LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County gymkhana series begins Saturday at the Baldwin Pavilion at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport.
The public is invited to attend the gymkhana – which begins at 9 a.m. Saturday – to watch future professional rodeo performers.
It's an exciting time for the youthful participants, their families and the public who come to watch.
Many of the Lake County Rodeo participants from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the California Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association are homegrown folks from Lake County.
Each year at the Lake County Rodeo, held in July at the fairgrounds, there is the opportunity to watch members of the CCPRA perform.
Many of these now professionals were born right here in Lake County and grew up being members of the Clear Lake Junior Horsemen.
These youngsters perform at Middletown Days, local gymkhanas and the rodeo in July.
Stormie Shores of Kelseyville is one of those youngsters, now a young woman professional rodeo performer who has distinguished herself and her county.
Last Fall, Shores came away from the CCPRA Finals as the year end rookie in barrel racing.
Another professional from Lower Lake is Cathey Vallerga who took Year end reserve and finals average champion, also in barrel racing.
Vallerga is not a youngster in the world of barrel racing but is setting some impressive records.
A Kelseyville native, now a Redwood Valley man, J. Cody Jones, completed the CCPRA Finals with all around finals average champion. Jones also took the same award in steer wrestling and calf roping.
All three of these professional rodeo performers from Lake County will perform again this year at the 85th annual Lake County Rodeo July 11 and 12.
The Lake County Fairgrounds are located at 401 Martin St., Lakeport.