STARKVILLE, Miss. -- While the Rotary Classic Rodeo is a competitive tournament featuring bull riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling and other contests, the event offers something for the whole family.

Hosted by the Starkville Rotary Club, the annual rodeo sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association is returning to the Mississippi Horse Park Feb. 7-8.

General admission is $15 at the door and $12 in advance.

Competitions begin at 7 p.m. each night. On Feb. 7, gates open at 6 p.m., and admission is free for children 12 and younger. On Feb. 8, pony rides and a petting zoo will be on the arena floor from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and free to anyone with a ticket. Admission on this night will be free to children 3 and younger.

The Mississippi Horse Park, a partnership of Mississippi State University, the city of Starkville and Oktibbeha County, is a division of the MSU Extension Service.

Last year at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, the park was one of three rodeos in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association Southeastern Circuit to receive the Justin Boots Best Footing Award for its superior riding surface conditions. Professional rodeo contestants ranked the park in first place. The circuit encompasses nine states and 54 professional rodeos.

MSU is an equal opportunity institution. For disability accommodation, call horse park director Bricklee Miller at 662-325-9350. For more information on the event, call the Mississippi Horse Park information line at 662-325-0508 or visit their website./.