Fair Parades and Wintery Wisconsin

Thursday July 16th, I stayed close to home to hit up the Shelby County Fair Parade! Since I was sick last year I missed my local county fair so it was SO nice to be there for part of it this year. Tankers, my horse, enjoyed getting to travel a bit too! Before the parade I had the chance to walk around and visit with old 4-H friends. I was lucky enough to ride right by the Boots and Saddles 4-H club so Tank had other horses close by! The parade and the fair was a smashing success! Thanks Shelby County for having me! Right after the parade mom and I packed up in the car to start the trek to Merrill, Wisconsin! We made it to Minnesota that night, and finished the trip the next day. It was time to hit another county fair, but this time in Merrill, for one of Clint Jackson's events! We got there just in time for the first night a bull riding. A huge thank you to the Davis family for having a horse, CP, there for me. Another thank you to Melanie for giving me some direction and carrying flags too! I was honored to carry not only the NFPB flag but the American Flag as well. Then it was bull riding time! Great bulls, great cowboys, and great fans makes for a fantastic show! Before I knew it, it was time to hit the hay. Day two in Wisconsin brought even more fun. Mom and I had the chance to walk around their fair, looking at exhibits and animals. I will have to say they have a lot more dairy cattle up that way! I even had cheese curds for the first time, and they were delicious! Wisconsin had so many new things. I didn't know they liked naming food after animals up there, they had elephant ears and monkey tails, oh my! The people of Wisconsin were so friendly and welcoming! Then it was show time. Again, I was lucky to ride CP while carrying the flags. Everyone did a great job again. Porkchop, the entertainment was hilarious, Brandon the announcer did a fabulous job, and the bull riding was a success. Minus the record cold temperatures, my first trip to Wisconsin was a blast, and I can't wait to be back! Until next time!

Don't Rain on My Parade

Again, lame title, but I am trying to spice up my blog. Is it working? Anyways, down to business...July 3rd, Mom, Dad, Tank, and myself loaded up and headed to Tekamah, Nebraska for a Williams and Long event. We pulled in during some rain (hence the title) but it cleared away for show time. Tank and I carried the American Flag for the National Anthem, led a horse for a memorial, and carried the Williams and Long banner flag. Since it was a huge arena, fitting for a huge horse, I let Tankers run his little heart out! The crowd got quite excited on our hot lap with the American Flag. However, I am sure I scared the photographers along the fence! Then it was show time. During the performance there was some good old fashioned mutton busting, which is always very entertaining. What better way to show love to your child then throw them on top of a sheep and watch them hang on! Then it was back to bull riding. The cowboys and bulls did a fabulous job! I had the chance to walk through the crowd and mingle during the performance. The cutest little girl came up to me and asked, "How do you become a rodeo queen?" Those are some of the moments that make all of the work you go through completely worth it. So I am wishing that little rodeo queen (and her parents) the best of luck! A huge thank you to everyone that made my short stay in Tekamah a great one! Kent, Todd, Troy, Robert and gang, thank you so much it was a pleasure to work with all of you. The next part of my story just proves how crazy rodeo queens (and their parents) are! We loaded up shortly after the bull riding was over, not so we could drive home, not so that we could drive closer to home, but so we could drive further from home! We were off to Cannon Falls, Minnesota. A thank you is not enough for the fabulous parents of mine for staying up and driving there, with 2 stops for gas....and coffee, just so we could arrive in time for a parade the next morning! Of course I wasn't much help on that little journey after I laid down and put a movie in. We arrived in Cannon Falls around 4:30 a.m. put the Chevy in Park, unloaded Tankers, and hit the hay! Before we knew it, it was time to get our parade faces on. A big thank you to Stephanie Fox for being so helpful with the parade information, that made that morning so much easier! During the parade I was right behind a live band, providing me with entertainment for the whole route, and Tank, my little dancing pony, with music to get his groove on! There was a little rain, but nothing the crowd in Cannon Falls couldn't handle. After the parade we had a nice lunch provided by my aunt Renee and uncle Kevin. Her kids, Aaron and Avonlea, were also in the parade on their unicycles, impressive! Next came a quick but much needed nap time before we pulled down by the grandstand. Then it was night two of the bull riding. This event was put on by the Extreme Bull Riding Tour. Bucking stock, which was fantastic, was provided by the Double S Bull Co. from Iowa! Todd Crase, and Ryan Skillet help put on quite the production, fireworks included. They strive for, and achieve a very family friendly show each and everytime, they are such crowd pleasers, if you have a chance be sure to make it to one of their events! I was honored to carry the American Flag again, as well as the NFPB flag! There was more mutton busting for the folks of Minnesota, and I had a great time helping the bull fighters comfort the criers and hand out trophies to every participant! During a tribute I was lucky enough to stand in the arena as Cash Smith held the American Flag, along side Ryan Skillet and Paige Smith (a future rodeo queen!). Again, it was a fantabulous show, lots of excitment and plenty of funny! After there were tons of fireworks for the 4th of July! I have never been so thankful to see fireworks close up in my life. For many of you that didn't know I was sent to the Nebraska Medical Center last July 3rd, for 13 long days! I missed the fireworks, a few appearnces as Miss Teen Rodeo Iowa, and my life outside the hospital. Needless to say this was the best 4th of July to date! I am starting to feel like a part of a family at all of these events, so much so I made cookies for the producers and bull riders, which turned out to be a smashing success! Please watch for my new show on the Food Network, Cooking for Cowboys. I am getting to know so many new people, and I wouldn't trade this experince for anything in the world! Ok, enough with the sentimental stuff, see ya all at the next bull riding!