The Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers Oct. 3, 2026 at the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Rodeo
HALEY PARSLEY
haley.parsley@sacbee.com
The Sacramento-based Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers raced across the arena on horseback, American flags streaming behind them. From the stands, more than 5,000 spectators dressed for the occasion in cowboy hats, leather boots and ornate rodeo belt buckles cheered them on.
Then came the sheriff’s deputies.
Yellow smoke and pyrotechnics filled Folsom’s Dan Russell Rodeo Arena as deputies made their entrance, showing off armored vehicles and tactical gear while helicopters flew in formation overhead. Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper greeted the crowd alongside the department’s robotic dog.
It was a dramatic opening to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office’s third annual rodeo, where law enforcement officers weren’t just hosting the event. They were part of the show.
Colored smoke fills the air during an opening performance Oct. 3, 2026 at the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Rodeo HALEY PARSLEY haley.parsley@sacbee.com
El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies Brandon Leichd and Parker Hohman didn’t quite know what they had signed up for when they volunteered for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Rodeo. It wasn’t until they arrived that they learned they would be competing.
“I found out about this about 30 seconds ago,” Leichd said.
“He actually thought we were doing security,” Hohman chimed in.
They weren’t the only deputies headed into the arena. Sheriff’s offices from across California came to compete in the third annual event, which featured bull riding, mutton busting and roping alongside law enforcement-only competitions, including the Sheriff’s Stampede, where teams try to remove a ribbon from a bull’s tail. For some, it would be a new experience.
Sheriff’s deputies enter the Dan Russell Rodeo Arena in armored vehicles Oct. 3, 2026 at the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Rodeo HALEY PARSLEY haley.parsley@sacbee.com 
Competitors rope a cattle Oct. 3, 2026 at the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Rodeo HALEY PARSLEY haley.parsley@sacbee.com
For some, it would be a new experience.
“I’ve never been to a rodeo a day in my life,” Hohman said.
But he wasn’t worried about El Dorado County’s chances.
“They seem to forget we’re a rural county, and we deal with it on a daily basis,” Hohman said. “We’re ready to go.”
Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper launched the rodeo in 2024 as a fundraiser for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Foundation. It’s a nonprofit to support the Sheriff’s Office and foster positive relationships between law enforcement and young people in Sacramento County.
Miciah Whelan of Carmichael hadn’t planned on spending his Saturday night at a rodeo. But when his wife headed out for a girls’ day, he was looking for something to do with his 5-year-old daughter, Eliana.
Father and daughter are rodeo fans, and usually look forward to the bull riding. This time, Whelan was also curious about the deputies in the arena.
“We’ll see the SWAT team steer wrestling, the team event,” he said. “That’s kind of interesting. I’d like to see what’s going on with that.”
Miciah and Eliana Whelan, 5, at the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Rodeo October 3, 2026 HALEY PARSLEY haley.parsley@sacbee.com
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Haley Parsley is the acting Folsom and El Dorado Hills watchdog reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, where she was a fellow at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. While there, she reported on immigration policy in the state. She has previously reported in Oklahoma City.