Army Veteran, Father, Trick Roper and Crowd Favorite Ready to Make His Folsom Debut During the Rodeo’s 65th Anniversary Celebration
Every great rodeo has its cowboys. The best rodeos also have someone whose job is to keep the crowd laughing, cheering and thoroughly entertained between the action.
This year, the Folsom Pro Rodeo is welcoming a new face to that role.
When the gates open at Dan Russell Arena next week, fans will be introduced to Kyle Lamon, a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association comedy barrelman whose unique blend of comedy, athleticism, trick roping and crowd interaction has made him one of rodeo’s fastest-rising entertainers. Known to many fans online as “Hashtag,” Lamon brings a high-energy style to the arena that combines traditional rodeo clowning with modern showmanship, and if his reputation is any indication, Folsom fans should be prepared for plenty of laughs, audience participation and unexpected moments throughout the evening.
For Lamon, the appearance marks his first trip to the Folsom Pro Rodeo, something he says has been on his radar for quite some time.
“I’m pumped. I’m very, very excited,” Lamon said. “I’ve heard nothing but wild and exciting things about the rodeo in Folsom, California. So I am just happy to be a part of it this year.”
Like many in the rodeo world, Lamon has heard stories about the event’s enthusiastic crowds from fellow entertainers and competitors who have performed here before.
“Everybody I’ve talked to that’s been to Folsom, they leave happy to be there and happy to be a part of it,” he said.
Those who have seen Lamon perform say he won’t have any trouble fitting in. His style is built around energy and interaction, often taking him far beyond the arena floor and directly into the crowd.
“I’m pretty high energy,” Lamon said. “Lots of dancing, lots of clapping, backflips. I get up in the crowd a lot. I try to spend more time in the seats than I do in the arena. Everything is just fast paced and high energy. I like getting up and messing with people in the seats and making sure that they feel a part of it also.”
That philosophy has helped him build a growing reputation across the rodeo world, but his journey to becoming a nationally touring entertainer was anything but conventional.
Long before he was entertaining rodeo crowds, Lamon was serving his country. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2012 and began what would become six years of military service. Assigned to the storied 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, he served in a Long Range Surveillance unit, a specialized military intelligence organization trained for clandestine operations. His military experience included airborne training, scout swimmer operations and assignments that took him around the world.
Before deploying to Afghanistan, Lamon participated in peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Germany. He later spent nine months deployed to Afghanistan during a combat tour that would become one of the defining chapters of his military career.
“Well, I was infantry, airborne infantry in the Army,” Lamon said. “Jumped out of planes the first three years.”
The experience taught discipline, resilience and perseverance—traits that would later help him succeed in a completely different arena.
While serving in the military, Lamon discovered rodeo. During his first year in the Army, he decided to try riding bulls. What started as curiosity quickly became a passion and eventually a second life outside of military service.
“My first year in the Army, I decided I wanted to try and ride bulls and rode bulls for six years at the same time,” he said. “I was not very good, but tried my heart out, so that was all that mattered.”
Over the following years, he competed throughout the Southeast and across the country, chasing bucking bulls and testing himself against one of the most dangerous events in sports. Like most bull riders, he accumulated the bumps, bruises and broken bones that come with the profession.
“I have the broken bones to show for it,” Lamon once joked while reflecting on those years.
But rodeo also brought something far more important into his life: fatherhood.
When his son Kaysen was born, Lamon began reevaluating his future. He still loved bull riding, but the risks of climbing aboard a two-thousand-pound bucking bull suddenly looked different through the eyes of a father. Rather than leave the rodeo world behind, he decided to reinvent himself within it. He wanted his son to grow up around rodeo, experience the values it teaches and remain connected to the community that had become such a large part of his life.
That decision ultimately led him toward trick roping and eventually into the world of rodeo entertainment.
Lamon became fascinated with trick roping after seeing performances at rodeos and during auditions for the famous Dolly Parton Stampede. He also found inspiration in veteran rodeo entertainer Colt 45, who would eventually help mentor him. The learning curve was steep. Mastering trick roping requires far more than simply swinging a rope, and Lamon committed himself fully to learning the craft.
He spent between three and five hours every day practicing. The physical demands were intense. The repetitive motion of trick roping has often been compared to jump roping for hours at a time, requiring endurance, coordination and athleticism. Fortunately, Lamon already had a foundation for that kind of commitment. As a teenager, he had been a competitive diver while his sister competed in gymnastics. Athleticism came naturally, but trick roping still demanded countless hours of repetition and practice.
Colt 45 provided guidance through numerous FaceTime calls, helping Lamon learn the technical aspects of the craft. The rest came through determination. As his skills improved, so did his reputation.
A turning point came when Leann Starnes of Rafter S Bucking Bulls watched Lamon perform and questioned why he wasn’t already appearing on bigger stages. The encouragement fueled even greater ambition. Lamon expanded his performances, adding additional ropes, more advanced tricks and a growing sense of showmanship. Soon audiences weren’t just watching a trick roper—they were watching a full-scale entertainer.
He incorporated flips from barrels and arena panels, added light-up shoes and infused modern music into his performances. High-energy routines transformed trick roping into a show that appealed to both traditional rodeo fans and younger audiences.
Before long, rodeos from across the country were calling. What began as a side pursuit quickly evolved into a career. In his first year alone, Lamon performed at approximately 20 rodeos around the country, and his popularity continued to grow. Today, he performs throughout the United States as both a comedy barrelman and trick roper, bringing a contemporary style to one of rodeo’s oldest traditions.
