If you've driven through Minot the past few days, you may have noticed a few more cattle trailers than usual.

That's because the Minot Y's Men's Rodeo has been gearing up for a weekend full of riding and roping.

This marks the 55th year of the event, and it takes months of planning to make it happen. Preparations began immediately after last year's rodeo, and over the past few days, it's been crunch time for organizers to be ready.

This year features several new events, including a Cowboy Christmas with many Western giftware and art exhibitors.

Rodeo Chairman, Paul Kramer, says they expect over 12,000 visitors at this year's rodeo, and it takes a lot of help to make it all run smoothly.

(Paul Kramer, 2009 Rodeo Chairman) "It's all volunteer, 100% volunteer, we haul the dirt in, set up the panels, the chutes, the time event in, hang all the signs, banners. Our committee members are great, there's over 100 volunteers that are Minot Y's Men on our rodeo committee, so it takes a real group effort to get everything done."


The Minot Y's Mens Rodeo kicked off at 5pm this evening and continues through Sunday.

If you'd like a full list of events, you can visit the website- MinotYsMensRodeo.com watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list