The mission of the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo is close to Jeff Renehan’s heart.

Renehan is a Colorado Springs native and retired Air Force officer who grew up enjoying fluffy pancakes at the annual street breakfast and cheering on his favorite cowboys and cowgirls at the rodeo.

After 11 years serving in different capacities for the event, Renehan is this year’s rodeo board president. The 78th edition of the rodeo runs Wednesday through Saturday at Norris-Penrose Event Center.

“The two big missions of our rodeo are to promote Western heritage and to help and support our military families,” he said. “Clearly, it was an easy draw for me.”

Renehan said all proceeds from the four-day event go to the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo Foundation, which supports members of the military and their families in the Pikes Peak region. This week’s rodeo events include bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding. All were inspired by real-life ranch activities.

Bullfighters-only freestyle bullfighting is a special event that will be performed each session except Saturday evening.

“There’s three rodeo clowns, and their job is normally to be the ones that keep the bulls off of the cowboys during bull riding, but these guys compete in 90 seconds against a bull. They do a lot of really acrobatic things. It’s an extremely exciting event,” Renehan said.

Robbie Hodges has been a professional rodeo clown for 14 years, and he is excited to energize the crowd.

“I’ve got to make 4,000 people a day laugh,” he said. “Come out without your feelings on your sleeve and let’s have some fun.”

Before the rodeo begins, attendees can watch the Mutton Bustin’ preliminaries in the fan zone where kids ages 4 to 9 try sheep riding. The fan zone also will host a petting zoo and other activities for families. Food and drink will be available for purchase, and the Coors Roadhouse Saloon will feature beer and live music after the rodeo each night. Musical guests Cecil Allen Moore, Exit West and Jeffrey Alan Band are scheduled to play.

Around 30,000 attend the rodeo each year. Renehan said he hopes that Colorado Springs residents, new and old, will attend.

“It’s a family event, high-speed rodeo action,” he said. “It exposes people who may not have had exposure to rodeo before and the real Western way of life.”

Renehan expressed gratitude for all of the helping hands that make the event, which is run and operated by volunteers, a success.

“The biggest piece of it, and I think the reason we all do it, is because of the direct support we can give to our military families here in town,” he said.