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“You’re riding a horse. You’re running after an untrained steer,” Livermore athlete Grant Peterson said. “You never know what’s gonna happen.”
Peterson is among the competitors signed up for steer wrestling in this year’s Livermore Rodeo.
He has been in the profession full-time for four years, but he first joined the rodeo scene by way of the Livermore Junior Rodeo.
Beginning with calf riding, Peterson later moved onto bull riding in high school. He eventually outgrew the sport to begin steer wrestling – at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Peterson said he’s average for steer wrestling.
Life as a professional steer wrestler is a year-round commitment with events and practices.
“It dang-sure takes dedication,” Peterson said. “It’s like any other sport. If you put the work into practice, you’ll see improvement. But if you don’t take it seriously and are just doing it to do it, for the most part, it does not go how you would want it to go.”
Scheduled to run this Saturday and Sunday (June 13-14), the “World’s Fastest” rodeo coincides with a weeklong lineup of events on brand with western heritage.
Kicking off rodeo week on Wednesday (June 10) is the 45th annual Team Branding & Mixer. Scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., with gates opening at 4:30 p.m., the event includes the paint branding of calves, live music and BBQ dinner at the Livermore Valley Stadium. According to the Livermore Rodeo website, tickets for the event are sold out.
Next up on Thursday (June 11) is a local team roping event, which involves multiple riders on horseback competing for a spot in the rodeo. The free admission event will also feature an equestrian performance by the Diablo Ladies Rodeo Drill Team. Scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., no food or beverages will be served.
On Friday (June 12), top performers from the sanctioning body Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association will be performing at the arena. Attendees can expect to see events such as team roping, calf roping and barrel racing, according to Brandi Foscalina, director at rodeo host Livermore Stockmen’s Rodeo Association. Scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., admission is free.
The same day, the sold-out Cowgirl Luncheon is scheduled to begin at noon to recognize local scholarship recipients and this year’s cowgirl honoree. The event will feature a silent auction and of course, lunch. Attendees must be 21 years old and above.
The 108th annual Livermore Rodeo Parade is up next on Saturday morning, beginning at 10 a.m. on Second Street between O and J streets.
Held in conjunction with the rodeo since its inception, the parade honors the city’s western heritage, officials at host organization Rotary Club of Livermore said in a statement.
This year’s parade line up is set to include members of the Livermore Rodeo, equestrian groups, bands, color guard units, local organizations and businesses, military personnel and antique vehicles.
Leading the parade is this year’s grand marshal, John Bost.
As the current Open Heart Kitchen executive director, Bost has served the Livermore community for two decades in nonprofit leadership.
“I am proud to represent the wonderful OHK staff, volunteers, donors, clients, and guests in the 108th Livermore Rodeo Parade,” Bost told the Pleasanton Weekly in an email interview.
“Although I may be sitting down in the back of a classic car in the parade, I’ll also be standing on the shoulders of all the nonprofit leaders who’ve come before me, and my contemporaries who serve now,” he said.
Also participating in the parade is the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance, this year’s winner of the Community Service Award for the 2026 Livermore Rodeo Parade.
“At TVNPA, our role is to support, connect, and elevate the nonprofit sector, and this award feels like a celebration of that broader community,” President and CEO Kathy Young told the Weekly in an email interview. “To have that work recognized in such a beloved Livermore tradition is incredibly special.”
Member organizations are set to participate in the parade alongside TVNPA.
Young said she hopes parade-goers will recognize the vast number of organizations supporting the Tri-Valley and the integral role they play in supporting the area’s quality of life.
The long-running parade has been held in conjunction with the Livermore Rodeo since 1918, when the rodeo was created to raise money for the Red Cross.
“Our community has always loved it,” Foscalina said of the rodeo’s longevity.
There is a strong western heritage in the area and the rodeo is a great way to see impressive human and animal athletes, LSRA vice president Sheila Fagliano told the Weekly.
Clocking in at 108 years old, the rodeo at Robertson Park is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Day two of the rodeo on Sunday is set to also begin at 3 p.m.
Attendees can expect to see events such as bareback bronc riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, local team roping, saddle bronc riding, women’s breakaway roping, team roping, barrel racing and bull riding.
Also on Sunday, Lil’ Pardners Rodeo is scheduled at the arena for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate in a rodeo of their own.
The event gives 40 children the chance to compete in a mock rodeo with events such as horseback riding, roping and barrel racing, according to the rodeo website.
The Livermore Rodeo complies with the rules and standards of animal welfare that are set by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, according to the event website.
For more information about the Livermore Rodeo and event tickets, visit the event website at livermorerodeo.com.
