There were many thrills and spills at the first performance of the 28th annual Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo Friday evening.
A full house of cheering fans took to their seats at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex to help kick off what signals the start of rodeo season in B.C. after a long winter.
Competitors came from across the province to compete in bareback riding, saddle bronc, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, breakaway roping, junior steer riding, ladies barrel racing, junior barrel racing, pee wee barrel racing, junior breakaway roping, team roping and, of course, bull riding, which saw mostly local riders compete Friday evening.
The Wild West Riders opened the rodeo and took a moment to honour fellow rider Barb Brown who passed away.
There will be two more performances this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, both starting at 1 p.m.
There is also slack starting at 9 a.m. Saturday morning at the arena, where 14th ranked barrel racer in the world, Carmen Pozzobon, is set to compete.
Sunday’s performance will also be special when more honourees are inducted into the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Check out our photo gallery below — photos by Angie Mindus/Williams Lake Tribune.