Rain or shine, it's rodeo time in Hamel

This weekend the largest rodeo in Minnesota will draw spectators and cowboys alike, providing family-friendly entertainment and raising money for six local charities for the 31st year in a row.

Rain or shine, the Hamel Rodeo is returning to Corcoran Lions Park.

"It's fast, it's exciting, it's dangerous ... Rodeo is some of the best entertainment you will ever see," operations manager Shorty Dorweiler said. "It's suitable for kids age 4 to adults age 94."

This year, the rodeo will feature two specialty acts from Canada: Rodeo clown Dennis Halstead and the trick-riding group Sure Shot will perform at all five performances, along with professional bareback and saddle bronc riders, calf ropers, steer wrestlers and ladies' barrel racers.

"We like to keep our specialty acts new because it's better entertainment for our fans," rodeo publicist Ruth Nicolaus said.

Thursday night, a portion of ticket sales will go to Tough Enough to Wear Pink, a national program to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research, supported by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Dorweiler said the Hamel Rodeo has raised about $10,000 for the foundation each year since 2007.

The four-day event also will raise funds for six local non-profit organizations which have been working together since the very first Hamel Rodeo.

"I said, 'This is a little bit more than half a dozen people could do.' There's a lot to do to put on a rodeo."

The Lions Club joined with five other non-profits to create the non-profit rodeo event.

Over the past 30 years, the rodeo has raised approximately $900,000. Each year, the money raised is split equally among the six organizations.

The rodeo has continued to grow since its debut in 1981. Dorweiler said the easiest way to measure the rodeo's growth is to look at how the prize money has increased. "The first year, we had $5,000 in prize money, and now we have about $125,000 in prize money," he said.

In fact, the Hamel Rodeo has the largest rodeo purse in the state.

The rodeo draws contestants from all over the world.

"We typically have contestants from over 30 states each year. We have a few from Canada. We have them from Australia ... We even had one from France one year."

The Hamel rodeo is also the largest in Minnesota in terms of attendance: The event attracts between 15,000 and 17,000 fans each year.

"People like that they're giving back, that they're helping," Nicolaus said.

"But if we weren't good entertainment, they wouldn't come."