Cast & Crew

Announcer - Garrett Yerigan

Garrett Yerigan was born to do this. The son of two rodeo contestants, he’s been involved in the sport in some capacity since he was 2 weeks old. As a youngster, he polished his announcing talents while watching rodeo on TV and was just 6 or 7 years old when he began announcing “slack,” the competition that occurs in addition to the paid performances. As he aged, he began booking bigger events and now is the voice of Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo in conjunction with the Utah State Fair.

Yerigan is a two-time PRCA Announcer of the Year who has lent his voice to some of the most prestigious events in the sport: Cheyenne Frontier Days, Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, The American and the Cinch Playoffs “Governor’s Cup” to name a few. His experienced is matched by unyielding rodeo knowledge and a passion for sharing the sport’s stories with other rodeo fans. His melodic voice and dedication makes him the perfect fit for Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo.

Sound - Jill Franzen Loden

Raised in a family that operates the stock contracting company of Powder River Rodeo, Jill Franzen Loden has spent a lifetime celebrating the sport and the athletes that make it incredible. She’s been around world champion bucking horses and helped handle National Finals Rodeo livestock, and when it came time to make her mark in rodeo, she chose to do it in her own magical way as a sound director.

Since its inception, Franzen Loden has been selected as the PRCA Sound Director of the Year three times (2018, ’20 and ’21). It’s just proof of the excellence she demands in the work she does, which is more detailed than most realize. She’s no disc jockey; Franzen Loden is a genius when it comes to playing the right sounds to go along with the action in the arena. It’s a marriage made in rodeo heaven.

Stock - Summit Pro Rodeo

With its origins dating back to 1958, Summit Pro Rodeo is a well-established livestock-producing company based in Centennial, Wyoming. With rodeo veteran J.D. Hamaker and his partners, Daniel Beard and Byron Juma, Summit Pro Rodeo has continued to foster greatness.

In fact, the outfit was awarded the 2020 Remuda Award, an annual honor given to the stock-contracting company and rodeo committee that provides the best, most-consistent pen of bucking horses. Over the years, many Summit bucking horses and bulls have been selected to buck at the National Finals Rodeo, an honor bestowed on the animals by the men who ride them. The greatness and consistency is a big reason why they’ll be bucking at Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo.

Specialty Act - Tomas Garcilazo

Tomas Garcilazo is not only carrying on a family legacy as a third-generation charro, he is passing along his talent to his children and involving his family in his award-winning escapades. Charros take pride in their horsemanship and roping skills, and Garcilazo has devoted his life to sharing those with rodeo fans like he will have in Salt Lake City.

Originally from Mexico City, Garcilazo became a United States citizen 11 years ago and has been named the PRCA Dress Act of the Year four times in his amazing career. He’s also been asked to perform during the National Finals Rodeo nearly 30 times. He travels the country and performs with his wife, Justine, and their sons, Louis, Gaspar and Ulysse. Their talented family will be one of the highlights of the Utah State Fair experience.

Clowns - Matt Merritt/ Donnie Landis

When it comes to entertaining an audience, Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo knows to let experience do the joking. Take North Carolinian Matt Merritt, a recognizable figure because of his place among some of the biggest events in Western sports. He is the featured entertainer for the PBR, and his talent does the talking for him. He’s been a rodeo clown for better than 20 years, and his comedy continues to be fresh and exhilarating.

Donnie Landis is from nearby Gooding, Idaho, and he has been involved in the PRCA for nearly 50 years. He has worked some of the biggest and best rodeos in the country, including the National Circuit Finals Rodeo, which is now known as the NFR Open. He’s been to Calgary, Pendleton, Reno, Salinas, Houston and the National Finals Rodeo. He is the fourth generation of his family involved in the sport.

Bullfighters - Joe Butler, Kade Evans Shane Jennings

The trio of men assigned to protect everyone in the arena during bull riding have differing backgrounds but will work together in ways that keep all out of harm’s way. It’s that teamwork that defines the group, which is made up of a veteran, a rising star and a second-generation bullfighter coming into his own.

Joe Butler has the most history, now in his 21^st year in the PRCA. He’s made a name for himself as a cowboy protector, and twice he was among the top 5 up for the honor of working the National Finals Rodeo.

Kade Evans is from nearby Lehi, Utah, and brings a youthful, athletic approach to the team. Shane Jennings is the son of Karen and Kelly Jennings, the latter of whom was twice selected to fight bulls at the NFR. Shane Jennings is now in his third year as a professional bullfighter.

Secretary - Jessi Jane Fieldgrove

Jessi Jane Fieldgrove returns to Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo as the ProRodeo secretary, the person behind the scenes that makes sure everything is tabulated and organized to help make the event run smoothly. Living in Sheridan, Wyoming, Fieldgrove is sought-after in her role as a secretary.

She has served as the assistant secretary of the National Circuit Finals Rodeo, now dubbed the NFR Open. She also is certified as a PRCA timer and has worked some of the biggest events in the sport, including the National Finals Rodeo, for which she timed three times. She is the backbone of the entire operation once it’s time for the competition to begin.

Timer - DeeDee Dickinson

The financial rewards of being a PRCA timer are minimal, but the love for the game provides the benefits for people like DeeDee Dickinson, who is an integral part of Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo. She’s well-respected among her peers and by the cowboys who make their livings in rodeo. She’s been selected to time some of the biggest events in ProRodeo, including the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping and the National Finals Breakaway Roping.