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The Western Festival is a fun-filled event for kids at the Pike County Cattleman’s Ranch Rodeo this weekend at Cattleman Park.

Gates to the Western Festival opens at 4 p.m. Saturday and the activities get underway at 5 p.m.  Admission to the Western Festival is free.

Pike County Cattleman B.B. Palmer said the Western Festival is for toddlers up to 11 years old.

“The Western Festival has a variety of activities that are associated with the Old West,” he said. “For the real young kids there will be a saddle on a bale of hay for them to sit on and ‘ride’ or to  have their picture taken,” Palmer said. “There are stick horses to ride, steer heads to rope and balloons to pop. There will be differed games to try, ring toss. Every year, there are new games and activities that are fun and exciting for cowboys and cowgirls.”

Palmer said the bull riding of the Western Festival is mutton bustin’.

“The kids are seated on a wild, wooly sheep and try to hold on,” Palmer said. “Six seconds is the time the kids shoot and that’s a real challenge.”

Mutton bustin’ is, perhaps, the most popular event at the Western Rodeo.

“Kids love to try to stay on the sheep and so you know mutton bustin’ is fun to watch,” Palmer said. “We are expecting a lot of kids and know everybody will have fun.”

The Ranch Rodeo will get underway at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights. Gates open at 5 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday for the Western Festival. A special rodeo event will be the Chuckwagon beginning at noon Saturday. The iron pot meal will be a stew, bread and dessert. Tickets are $10.

Rodeo tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the gate. Advance tickets are available at Don Walker’s Western Wear, TB&T main branch, Brundidge Piggly Wiggly and Banks Buy Rite.