City officials have announced that Paso Robles will be the new home of the next Miss Rodeo California pageant.

The pageant, formerly held in San Dimas for the last 11 years, will ride into Paso Robles Tuesday, Oct. 7 to Thursday, Oct. 9. This is the first time that the event has been centrally located within the state of California since its 1973 inception, and organizers hope the new location will bring even more attention to the auspicious competition in the years to come, according to a release.

“We are proud the city of Paso Robles is the new home of the Miss Rodeo California pageant,” said Paso Robles Mayor Frank Mecham. “It is a great fit for a number of reasons — we have a strong agricultural community here, we are proud of our western heritage and we are centrally located within the state. This pageant is a great way to ensure that the western way of life in California is preserved and celebrated. We hope to see this pageant grow into a must-see competition for every young woman that competes in rodeo in California.”

With Paso Robles’ agricultural roots and vibrant equestrian community, the city and the event are bound to be a good match for each other, said Donna Riva, Miss Rodeo California pageant director.

“While Miss Rodeo California is selected to officially represent the sport of professional rodeo, if you look back at the history of the Miss Rodeo California pageant, you’ll find that the majority of the young ladies who have had the privilege to hold this title have come from farming or ranching backgrounds,” she said. “Their lives are based on a western way of life, and this western heritage is also the foundation of the city of Paso Robles. Although tourism is a very large part of our community, that tourism is strongly connected to agriculture and an equestrian influence. The very same thing that Miss Rodeo California promotes.”

Rodeo played a prominent role in early California history. For the early vaqueros taming the rugged western states, horses were a way of life and rodeo developed out of those long-held ranching traditions. According to organizers, the earliest recorded American rodeo was held in 1864 and women have been competing alongside the men in such events since the 1890s. That tradition is kept alive today at county fairs, horse shows, gymkhanas and junior rodeos.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Web site, www.prorodeo.com, estimates that approximately 600 rodeo events are held throughout the country yearly, “from small town venues to arenas in Las Vegas.”

The Miss Rodeo California pageant is held yearly and its winner acts as a goodwill ambassador for rodeo and the promotion of the sport within the state. More than just a beauty contest, the contestants must demonstrate a commanding knowledge of rodeo rules and regulations, a firm grasp of current events and world issues and an ample understanding of the PRCA. Over the course of three days, the young women, age 18 to 26, must demonstrate their abilities in horsemanship, horsemanship interview, personal interview, live radio interview, speech, modeling and impromptu questions.

“This isn’t a beauty contest, but certainly a pleasant-looking, presentable young lady is important,” Riva said. “Horsemanship ability is the highest scoring category, because it’s imperative that Miss Rodeo California be an accomplished horsewoman. The judges will be looking for a young lady with an outgoing personality, and one who has a vast knowledge of rodeo, as she’ll be the spokesperson for rodeo.”

This year, 10 young women from around the state will compete for the title of Miss Rodeo California. Megan Jones, 21, is the sole San Luis Obispo County resident in the field and will have home soil advantage when competing in Paso Robles.

The SLO resident Cal Poly senior, who is majoring in agriculture business, currently holds the title of Miss Creston Classic Rodeo. She competed against two other young women for the designation and said the win reinvigorated her love of rodeo queen pageants.

“I was overwhelmed with happiness,” she said of her September win. “When I won I kind of realized how much I enjoyed being Rodeo Queen and how much I enjoyed helping people out. When I won all my excitement and joy came back to me. It brought back the spark.”

Jones, one of a pair of twins, said that she has been on horseback since she was in the womb as her mother rode while pregnant. Over the years, she has competed in gymkhanas, junior rodeos, high school rodeos, shown in horse shows and has competed in rodeo queen pageants since she was 13.

Jones said she likes the duties that come with winning the title of Rodeo Queen, including promoting the sport of rodeo around the state and attending special rodeos for children with disabilities.

“That is part of the reason why I love being queen so much, because it kind of holds a special place in my heart,” she said. “To see these kids’ reaction is just unbelievable. They are unfortunate because they have these disabilities and they have to struggle everyday, but you get them and teach them about rodeo or put them up on a horse and let them walk around and they smile from ear to ear.”

Jones is preparing for the upcoming Miss Rodeo California pageant by brushing up on her current events and expanding her knowledge of rodeo rules and regulations. She said she looks forward to the experience of competing for the title.

Riva noted that, though only one contestant can win the title, all young women in the competition are winners.

“They will gain poise and become more comfortable in front of an audience, something they can use throughout their life,” she said. “You can sometimes see the self-confidence they gain from the start of the pageant to the end.”

The public is encouraged to attend the various pageant competitions. Venues, dates and times will be released as the event grows closer.

The winner at the state level will progress to the Miss Rodeo America contest in Las Vegas. The first Miss Rodeo America was held in 1955, and a California contestant has taken the title five times, the first time in 1970 and the most recently in 2004, according to a release.

To learn more visit www.missrodeocalifornia.com.