At just 30 years old, he represents a new generation of rodeo entertainment, but his roots remain firmly planted in hard work. Following his military service, Lamon entered a Veterans in Piping transition program before joining a union apprenticeship in Tennessee. He worked as a pipefitter and welder on major industrial projects throughout the Southeast while continuing to pursue opportunities in rodeo.
“This job is very self-rewarding,” Lamon said of welding. “When you drop the hood, you have no one else to blame.”
That same mindset appears throughout his rodeo career. Whether learning trick roping, building a comedy act or entertaining thousands of fans, Lamon has consistently embraced the idea that success comes from preparation, persistence and effort.
Yet for Lamon, rodeo is about much more than entertainment. He says one of the reasons he fell in love with the rodeo community is because it reminds him of the brotherhood he experienced during his military service.
“The camaraderie and the family and the brotherhood that you build in the military is so hard to find anywhere else,” Lamon said.
Many veterans struggle after leaving military service because they suddenly lose the support system they relied upon for years. Lamon says rodeo helped fill that void.
“When you are back in the rodeo community, you build those friendships and those families and that camaraderie again, and it makes you feel like you’re a part of something bigger,” he said.
That sense of purpose also shapes the way he approaches his role as an entertainer. To Lamon, the job is not simply about getting laughs or keeping the crowd occupied between events.
“The impact that we have as entertainers is we get to spread love and happiness to people that may not have that,” he said.
He explained that many fans arrive carrying burdens that nobody else can see.
“When they come to that arena, that may have been the last $20 they have. You don’t know what their home life’s like,” he said. “But when they leave, they’re definitely happier than when they got there.”
Those values become even more meaningful during this year’s rodeo, which not only celebrates the Folsom Pro Rodeo’s 65th anniversary but also America’s 250th birthday and the City of Folsom’s 80th anniversary.
As a veteran, Lamon says the patriotic significance of the event resonates deeply with him.
“The rodeo believes in three things: God, family, and country,” he said. “I think that’s an important value to have in life.”
Lamon said the opportunity to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary in front of one of rodeo’s most patriotic crowds makes this year’s event especially meaningful.
“Two hundred and fifty years we celebrate being an American,” he said. “And in Folsom, California, with a phenomenal crowd who believes in God, family, and country and the military, to me it’s a huge deal.”
For Lamon, that connection extends beyond entertainment.
“I feel like I get to add that aspect to it,” he said. “It’s much more than just putting on makeup.”
Today, his son Kaysen remains one of his biggest motivations. This summer, Kaysen will spend much of the rodeo season traveling alongside his father before returning home to his mother as the school year approaches. Joining them on the road are Lamon’s girlfriend Emma and Trick, the family’s beloved dog and four-legged road companion who has become part of the traveling rodeo lifestyle.
“We won’t go back home till September,” Lamon said.
Seven-year-old Kaysen has already become part of the act as well.
“He loves dancing,” Lamon said. “Dancing is probably one of his favorite things in the world to do just like his dad.”
During some performances, Kaysen joins his father in the arena for a Michael Jackson-inspired dance routine that has become a fan favorite. It’s exactly the type of upbringing Lamon hoped to create when he stepped away from bull riding years ago.
For Folsom fans, that journey arrives center stage next week.
Throughout each performance, Lamon will help keep the crowd engaged between events, entertain spectators and create the kind of moments that become lasting memories. His role as comedy barrelman is more important than many fans realize. While rodeo athletes prepare for their events and arena crews work behind the scenes, entertainers like Lamon help maintain the pace, energy and excitement of the show.
Outside the arena, Lamon is hoping to spend some time exploring the community during his first visit.
“I do want to go see the prison for sure,” he said with a laugh.
He’s also hoping to fit in some golf and fishing while in town.
“We’re trying to do it all.”
Most of all, however, he’s excited to meet the fans who have helped make the Folsom Pro Rodeo one of California’s most respected rodeo traditions.
“I’m happy to be a part of such an amazing rodeo,” Lamon said, “and I can’t wait to have some fun with the rowdy crowd in Folsom, California.”
Lamon joins the entertainment lineup for what promises to be one of the most memorable editions of the Folsom Pro Rodeo in its history.
The 2026 Folsom Pro Rodeo takes place July 2, 3 and 4 at Dan Russell Arena. Gates open nightly at 5 p.m., preshow activities begin at 6 p.m., and rodeo action gets underway at 7:30 p.m. Fans can expect three nights of Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association competition featuring bull riding, barrel racing, team roping, breakaway roping and other rodeo favorites.
Returning attractions include the Flying Cowboys, Bull Jumping, the nationally acclaimed Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers, mutton bustin’ for young riders and nightly appearances by Lamon throughout the performances. Each evening concludes with a fireworks display above Dan Russell Arena, continuing one of the event’s most beloved traditions.
Beyond the arena action, guests can enjoy food vendors, merchandise booths and the popular Saloon Under the Stars, which has become a favorite gathering place during rodeo week.
Tickets are available in several options, including $30 general admission seating, $45 reserved seating, $65 premier reserved seating and the premium Corral Club experience for $85. Family Packs that include four general admission tickets are also available for $110, while children ages 2 and younger are admitted free when seated on a parent or guardian’s lap.
As the Folsom Pro Rodeo celebrates 65 years, Folsom marks its 80th anniversary and the nation commemorates America’s 250th birthday, one of rodeo’s newest entertainers is preparing to make his first appearance before a Folsom audience.
If Kyle Lamon’s journey is any indication, it won’t take long before fans know exactly who he is.
Tickets and complete event information are available at folsomprorodeo.com.
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