HOISINGTON — Time to saddle up — not your horse — but your ATV for Hoisington’s first open ATV Rodeo at 1 p.m. Sept. 25 at Bicentennial Park, on the west side of town, sponsored by the Central Kansas Off Road Association, Radium Bridge Riding Area; and Hoisington Main Street Inc.

There will be an obstacle course, barrel race, poles, and "capture the flag." The best combined times for all events wins. An ATV can travel at speeds up to 80 miles per hour.

"If you enjoy riding, you’ll enjoy the event," said Ryan Schneider, CKORA coordinator. Riding the rodeo takes strategy and planning, and the winner may not necessarily be the fastest ATV, he said.

"The event is challenging," he said. The rodeo will include a course over a teeter totter and over the top of a car.

"None of it’s hard," said Schneider. But, "You can go too fast and it will cost time." In addition, any obstacle considered too dangerous by the participant can be skipped but will have a time penalty for everyone but the child category.

The admission cost is $5. Registration time for events is noon. The fee to enter is $10 for those 13 and under, and $20 for all other classes. Those that pre-enter will receive a free T-shirt.

Schneider said the group will make the rodeo an annual event at the Hoisington Wetlander’s Festival in April, but decided to go ahead and hold an event this fall.

"We were trying to come up with an event for the club," he said. "Some friends had done this before. It sounded like fun."

There will be a wide range of classes: children, ages 13 and under; youth, ages 14 to 18; 2 wd, 18 and over; 4 wd, 18 and over; 40 and over, 2 wd or 4 wd; women’s 2wd or 4wd; utv, partners.

The prizes will include trophies for the first three places for those in the child category. Each child participant will receive an ice cream treat. There will be cash prizes for all other categories.

The rodeo is "definitely an experience," said the coordinator. "Even to watch is very entertaining. You don’t see people barrel racing an ATV."

The CKORA, Radium Bridge group meets once a month on the last Thursday of the month. Throughout the year, they have barbecues and plan on doing an open ride. The cost for a club membership is $50 for a full year. The fee drops to $30 in the fall. Radium Bridge Riding Area offers riding for ATV’s, motorcycles and off-road vehicles.

Seventy-five percent of the net proceeds will go to HMSI, said Denise Schreiber, director of HMSI. "We are really excited about this event, to partner with CKORA to bring more families to Hoisington."

For more information, call 620-292-7059.