at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Sunday night, the crowd erupted in cheers, urging the athletes to stay mounted as long as possible.
With one hand tightly gripping a rope fastened around a bull’s belly and the other hand raised high in the air, the first rider leaned back as the bull bucked furiously, attempting to throw the rider off. Nine more riders took to the ring one at a time to attempt the same feat.
To earn a score, each athlete had to keep their seat for eight seconds — the namesake of the rodeo and a challenge that eluded the night’s competitors.
Despite the absence of a bull riding victor, the second annual Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo was a monumental success on all fronts, according to founder and Portland-based photographer Ivan McClellan. What started just a year ago as Portland’s first Black rodeo has quickly grown into a popular cultural celebration, with McClellan at the reins.
Athletes competed in bareback riding, steer wrestling, bull riding, steer decorating, barrel racing and mutton busting for children.Eric Shelby / Special to The Oregonian
The sold-out show drew 7,200 attendees and 40 athletes from across the country, all vying for a share of the $60,000 in prizes.
The stands were filled with families, cowboys, rodeo enthusiasts and, most importantly, fathers. Coinciding with Father’s Day, the event that honors the Juneteenth holiday Wednesday also paid special tribute to all the dads in the crowd.
McClellan went home a proud father with his son, Ishmael McClellan, who took home the mutton busting prize — a rodeo event for children under 6 who compete to remain on the back of a sheep for as long as possible. The $500 prize was just a preview of the winnings that awaited the rest of the competitors.
Kicking off with mutton busting, the show had all the classic rodeo components: bareback riding, steer wrestling, bull riding, steer decorating and barrel racing.
From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., athletes raced through the rodeo events, hoping to secure winning checks by outperforming the competition.
Bareback riding, steer decorating and barrel racing produced a handful of winners and healthy competition, with riders as young as 7 participating. However, the more challenging steer wrestling and bull riding categories proved less fruitful, with competitors facing difficulties placing.
Spectators cheer for an athlete after his bareback riding performance, during which he had to remain on a bucking horse for eight seconds.Eric Shelby / Special to The Oregonian
During breaks, DJ O.G. ONE, announcer Gus Trent and the host, comedian and writer X Mayo, kept the crowd energized and entertained.
McClellan didn’t grow up surrounded by rodeo culture. But after 10 years of documenting Black cowboy culture and a successful photography book, “Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture,” he has created a community and a space for Black rodeo to flourish in Portland.
“I had just been to enough events and talked to enough people that I kind of knew all of the parts of a rodeo and decided I would take my hand and try to put one together myself,” McClellan said. “Turns out there was a lot more to it than what I thought, but we were able to pull it off.”
His rodeo debuted in 2023 at the Portland Expo Center, selling out of 2,500 tickets five days before the show.
“There’s a strong culture of the West in Portland,” McClellan said, remembering the many Black cowboys of the region. “We just wanted to let people know about that cultural history and that part of their identity here in a region where there really had never been a Black rodeo before. So from a place of impact and inspiration, I just couldn’t think of anywhere better to have this event.”
This year, McClellan anticipated a large crowd. Upgrading the venue allowed more people to attend the event, though it still sold out weeks before the rodeo.
From the moment the doors opened at 3 p.m., spectators — including many from the area’s Black community — arrived in droves, dressed to impress and filling the venue with vibrant energy. The arena concourse was bustling with crowds decked out in denim, donning cowboy boots and colorful hats to complete their looks. Vendors inside sold hats, boots, custom belts and even branded items onsite.
Other small Black business owners sold a variety of goods, from wigs to jewelry. Pre-show activities featured mechanical bull riding, line dancing and roping lessons.
Condrew Allen and his young son, Tyden Allen, were excited to participate in the arena’s many activities set up before the show. Tyden tried his hand at roping and mechanical bull riding, while Condrew Allen cheered on his son, snapping pictures from the sidelines.
Attendees enjoy the pre-show activities of mechanical bull riding, line dancing, roping lessons and shopping the local vendor market.Eric Shelby / Special to The Oregonian
“I’m most excited just to be here at the rodeo to support Black culture, expose him to there being Black cowboys and Black farmers and see all the activities that this has to offer,” Condrew Allen said about his son.
This was their first rodeo together, Condrew Allen said, and they were looking forward to seeing the bulls and horses, while also being able to support the community and shop at local Black businesses that had booths at the event.
The vendors at the event were also eager to engage with the community. Dijenaire Crijuan Frazier, a longtime Portland resident and founder of DC Ringz, was at the arena selling his handmade glass rings.
“This is my first time and honestly, I am ecstatic to be here,” Frazier said. “I was so pumped up the last two weeks creating pieces just for this event … and just being in a room with people like this, I’ve been getting a lot of love here already in the first hour.”
Frazier described the opportunity as a blessing, especially since he was also there to support his brother, Marcus Frazier, an athlete in the competition.
“People really need to come out here and just see what the community is actually offering,” Frazier said. “This is the Black rodeo, but it’s for everybody. Just come and see the culture and feel the vibe and the energy. It’s a beautiful place to be.”
Rodney Smith, country music host for the Country Music Association, who led roping lessons before the show, also expressed his enthusiasm for the event’s inclusivity.
“This rodeo is really cool about the diversity and everybody coming together,” Smith said. “Portland’s really not massive on the rodeo culture so it’s actually really cool to see the whole city come and show love to what these people grew up doing.”
McClellan plans to continue hosting the Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo in Portland, with the possibility of expanding to more cities in the future.
To reserve tickets for next year’s event, visitors can subscribe to email notifications on the website for the latest updates and join the waitlist.
— Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at 503-221-4327; cprofenna@oregonian.com or @chiara_profenna
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