The Butte Civic Center is expected to be rocking when some of the top-ranked bull riders in and around the area compete tonight and Saturday at the Elite Professional Bullriders Finals.
Bull riders have spent the better part of the season trying to work their way up the rankings in order to compete in this week’s event. Local riders Clay Applegate (Deer Lodge), Levi Hendrickson (Melrose), Dalton Brooks (Fairmont) and Phillip Shields (Dillon) are among those in the lineup.
“We’re expecting a good crowd both nights and the weather is really going to help us,” Butte Civic Center manager Bill Melvin said Thursday afternoon while making sure that everything was being set up properly and on time. “Last year we were a little light due to the below-zero weather but the weather is going to be good. Ticket sales have been strong so we’re expecting nice crowds on both nights but we still have plenty of good tickets for sale.”
Both nights will feature qualifying rounds and a short round. The short round is reserved for the Top 10 riders to come out of the qualifying round. If there aren’t enough riders to qualify for the short round, those who stayed on their bulls for the longest amount of time before being thrown off, will advance.