SADDLE UP Y'ALL! THE BILL PICKETT INVITATIONAL RODEO IS ROARING INTO L.A. !!!!

19th Annual Event Offers Entertainment for Kids and Adults Alike While Paying Tribute to the Legacy of the Black Cowboy and Cowgirl!

3 Day Event To Host Special Rodeo for Children and Church

It's time to saddle up as the 19th Annual Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo roars once again into Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, Friday, July 12 through Sunday, July 14! We're talkin' cowboys and cowgirls, bulldoggin' and bareback riding, calf roping and steer undecorating, barrel racing and bull riding - the Bill Pickett Rodeo is the true definition of hot fun in the summertime!

The Rodeo rides through on Friday, July 12 with a special 10:00 a.m. show entitled, "Rodeo for Kidz Sake." Scheduled for elementary and middle school children, "Rodeo for Kidzs Sake" is an educational experience focusing on the history of the Black Cowboy and Cowgirl with re-enactments, sing-a-longs and much more. Saturday, July 13, at 1:30 p.m., a "Share the Word Performance" is slated for the local churches. This spiritually uplifting rodeo will feature participating Ministers as Honorary Grand Marshals in the Grand Opening Parade, as well as Gospel acts and rodeo action to the tune of uplifting Gospel Music.

The regular, star-studded rodeo takes place Saturday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 14 at 3:30 p.m. The Los Angeles Equestrian Center is located at 480 Riverside Drive in Burbank, CA. Tickets, which range from $6.00 to the Kidz Sake show to $10.00 to $22.00 for the regular shows, can be purchased at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center Box Office, Inglewood Tickets, all Ticket Master outlets, and at the Cultural Affair Coffee House at (310) 674-6555. For ticket information call (818) 840-9066 or (877)-MO-RODEO or go to www.horseticket.com.For more information about the Bill Pickett Rodeo and exciting visuals, go to www.billpickettrodeo.com.

Lu Vason, the producer and president of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo has championed the cause of the Black Cowboy and Cowgirl for the last several decades. Touring from February through November each year, the rodeo travels across the country educating people on the Black western experience. "People know the name Will Rogers," states Vason, "but they haven't heard of Bill Pickett. Born in Tyler, Texas in 1870, Pickett created "Bull dogging" the modern day version of a move called 'steer wrestling'. This move, where you ride along side the steer, jump onto its shoulders and bring him down, is still one of the most intriguing exhibitions in the history of the rodeo."

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo offers attendees a rare view of some of today's hottest African American cowboys and cowgirls. The rodeo is a sport that challenges the wits, mental ability and physical stamina of its participants like no other sport. So grab your cowboy hats, don those boots and saddle up for this wild, Wild West adventure! It's not to be missed.