PLAINS – Dust kicked off the group in puffs and the rain came down in a slight drizzle for a junior rodeo held at the Sanders County Fairgrounds over the weekend.

On both Saturday and Sunday the Southwest Youth Rodeo Association came to Plains for the first time.

The two-day junior rodeo featured competitors from in and around Sanders County, in addition to many others from different parts of the state.

The rodeo featured youngsters as young as 7 and as old as 18 who competed in several different events in the hopes of earning prizes and saddles throughout the course of the event.

“We had a great weekend here and I hope we are invited next year,” Martha McClure of the Southwest Youth Rodeo Association said.

Events at the two-day rodeo included dummy roping, calf chute tying, calf tie down, team roping, breakaway competitions, pole bending, goat tying, barrel racing, flag racing and steer riding.

Though many of the young competitors came from different parts of Montana, there were a few local faces competing in a number of the events.

Local competitors included Nick, Jack, Claire and Elena McAllister of Hot Springs.

N. McAllister competed in the seven and under age division during the weekend.

He took part in the dummy roping, pole bending and goat tying competitions.

J. McAllister competed in the 8 to 10 year old division and was a part of the dummy roping, calf chute tying, and breakaway events over the weekend.

For the girls E. McAllister and C. McAllister took part in 11 to 13 year old events and were a part of pole bending and barrel races on the second day of rodeo competition.

Though the young rodeo stars took the competition quite seriously the weekend also featured some lighthearted fun for the competitors and their families.

According to McClure the rodeo association rented out EL Johnson Memorial Pool Park on Saturday so the kids could enjoy the nice weather following a full day of competition at the junior rodeo.

The Southwest Youth Rodeo Association holds competitions throughout the summer, providing the youth of western Montana with an opportunity to learn the ropes of competitive rodeo.

According to Peggy Smith, head of the rodeo association, the youth rodeo season begins on Mother’s Day with a rodeo in Ramsay and concludes with an end-of-the -year competition over Labor Day weekend in Butte.

The association is in the midst of its tenth summer of competitive events throughout western Montana and Smith credits the parents who help out with the rodeo association for keeping the organization going.

“It’s the parents who do it, without their help it would be tough,” Smith said.

In total SYRA holds 14 separate rodeo competitions during the summer months.

Smith added a lot of the parents make prizes and help out during the rodeo to ensure everything goes smoothly during the weekend.

“We have a lot of exceptional and crafty people who put things together for us,” Smith said.