73rd annual Silver Buckle Rodeo rides back into Taylorsville

Oct 18, 2023

By Andrea Singer

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Taylorsville is a town steeped in rodeo tradition — since 1950 the Silver Buckle Rodeo has been drawing crowds to the tiny mountain community every year to celebrate America’s independence and the cowboy way of life.

A pancake breakfast at the Indian Valley Museum (7-11 a.m.) commences the Fourth of July festivities. From there you can walk to Main Street and find a place to watch the parade showcasing the members of the Riding and Roping Club, Grand Marshall, and patriotic community members. The Rodeo Grounds is walking distance from the parade so if you want to skip the hassle of finding a parking space, make your way on foot to the box office where you can purchase tickets at the gate or if you prefer to preorder your tickets giving you the option of choosing specific seats contact Misty at (530)394-9294.

The Silver Buckle Rodeo is well known for its Rodeo Queen competition where girls from around Plumas County compete in several areas including horsemanship, public speaking and personality for the chance to represent the Indian Valley Riding and Roping Club; watch as the new queen takes her lap of victory and the rodeo gets underway. Traditional events such as saddle bronc, bull riding, team roping, barrels, calf and breakaway roping fill the day with thrill and excitement as equine athletes and their skilled riders put their lives on the line for the chance of bringing home a buckle. Entries are now open for all events, if you would like to participate in rough stock events text (530)200-0133 and for timed events text (530)515-9065.

When it comes to the Fourth of July festivities, cowboys don’t come to town for just a day, they show up days prior to participate in a jackpot roping series. S Bar J Cattle kicks off the hoopla June 30th with four days of jackpot roping — bringing 10 saddles, 50 buckles, and cash prizes — ensuring the competition will be fierce. Admission to the roping is free, while y’all are watching, wet your whistle at the beer booth and grab a bite at the cookhouse where nightly dinner specials include Indian Tacos, BBQ pulled pork and Tri Tip sliders.

When the sun goes down Sunday, July 2nd, make your way to the Historical Taylorsville Hall for a community dance where the bouncing dance floor provides a memorable experience in itself. Doors open at 9 p.m., warm up your dancing boots at the Taylorsville Tavern where there is a hitching post for your four-legged friend. In a community where ranching goes back generations, rodeo is sewn into our cultural fabric, come down to Taylorsville and see what the ruckus is all about.