Cowboys, bandits and other rootin' tootin' gunslinging outlaws no doubt epitomized Tucson's Wild West attitude, but does anyone really care these days? Well, quite a few folks in Tucson, and around the nation, still flock to the Tucson Rodeo and Parade every year, so there must be a good reason to do so.

The weeklong rodeo event begins Saturday and lasts until Feb. 29.

Some native Tucsonans currently attending the UA have attended the rodeo and parade in the past.

UA media arts freshman Kara Chesser is a devout rodeo attendee, who makes the event an annual family affair and has been attending every year since she was 3-weeks-old. The tradition began with her grandmother, who has been buying tickets to the rodeo for at least 30 years.

"It's so close to our family even though some people don't like or appreciate southwest events," said Chesser. Her favorite event is the barrel racing, the only women's event in the entire rodeo.

UA journalism sophomore Valarie Willhoite remembers attending her first rodeo at 8-years-old, where she enjoyed spray-painting a cowboy hat hot pink. Willhoite said her favorite part was watching people fall off bulls.

"I watch it on TV, too," she said of the bull riding. Willhoite also said that her cousin's neighbors in Marana used to ride horses in the parade and participate in the barrel racing event.

UA elementary education senior Sarah Stark remembers attending the rodeo and parade when she was 4-years-old.

"The main part I remember are the clowns riding around in the little cars and bumping into walls," she said. "I don't know why I remember that. I was more excited by the parade than the rodeo."

Twenty years ago, her two older sisters participated in the parade, where one dressed as a prairie girl and the other as an Indian, and both led a calf through the parade.

"I'm totally against the rodeo now because I think it's wrong. (This is) because they hurt the animals and are cruel to the animals," Stark said.

Chesser said a common misconception of a rodeo is that the animals are tortured and/or mistreated.

"Those animals are treated better than we are," she said. "They get the royal treatment."

Joan Liess, the rodeo's marketing manager, confirms this by saying all of the animals are treated "exceptionally well." All of the animals, which come from Oklahoma, arrive in Tucson a week in advance to adjust to their new environment and climate.

"The animals are considered athletes, so they are treated as such," Liess said. A veterinarian is on the premises at all times, and each animal only performs twice throughout the entire event, Liess said.

For you history buffs, the rodeo and parade, which is "billed as the world's longest non-motorized parade," have drawn audiences from all over the country since 1925, when "Leighton Kramer conceived the idea of La Fiesta de los Vaqueros ("The Festival of the Cattlemen" to us gringos) to draw visitors to Tucson during the mid-winter season," according to tucsonrodeo.com. This year, the parade kicks off between rodeo events on Feb. 26.

So, if you missed all the "excitement" of the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, have no fear for the Tucson Rodeo and Parade is nearly here! All events take place at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds, 4823 S. Sixth Ave. For a scheduled line up of all rodeo events, visit tucsonrodeo.com.