GATES – The countdown is on for the 10th annual Gates County Championship Rodeo.

Sponsored by Central Ford of Ahoskie, the event is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. nightly on May 11-12 at the Aaron Brown Rodeo facility, located on Paige Riddick Road, off US 13, one mile south of the Virginia/North Carolina state line.

Events include bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping, cowgirls’ barrel racing, breakaway roping and wild bull riding.

The rodeo also includes a wide variety of food, attractions for kids and a barn dance following the rodeo each night with D.J. Robert Earl Dilday on Friday and Mallory Buck and the Dual State Band on Saturday.

Advance tickets are now available at Central Ford in Ahoskie.

The stock contractor provides the broncs, barebacks and bulls for the events, including 2,000 pound bucking bulls.

The riders compete for thousands of dollars in prize money and fight for points in their season long competition. The event is sanctioned by the Southern Rodeo Association and the American Pro Rodeo Association.