Folks packed the stands at the Monroe County Fairgrounds Saturday night for a much-loved annual staple featuring bucking bulls, clown comedy and, this year, a special recognition for the event’s longtime leader.

The Blue Army Bull Bash has served as a major fundraiser for the Waterloo Optimist Club and a huge draw to the fairgrounds since 2012.

Though it was put on pause for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bull Bash has been a tremendous success each year, with 2025 serving as the 13th installment.

Local fans of bull riding have plenty of Optimists, sponsors and volunteers to thank for this event, though particular appreciation should be set aside for the man who helped get things rolling to begin with.

Jim Probst said he’s long been a fan of bull riding, having gone to shows in the 1990s. A 2003 visit to Las Vegas with his wife also had him checking out the Professional Bull Riders finals, the first year it ever paid a $1 million bonus to the world champion.

Five years later, Probst worked up the nerve to buy some bulls of his own. The 2-year-old bull was “the most expensive hamburger I ever bought,” he said, while the 1-year-old was an excellent bull, prompting him to partner with some folks up in South Dakota.

Probst wound up meeting Matt Noble, who happened to be from Poplar Grove up near Rockford. Noble is also president of Next Level Professional Bull Riding, which produces the Blue Army Bull Bash.

From there, Probst joined the Waterloo Optimists around 2010. He recalled how, in early 2011, John Gallagher, Ken Valentine and Shelby Mathes brought up the idea of a new event for the community.

“As I recall, the way they told me is, ‘We need to see something else in Waterloo, Monroe County besides tractor pulls and demo derbies. We need to do something like a bull ride or a rodeo, something like that. Change it up a little bit,’” Probst said.

With that push, he reached out to Noble, who presented to the club. With some consideration, the group wound up voting against the proposal that first year as the Optimists felt their resources were spread too thin to bring on another annual event.

Come 2012, that tune changed. 

Probst said the event has seen steady growth over the years, but the first year seemed to indicate just how successful the Bull Bash would go on to be.

“The first year was much like this year,” Probst said. “Our tractor pull got rained out totally in July. We got the arena set up, and Matt and I are sitting in this semi on the day of the event, and it’s raining, and I’m thinking, ‘Man oh man, here we go again.’ And the sun came out about noon, and the cars just started rolling in.”

As he said, this event has seen some changes in the past 14 years, with perhaps the most notable being a collaboration with bull-riding legend Tuff Hedeman.

Probst naturally had plenty of good to say about the show, highlighting the family entertainment element as well as the emphasis organizers place on patriotism, faith and respect for veterans and first responders.

“It’s about two and-a-half hours of edge-of-your-seat family entertainment with not only the bulls but the clowns, the barrel man, shows and funny little skits,” Probst said. “It’s true family entertainment.”

He further spoke about how the Bull Bash serves as a major event for bull riders young and old, with well-established talent showing their stuff alongside up-and-coming younger riders – the especially young junior riders get proportionally small bulls to ride.

Probst also commented on the event’s place among the Optimists’ other fundraisers, serving as a way to gather funds that get put right back into this community in a variety of ways largely focused on local youth or other small groups.

When it comes to organization of the Bull Bash, Probst explained it’s a major team effort as other Optimists handle the food and beverage stands as well as parking management – though he’s been the one in charge of selling the event through the years.

Along those lines, Probst voiced great appreciation for the local sponsors who turn out each year to help make the Bull Bash happen.

He recalled the words of the late Carmett “Corky” Helms – a Belleville Optimist who served as an event-organizing mentor for Probst – who told him that getting sponsors would be hard work but he’d eventually get to the point where all he’d have to do is walk into the office of longtime sponsors and they’d be happy to grab their checkbooks.

Probst said he’s been able to get to that point with sponsors in no small part because of how well-regarded the Bull Bash is in the community.

While he’s certainly performed well in his role, Probst recently decided to take a step back from the Bull Bash.

He noted how he unfortunately missed a family event late last week as he felt obligated to stay and help with the Bull Bash rather than travel even briefly.

As he’s keen to make more time with his family, Probst said he’ll still be involved in some capacity, though he’d like others to really take ownership.

He jokingly invoked the Budweiser Clydesdale beer wagon.

“I went from the guy holding the reins, I’m now the dalmatian sitting on the seat next to him,” Probst said. “I’m gonna still help out because it’s a big task, and hopefully we’ve got a couple other guys that will help out with some of this.”

For his many years of hard work leading the charge for the Bull Bash, Probst received special recognition Saturday night as he was presented with a commemorative belt buckle alongside his family during a brief break in the action.

Probst noted this came as quite the surprise, saying he’s been ordering those buckles for the event for years. This being the first time there was any kind of delay, he said his family and fellow Optimists must have done some sneaking around to get him his own.

As he looks to the future of the Bull Bash, Probst said he hopes to keep the event as it is given how folks love it, though he’d like to see some changes or additions to make sure things don’t go stagnant.

He brought up how the Optimists have tried to keep the prices reasonable, noting the quality people get for their tickets as well as kids ages 12 and under getting in free and beverages costing $3 rather than $13.

In terms of future Bull Bash leadership, Probst commended the work of his fellow Optimists and pointed to Todd Shylanski as the new head of the event’s marketing, saying Shylanski has in recent years gotten into the bull industry in much the same why he did.

“We just had people step up and help out on the production part of it when we ran into a few snafus before the event started,” Probst said. “They just took the bull by the horns and did what needed to be done to make our event go off what seemed to be seamless.”

Also offering praise for the Bull Bash was Matt Palmer, the event’s announcer who himself raises bulls and further works as an announcer on the bull-riding circuit.

“Of all the events that I go to, there’s always some standouts where you can tell people that love it and put in the work, and they definitely put in the work and do everything right,” Palmer said.

Palmer further voiced praise for Probst, whom he’s worked with through the Bull Bash for some time now.

“Without Jim and his family, that event wouldn’t have even had the first year let alone 13,” Palmer said.

Shylanski likewise had high praise for Probst. He offered a response for folks who have said he’s got big shoes to fill.

“I’m not, there’s no doubt about it,” Shylanski said. “Jim created this event and has taken it to where it is. My goal is to keep it growing and keep it going. I think this year, to see the stands and everything, I think it was our biggest event that I’ve been a part of.”

He also commented on hopes for the future, echoing Probst as he thanked event sponsors and spoke about plans to improve an already beloved event.

“We wanna get better,” Shylanski said. “We wanna bring more stuff to excite the fans, get them engaged. It’s a great experience already, but you have to try to make it better each year bringing new and exciting features.”