Members of the Verner RAM Rodeo committee, sponsors, politicians, and volunteers that help make the event a success gathered together outside the arena right before the RAM Rodeo performances kicked off. Among them were Todd and Lianne Saucier of Sturgeon Falls Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM, Rose Beausoleil Verner RAM Rodeo Committee member, Jim Bélanger M.P. for Sudbury East – Manitoulin – Nickel Belt, Ross Millar RAM Rodeo Tour President, West Nipissing Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon, Verner RAM Rodeo Committee members Caroline Lafrenière, Serge Lafrenière, Ben Koning and Michelle-Andrée Giguère. 
Local riders from the Weekend Warrior Horse Club in Warren got the arena warmed up on Friday, August 28, ahead of the main RAM Rodeo Tour events. 
Jean Marc Michaud competed and won the Verner RAM Rodeo Battle of the Bands on Friday night, August 28. The Sturgeon Falls resident was encouraged to participate by organisers after he released his first album in April. Photo by RiverWolf Entertainment 
Three volunteers from the crowd raced each other, hopping along in the rodeo arena sitting on top of a bouncy exercise ball. The otherwise simple event got a lot more interesting when a bull was set loose upon them. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, and the winner walked away with $200. 
Three volunteers from the crowd raced each other, hopping along in the rodeo arena sitting on top of a bouncy exercise ball. The otherwise simple event got a lot more interesting when a bull was set loose upon them. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, and the winner walked away with $200. 
As part of a prize giveaway, children attending the Verner RAM Rodeo were let loose upon one of the tour competitors, chasing them around the arena to steal a numbered lanyard attached to their belt. Whoever plucked the winning number was given one of 6 brand new bicycles donated by Canadian Tire. 
As part of a prize giveaway, children attending the Verner RAM Rodeo were let loose upon one of the tour competitors, chasing them around the arena to steal a numbered lanyard attached to their belt. Whoever plucked the winning number was given one of 6 brand new bicycles donated by Canadian Tire. 
Padre’s Angels had a booth near the Verner RAM Rodeo front entrance, accepting food and cash donations for the West Nipissing Food Bank. Jim Bélanger, M.P. for Sudbury East – Manitoulin – Nickel Belt (left), stopped by and chatted with ‘Padre’ Jasen Bélanger (right), ‘Angels’ Jeanne Labonté, Amanda Brooks, and Rose Beausoleil, who was joined by her daughter Adèle volunteering at the rodeo (centre). 
Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
The Verner RAM Rodeo just had its 3rd year at Northern Range Horse and Cattle, Caroline and Serge Lafrenière’s family farm. Drawing in thousands of attendees throughout the weekend of Friday, August 28, to Sunday, August 30, the event continued its trend of yearly growth. Not only were ticket sales at an all-time high, but new attractions, vendors, and performances were added to the rodeo calendar, filling all 3 days with things to do. Caroline Lafrenière is also happy and relieved to announce that for the first time this year, the rodeo managed to secure enough sponsorships and revenues to cover the cost of putting it on.
Even in 2024, as the Lafrenières were planning their first Verner RAM Rodeo, the plan was to keep it growing every year. As attendees of the first event will probably recall, heavy rain made the weekend a challenge for everyone involved, and attendance was low. The second event, in 2025, saw better weather, more sponsors and attendees, helping to establish a more secure footing and encouraging the organizers to persevere. “To put on an event like this is a 6-digit figure. That’s what it costs to put on the event with all that goes into it. The first year and second year we had a lot of overhead. We had to rebuild the arena,” explains Lafrenière, pointing out that a lot of that cost was in event infrastructure. None of this was a surprise to her, as she and her husband knew there were costs to getting things established, though she jokes that the final figure did give her some sticker shock.
Lafrenière adds that sponsorship and volunteers were another challenge in the first two years. The Verner RAM Rodeo needed time to build its reputation and community profile, and for sponsors to feel confident investing time and money into it. According to Lafrenière, organisers got to see their work and patience finally pay off in 2026. “This year, I think we’re in a position where we at least have something to start with next year and help build the infrastructure to make it bigger and better,” she explains. With 57 sponsors helping to cover the brunt of the cost, and thousands of tickets sold, the Verner RAM Rodeo seems to have found the financial stability it needs to stick around for years to come.
