One Arm Bandit rodeo act returns to Mound City Rodeo
- John Teagarden, Linn County Fair Board
- Jul 25
- 3 min read
By John Teagarden, Linn County Fair board
The most decorated specialty act in PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) history, The One Arm Bandit & Company, will be featured at the 2025 Linn County Fair Rodeo, Aug. 8-9 at Mound City.
The Shidler, Okla.-based rodeo act is a 15-time winner of the PRCA Act of the Year.
The act, which began in 1988 by cowboy John Payne, is the longest running premier act in rodeo.
How did Mound City get so fortunate to book the One Arm Bandit on one of the nation’s busiest rodeo weeks of the year? There are 34 PRCA rodeos annually scheduled for the second week in August.
“I called John Payne shortly after fair last year to get his impression of a young specialty act that we were considering and of course asked about his availability on our dates for 2025,” said rodeo committeeman John Teagarden.
The Bandit was “out west”, traveling five Northwestern states at that time.
“Much to my surprise, Payne said he would seriously consider our dates as he was tired of mountain passes and staring through the windshield 3,000 miles from his home in Shidler, especially if he could get some other area rodeos in the August time frame," Teagarden explained.
After booking Mound City for August 8-9, The Bandit picked up Coffeyville, Kan., on August 13-14 and Eureka, Kan., Aug 15-16.
“I’m looking forward to doing 6 performances in a 9 day stretch all within 200 miles of home," Payne said.
Payne lost his right arm as a teenager while helping demolish a house nearly 40 years ago. “I touched a 7,200-volt electric line that should have been dead but wasn’t,” recalls Payne. “While recovering from the electrocution, I contemplated my future as a cowboy with a missing arm."
Back home, Payne started training a pair of Longhorn steers to load on the back of his pickup truck and then to the top of the attached goose neck trailer. Rodeo producer Walt Alsbaugh (of Alamosa, Colo.) saw Payne and his dogs working. Alsbaugh challenged Payne to “come up with an act” to perform at the Alsbaugh-produced Ponca City, Okla., rodeo in 1987.
“I got my PRCA card in 1988 and attended the NFR convention that December in Las Vegas, hoping to book some rodeos for the next year," Payne said. "A Mound City rodeo committeeman (Wes Coffel) stopped by my booth, watched my blurry black and white video, and said, 'We need you at the Linn County Fair rodeo next August.'
“Those rodeos that ‘took a chance’ on me some 37 years ago hold a special place in my heart. Returning to Mound City this year will mark my fourth appearance at your rodeo over the past decades."
Payne has several different animal species that he uses in his act including buffalos, mustangs, zebras and longhorn steers.
”You folks at Mound City are in for a special treat this year," Payne said. "I’ll bring the “Big Horned “steers. The three steers are African Watusi-Longhorn cross breeds. These 1,200-pound steers are really impressive with their nearly 7-foot horns."
Make plans to catch the action at the 2025 Linn County Fair PRCA Rodeo, Friday and Saturday, Aug 8-9 at Mound City and witness one of the nation’s premier rodeo specialty acts, The One Arm Bandit.
Comments