Union rodeo wraps up with results, payouts and big county draw

The Eastern Oregon Livestock Show closed out its June 12-14 rodeo finals with Union again filling with cowboys, cowgirls and spectators for one of the city’s biggest annual draws. For a community of Union’s size, the show is more than a competition. It is a concentrated burst of tourism, local spending and county pride centered on an event that has shaped the summer calendar for more than a century.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association results showed a strong field across multiple events. Trent Sorey earned all-around cowboy honors and took home $3,252 while competing in tie-down roping and steer roping. Other winners included Cooper Cooke in bareback riding, Mike McGinn in steer wrestling, Ketch Kelton and Denton Dunning in team roping, Ryan Verling in saddle bronc riding, and Jana Bean in barrel racing. Tie-down roping ended in a three-way tie among Cash Fuesz, Hunter Herrin and Haven Meged, underscoring the caliber of the competitors who came through Union for the show.

That results list matters locally because the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show has long been one of Union County’s clearest economic and cultural engines. Official Oregon materials trace the event to 1908 and call it the oldest livestock show in the Northwest. Heritage Commission materials say it draws more than 5,000 people, with entries coming especially from Union, Baker, Umatilla and Wallowa counties. For downtown Union, that means packed parking lots, steady foot traffic and a weekend built around ranching, rodeo and family routines that still hold real weight in Eastern Oregon.

The show’s heritage runs deeper than the modern rodeo slate. Oregon Heritage designation in 2023 recognized it as a community event more than 50 years old that reflects Oregon’s unique character. The original Union Horse Show included a parade, horse exhibitions, horse races, music by the Union Concert Band, bronc busting and even a baseball game. That long history helps explain why the event still draws repeat attendance and why local institutions continue to invest in it.

In 2026, the show also gained added stature as a Cheyenne Frontier Days qualifier, giving competitors another reason to pay attention to Union. Ron and Sandy Droke served as grand marshals, and Ron Droke has been involved with the show for more than six decades. The event also kept building for the future: a new sheep and goat barn project in 2025 drew support from community donors and local businesses, reinforcing the show’s role as a shared civic project as much as a rodeo.