HEBRON — Cowboys from across the country will be traveling to Hebron next week for the Redneck Rodeo, a weekend-long event from the organizer of last year’s Redneck Olympics.

Harold Brooks said he hopes to turn the rodeo into an annual event, just like he did with the former Redneck Olympics, now called the “Redneck Blank.”

Brooks said more than 100 cowboys and cowgirls are coming to the rodeo to compete for $30,000 in cash prizes. The rodeo is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the largest rodeo-sanctioning body, and will feature seven events including team roping, steer wrestling, saddle and bareback riding, bull riding, tie roping and barrel racing events.

The rodeos will be held Saturday and Sunday afternoons, June 30 and July 1, but the weekend will feature live music, barbecue, a cowboy dating game with rodeo cowboys, and people who buy weekend passes can camp free.

Brooks said he was originally planning a bull riding, but when that fell through he decided to go bigger. The PRCA sanctions dozens of rodeos every year, and cowboys pay to enter, hoping to win cash prizes.

Brooks is transforming his gravel put into a 100 by 200 foot arena with about 2,500 seats. He’s hoping to fill them all with the promise of an event that hasn’t been seen in Maine for years.

“It’s something where people can kind of let go a little bit,” Brooks said. “A little bit of craziness makes people feel alive.”

He says he hopes to break even on the Redneck Rodeo. The goal isn’t to make money, he said, but to bring some fun to Hebron. “I like to see the people around here having a good time,” he said.

Last year’s Redneck Olympics were surprisingly successful, even for Brooks. The contractor and owner of Harold Brooks construction organized the event in about a month and drew 2,600 people to his cattle farm off Route 124 in Hebron.

The Redneck Olympics attracted national attention when the United States Olympic Committee contacted Brooks and told him he couldn’t use the name “Olympics” in the name. This year, Brooks changed the name to “Redneck Blank” in order to avoid a lawsuit.

The rodeo will run from June 29 to July 1, with PRCA-sanctioned rodeo events from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Redneck Blank is set for Aug. 3-5. Tickets to both events are available at redneckmaine.com.

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