EVANSTON — Professional Biker Rodeo Association President Ben Barto, otherwise known as “Bone Daddy,” is bringing his horse and biker-style rodeo to Evanston on Memorial Day weekend. According to Barto, the goal of the Professional Biker Rodeo Association (PBRA) is not only to bring camaraderie, skill and fun to motorcycles nationally, but also to bridge the generational gap between cowboys and bikers, as both share the same sense of rebellion and non-conformity.

“They both love horsepower, women, guns and knives; mostly in that order,” Barto said. “Both are extremely patriotic, mount their horses and bikes from the left side and wear chaps and saddle bags. Evanston is about to make history with the first-ever Professional Biker Rodeo Association sanctioned event, the Silver Horse Rally and Rodeo.”

The event will feature cowboys and cowgirls on horses and bikers participating in various events, including slow ride, keg push, barrel race, tire pull and tag teams. A special event will feature Dana Bowman, a double amputee skydiver, who will start the rodeo off by skydiving into the county rodeo arena with a 75-foot American flag.

The weekend event starts with a parade of motorcycles on Friday, May 23. On Saturday, May 24, bikers will participate in a poker run starting at Spanky’s in Evanston, with stops in Fort Bridger, Mountain View, Lyman and Kemmerer before ending back in Evanston for a dinner served by the local VFW. The bikes will be parked on 9th Street between Main and Harrison streets.

The biker rodeo will take place on Sunday, May 25, and will be followed by a concert in the Roundhouse that evening.

The PBRA will mirror the National Finals Rodeo Association guidelines events. Points are attached to every event. Riders will compete in events throughout the states for the final run-off in Sheridan on Aug. 17 for the first national PBRA run-off. The Silver Horse Rally and Rodeo will sponsor and run the event. Five events are scheduled throughout Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

Barto said the organization hopes to achieve its goal of bridging the gap between bikers and cowboys by starting with youth. They have registered domains for PBRA and for the High School Biker Rodeo Association, the College Biker Rodeo Association and for the Buckaroo Biker Rodeo Association. He said PBRA is committed to full support for all Cowboy Youth Rodeo Associations through fundraisers and donations from their events. The funds raised from the rodeo in Evanston are designated for the Cowboy Youth Rodeo Association.

Barto has spent 24 years organizing his motorcycle rodeos. In 2000, Barto was helping the Easy Riders from Salt Lake City with a biker rodeo at the Freedom Rally in Evanston.

In 2002, Rod Newman, owner and founder of the Freedom Rally, asked Barto to help him with the event. It was during this time that Barto developed the persona of Bone Daddy; he began to wear a skeleton shirt, a wide-brimmed hat and a skeleton mask. He felt the costume energized crowds and many children and adults wanted their photos taken with him.

During his rodeo rally years, Barto met Dana Bowman of the Halo for Freedom Warrior Foundation. Bowman, of Fort Worth, Texas, is a retired 1st Sgt. Green Beret and was a member of the Golden Knight elite parachute team.

Bowman lost his legs in a parachute training exercise in 1994. Bowman and his teammate collided in the air at 300 mph. His teammate was killed and Bowman lost both legs — one above the knee and the other just below the knee.

Nine months after his accident, Bowman reenlisted in the Army, continued skydiving, was a speaker for the U.S. Parachute Team and a recruiting commander. He retired from the military in 1996 but continues to work with the disabled and amputees and is a popular speaker at fundraisers for veterans.

Barto is the founder of Horns for Heroes, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to help veterans. Barto, of Dubois, makes knives and for over 40 years has been a horn broker. He has donated knives to fundraisers for different events and charities throughout the state.

The Professional Biker Rodeo Association encourages local cowboys and cowgirls to get involved in the Evanston event. They are also looking for sponsors for the event in Evanston. Those businesses that provide sponsorship receive in return free advertising and other benefits associated with the event. For information on becoming a sponsor call the local VFW or, to participate in the rodeo, contact Rudy at 307-871-7740. For more information visit www.professionalbikerrodeoassociation.com.