ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — The 17^th Annual PCA Championship Rodeo, which will be held Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12 at the Baldwin County Fairgrounds arena in Robertsdale, will feature fun activities for the whole family.

This year’s festivities will actually kick off with a mini-rodeo to be held from 1 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at the Fairgrounds arena.

Students from all over the Central Baldwin area will get a change to preview the weekend’s festivities free of charge, said 2015-16 Robertsdale Rotary Club President Bryant Chandler.

“We’re expecting between 500 and 700 students to attend Wednesday’s mini-rodeo,” Chandler said, “and they will get just a small sampling of what’s in store for the main event that weekend.”

Bo Campbell Rodeo Productions will be on hand with the official rodeo clown along with other cowboys demonstrating the varied events for the rodeo.

This year’s halftime entertainment, Wild Western Entertainment with the Rawhide-n-Dusty Show & The James Boys will also be on hand to provide a sampling of their show for special guests.

Mark “Rawhide” Lahmann and his wife Cindy of Sullivan, Missouri, have traveled all over the United States for more than 15 years performing at various events. This will be their first time performing in this area, organizers said.

Rawhide and the horses entertain the crowd with tricks such as shaking their head yes and no, bowling, lying down and raring up. After performing these tricks, Rawhide will lope the horse around the arena performing whip popping on horse- back.

Rawhide also has two trained Texas Longhorn steers known as Frank and Jessie, the outlaws from Missouri. Frank and Jessie perform on top of the trailer with Rawhide and the horse. Visit rawhideanddusty.com for more information.

“We’re sure this is something the kids are going to love,” Chandler said. “They’re going to want to come back and bring their parents for the full performances on Friday and Saturday.”

Rotary club members will also be handing out coloring pages at Wednesday’s mini-rodeo and when Rawhide-n-Dusty, along with other special guests visit area schools on Thursday.

Children ages 12 and under can complete the coloring page to be entered into drawings for a chance to win bicycles at the rodeo Friday and Saturday, Chandler said.

Both a girls’ and a boys’ bicycle will be given away both nights of the rodeo. Coloring pages are also available at robertsdalerotary.com and on both nights of the rodeo. You must be present to win.

The Rotary Club will also soon be announcing the winner of this year’s cover art contest. Nearly 100 entries were received for this year’s contest from every school in Central Baldwin, Chandler said.

“We had a hard time choosing from a lot of good entries,” he said. This year’s winner is an art student at Robertsdale High School.

The event is produced by Bo Campbell Rodeo and is part of the Ram Rodeo Series. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. both nights with events beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 5 to 12 and free for children under 5. Friday night is Kid’s Night with free admission for all children under 12 when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Come early and enjoy a mini-carnival with tickets available for purchase for rides from 5:30 to 7:30 before the rodeo begins, Chandler said.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Robertsdale Rotary Foundation and will be used for local service projects including the William F. Greene Veterans Home.

Advance tickets are available at the Summerdale Western Store, Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and at the Foley and Daphne locations of Bryant Bank.

For more information visit robertsdalerotary.com.