RAPID CITY - The Range Days Rodeo is bucking a trend among small rodeos this year - it is not losing contestants, and it is continuing to draw big-name cowboys, including a batch of former National Finals Rodeo contestants.

The Range Days Rodeo opens at 7 p.m. today at the Central States Fair in the grandstand arena.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association has lowered to 70 the number of rodeos that cowboys can use to qualify for the NFR in December, pushing cowboys to bigger, more lucrative rodeos, according to Central States Fair general manager Ron Jeffries.

"It's been killing small rodeos," Jeffries said of the PRCA change. (He noted that PRCA plans to raise the number of qualifying rodeos for next year.)

But the Rapid City rodeo still has 347 contestants this year - about the same number as last year, he said.

Rorey Lemmel, a rodeo organizer and one of this year's announcers, said the Range Days Rodeo also benefits from the September cutoff for winnings counted for NFR qualification.

"This is a very pivotal rodeo for these guys," Lemmel said.

Top contestants tonight include: Cleve Schmidt of Belle Fourche; Andy Martinez of Pavillion, Wyo.; Forest Bramwell of Pagosa Springs, Colo.; and Bo Casper of Fort Scott, Kan., in bareback; Bobby Welsh of Gillette, Wyo., in bull riding; Morgan Forbes of Kaycee, Wyo., Red Lemmel of Faith in saddle bronc; and J.B. Lord of Piedmont in steer wrestling and team roping.

Top contests Friday night include bareback Pro Hall of Famer Marvin Garrett of Belle Fourche; Jesse Bail of Camp Crook and Chance Smart of Philadelphia, Miss., in bulls; saddle bronc cowboys J.J. Elshere of Quinn, average winner at the 2006 NFR; Bail; Jeff Willert of Belvidere, the 2005 world champion; Chad Ferley of Oelrichs, the 2006 world champ; and Cody Taton of Newell, ranked in the top 20; world champion tie-down roper Fred Whitfield in the morning slack; steer wrestlers Ivan Teigen of Camp Crook and Birch Negaard of Buffalo; Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs in barrels in slack, and June Holeman of Arcadia, Neb., in slack.

Saturday night standouts include bareback rider Scott Montague of Rapid City; bull rider Cody Buller of Glendive, Mont.; saddle bronc rider Josh Reynolds of Corvallis, Mont.; former world champion team roper Bobby Harris; and in barrels, Terry Kay Kirkland of Billings, Mont., and Gail Beebe of Custer.

Stock contractors are Burch Rodeos and Joe Simon.

Announcers are Lemmel and Boyd Polhamus.

Bullfighters are Al Sandvold and Travis Byrne. The clown is Mark Swingler.

If you go

What: PRCA Range Days Rodeo

When: Today through Saturday, Aug. 23-25

Where: Central States Fairgrounds

Cost: $15 for adults, $5 for kids 7-12, and free for kids 6 and younger. There is also a $2 fairgrounds gate charge.