A little bit of the west comes east this weekend.

On Friday and Saturday, 70 of the best bull riders in the world will come to Elizabeth City for the River City Bull Bash, part of the Professional Bull Riders' Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, at the Morgans Corner Truck and Tractor Pull.

Justin Falls/The Daily Advance (ENLARGE)

A rider tries to hold on to a bull during the 6th annual Neighborhood Ford Store River City Bull Bash Saturday, Sept. 16, 2006, in Morgan's Corner.

Former Bull Bash winners Billy Robinson and Brian Courson will return this year, as well as Evan and Cory Rasch, who are currently 56th and 67th on this season's money list. Robinson is 48th on the list.

The competitors will ride for a share of a purse which totals over $32,000.

Most of the top 45 riders will miss the event, but the riders looking to move up in the standings to qualify for the world championships are in Elizabeth City this weekend.

"There is a Built Ford Series (event) in Chihuahua, Mexico," Bull Bash promoter Carey McNeil said. "But just about everyone ranked from 70 up is here."

But just because the riders coming to town aren't in the top 45 now does not mean they won't be at season's end.

"Last year, the top four money winners here won enough money to put them on the Built Ford Tough Series," McNeil said.

Each rider will try to stay on the bull for eight seconds, with those who do being judged for the rider's control and degree of difficulty of the bull. If you miss some of the action, though, there will still be a chance to catch it.

"We've got the big screen again," McNeil said. "We'll have instant replay, live feed and instant replay in slow motion."

In the announcer's booth will be Carson and Jerome Davis. Jerome Davis, who is a commentator on some of the Versus network's telecasts of the PBR Built Ford Tough Series, is a North Carolina native and the only world champion rider from east of the Mississippi.

In addition to the bull riding, there will be ladies barrel racing each night, rodeo clown Matt Meritt and the Cowgirl Express Rodeo Drill Team, a national champion equestrian team from Ohio.

But the main attraction is the bull riding,

and this year, the bulls have a competition of their own.

During the Bull Bash, American Bucking Bull Inc.'s ABBI Classic will be held. Bulls will be brought in from all over the country with a chance to earn prize money of their own.

"We've got about six of the top 10 bulls in the ABBI standings here," McNeil said. "They come from Oklahoma, Texas and all around."

River City Dreams, a bull co-owned by McNeil, will be in the running at the event as well.

"I've got a bull in it that is close to the top 50 in the standings," he said. "The top 50 bulls get to go to Las Vegas in the finals and compete. The winner there will get $300,000."

The bulls are judged each time it is ridden. Four judges are there just to look at the bull.

"It's a pretty big deal," McNeil said. "We've got some excellent, excellent bulls. You're going to see some of the best bulls in America here this weekend."

Gates each night open at 6 p.m., with the riding beginning at 8. Thirty-five riders will compete each evening, with the top eight competing in a short round each night.