Visitors to the South Mississippi Fair Friday and Saturday will also get a chance to experience “the most dangerous sport on dirt.” Bull Madness will host the Eastern Circuit Finals at 7 p.m. each night at the Magnolia Center, 1457 Ellisville Blvd.

Jory Scott, president of US Rodeo Productions LLC, which puts on Bull Madness, said admission to the event ($15 for adults, $10 for children) includes the $5 fair gate price.

“On Friday night, kids with a paid adult are half price,” he said. “It’s $5 to get into the fair, so $5 gets them into the show and the fair.”

Scott, a Taylorsville native, said this is the first year his outfit will be putting on a rodeo event during the fair.

“Past bull rides at the fair were more amateur,” he said. “This will probably be the biggest show ever done in South Mississippi. We’ll not only be doing it every year at the fair, but also every April.”

Scott said four PBR (Professional Bull Rider) contractors will be bringing in championship-caliber bulls for the event.

“We’ve also got Rudy Burns, the ‘Crazy Cajun,’ who’s a huge draw card,” he said. “He’s participated in Dixie National for the past 12 years, and is a five-time barrel clown of the year. He’s known heavily across the South.”

Scott said bulls and cowboys will be coming to the Magnolia Center from “pretty much any state that has anything to do with bullriding.” He noted that 33 cowboys per night would perform.

Scott said a post-show party is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. to midnight Friday with a lunch party set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Buffalo Wild Wings, 1826 Jefferson St.

“The kids can come meet Rudy, or people can come meet the bull riders,” he said.

Cotton Yancey, a professional rodeo announcer from Pelahatchie, will be calling the action both nights.

“We’re looking forward to a good show in Laurel,” he said. “Hooking up with the fair is a win-win situation.”

Yancey said he’s been a rodeo announcer for over 20 years because of his love of what he calls, “the Great American Cowboy.”

“No amount of money could get anybody to get on the back of an 1,800-pound bull,” he said. “These bulls aren’t just pets. They’re serious bucking bulls. They’ve got hurt in them and will definitely come after you. You’re taking a risk every time you get on the back of one of them, but it’s one of the things that these cowboys relish.”

Yancey said every boy grows up wanting to be a cowboy, whether it’s playing cowboys and Indians or developing that into a career.