When you first walk up to the gates at Cowtown Rodeo, the first thing you see is this clown in a cowboy hat, face paint, and with blue and black striped referee shirt. Sometimes, he will be standing there with his pet Lama. All you can think is “what am I in for?”. This is the man, the myth, the legend and a staple at Cowtown, Jason Farley. He is the perfect person to greet all the incoming spectators. Jason is one of the nicest people I ever met. There is just something about him that is very warm and welcoming. Greeting people is only the first layer to this complex man. Once he steps into that arena, his personality is turned up to eleven, not ten, ELEVEN. Jason entertains the crowd like no one else I’ve seen. He keeps everyone engaged with jokes and stories that will have you laughing a week later.

Then the bulls come out and that is when Jason lives up to his title as a Barrelman. After a bull throws off one of his riders, Jason hops in the barrel and entices the bulls to hit him, distracting them away for the fallen rider allowing them to safely escape being trampled. Sometimes they hit that barrel with such force that it flies through the air. It’s one of the courageous things about rodeo.

Managing to walk away unscathed, Jason then stands at the gates again and wishes everyone a safe trip hip home as if he was NOT just staring down a 1,200-pound bull. He poses for photos with anyone that asks with that big warm welcoming smile.

So, the next time you are at Cowtown Rodeo, make sure to say hi to Jason Farley, make him strike you with that great wide smile of his and tell him I sent you!