Well my spring semester at school was busy and luckily my Miss Rodeo Iowa schedule finally slowed so I could study!
I spent the last Friday in April in Bonaparte, IA at Harmony Elementary School for their "Reading, Writing and Roping" reading day to reward the kids for their hard work throughout the school year. I spent the day revisiting my years as an elementary student, going through Preschool-6th grade classrooms visiting with the students, teaching them about rodeo, and even joining in on their activities. The morning kicked off with their very own rodeo, starting it off right with the Kindergartners doing their own "grand entry", followed by each grade competing in an event, each of which was demonstrated first by me. During the afternoon, the classes split up and enjoyed different activities including a rodeo scavenger hunt, singing around a "campfiree", line dancing, storytelling, and a roping demonstration by two local cowboys, narrated by me, in which the kids learned about roping and even got to try it out themselves.I had such a wonderful time with the kids and would like to thank Dana Huling for inviting me!
The month of May kept me busy as I prepared for my first Iowa rodeo. I finally got my horse, a 4-year old blue roan Quarter Horse named Blue, brought up to Iowa so I could start riding him and getting ready for his first PRCA rodeo! The last weekend of May found us hauling to Northwest Iowa for the 43rd annual Cherokee PRCA rodeo. I arrived Thursday afternoon along with my sidekick, Shelby, Miss Teen Rodeo Iowa, as well as Miss Rodeo Illinois, Rebecca Kloker, and Miss Rodeo Virginia, Charla Wacker. I was put to work right away judging the horsemanship portion of the Miss Rodeo Cherokee Queen pageant. After that, I prepared for the first rodeo performance put on by the legendary Barnes Rodeo Company. We rode in the grand entry, and Blue and I were announced for our first queens run! After the opening, the girls and I mingled amongst the crowd and passed out autographs and I got to watch my stepdad Scott rope and tie his calf in 9.5, fast enough to finish second!
Friday morning we were up early for a radio interview, followed by a breakfast meeting at our hotel with the rodeo committee and personnel, and another impromptu radio interview. After that, we were off to a "Queens' luncheon" where we helped ourselves to a delicious buffet at Danny's Sports Spot. I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up the judging for the Miss Rodeo Cherokee pageant with personal interviews and preparing for the second rodeo performance. That night, the queens and contestants got to help with the calf catching competition before the performance and even had our own competition between the queens! Needless to say, I didn't quite run quick enough to catch the calf and get the ribbon, but I think I was pretty close to second! Friday night went smoothly and after the performance, we put on our dancing shoes and enjoyed a concert put on by Shawn Mayer.
Saturday morning was hot, but fun, and kicked off with the Exceptional Rodeo where I was designated the "announcer" and had the chance to meet a lot of new friends! Thank you to Megan Pigott and everyone else who put in their time to help out and provide a great time for all who participated. After that, we headed to The Depot for lunch, but sadly we just missed the mock shootout and train robbery put on there. After lunch came the parade and Blue made it through his first parade without a hitch, except maybe those scary train tracks he had to cross....but we made it! Back at the grounds, it was time for the coronation of the new Miss Rodeo Cherokee. Congratulations to Melissa Tabke for capturing the crown and to the other contestants on a job well done! Also, congrats to reigning Miss Rodeo Cherokee, Jessica Rausch, for being a wonderful queen and hope to be seeing her competing again soon for a new title. Saturday night wrapped up the final performance, followed by a beautiful fireworks display. I'd like to thank the Barnes and Cherokee Rodeo Committee for putting on such a great rodeo and for inviting me to be a part of their wonderful tradition!
Bob and Donita Barnes
Recent Comments