Vernonia's voice., June 14, 2011, Page 9, Image 9

community
june14
2011
9
Happy Trails: A Report From the Rodeo Road
By Mackenzie Carr
2011 Miss Rodeo Oregon
Hello again!
My schedule lately
has been fun-filled
but less hectic. On
May 7th, I attended
the Grand Opening
and
Anniversary
Celebrations
of
Vernonia Florist and Creatures Pet Shop.
Congratulations to Lisa and Ben Edgar
on your ten years in business and best of
luck to Michal and Dennis Smith with
your new business.
The following weekend found
me in Portland at the St. Johns Parade.
The weather was perfect, no rain. It
was my horse Pedro’s first outing this
year. He did really well after being off
for the winter. We were very fortunate to
win first place in our division. The other
entries all looked amazing and I had a
great time.
On May 17th I was off to
Tennessee for the Miss Rodeo Tennessee
Pageant and Franklin Rodeo. I was
supposed to land in Nashville, but
accidentally booked my flight to
Memphis. Upon
arrival, I realized
that I was in
the wrong city
and I needed to
get to Nashville
ASAP. The least
expensive option
was to ride the
Grey Hound Bus
three hours to
Nashville. When I
arrived at the bus
depot I found out
the next bus to
Nashville didn’t
leave for another
five hours. So
there I sat, in full queen attire in the
middle of downtown Memphis at the
Grey Hound Bus depot with my two
suitcases, hat can, and briefcase. I’m
sure I was quite a sight! During my five
hour wait I became good friends with the
bus depot employees and tried to enjoy,
let alone get through my crazy day. Long
story short, I arrived safely in Nashville
at midnight. I keep telling myself that it
was a “character building experience.”
Once I finally got to Nashville,
my little fiasco was the talk of the trip.
I was made fun of quite a bit, but was a
good sport about it. While there, the other
state queens and I toured the Country
Music Hall of Fame and Museum,
visited the Franklin Battlefield, attended
an authentic Southern Tea Party, and
helped out at the rodeo. In our free time
we also went to breakfast at the Grand
Ole Opry. I had such a great time and
hope to go back and visit soon; this time
flying directly
into Nashville
and not taking
a detour in
Memphis.
On June 1st
through
the
4th I was at
the first PRCA
Oregon Rodeo,
the Wild Rogue
Pro Rodeo in
Central Point.
I
attended
a
sponsor
dinner, signed
autographs
at Premier West Bank, and spoke at a
grade school assembly. Also attending
these promotional events with me
was the rodeo clown Crash Cooper of
Saskatchewan, Canada and
the Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo’s
mascot Roguey Bear. The
three of us had such a good
time talking with the kids and
waving to people outside the
bank. I also spent much of
my time helping at the rodeo.
I signed autographs before
the performances, cleared the
cattle out of the arena after the
roping events, and helped with
the mutton busting and boot
race events for the kids. On the
last night of the rodeo, I had the privilege
of meeting the Chinese delegation.
There were close to 30 members of
the delegation who all wanted their
pictures taken with real cowboys and
rodeo queens. Also accompanying them
was a large group of children who were
part of the Chinese ballet. The trip was
wonderful and I was glad that I could
help promote their rodeo. Thank you to
Melissa Damon and the fair and rodeo
boards for having me.
It is now officially rodeo season
and I will be running around like a mad
woman until the end of September. I
will be at the Eastern Oregon Livestock
Show and Rodeo on June 9th and 10th,
riding in the Portland Grand Floral
Parade on June 11th, and attending the
Sisters Rodeo on June 11th and 12th.
The following weekend I’ll be at the
Reno Rodeo and I round out the month
in Prineville, Oregon at the Crooked
River Roundup. As you can see, I will
have much to tell you about in my next
article.
Until next time.
The Black Bear & Bear Creek Pub
✥ All new state-of-the-art espresso machine
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
✥ Outdoor patio seating
✥ Rotating beer on tap
✥ Open daily at 6 AM
✥ Happy Hour
✥ Free Wi-Fi
✥
Stop by
this
Summer
831 Bridge St . (503)-429-0214
Local produce & products,
Hand-crafted goods,
& much more!
4th
an
New
nu
time
a
! New l sea
locat son
Support yo
!
i
ur commun on!
it y!
A project of:
www.cslpreads.org
at the Vernonia
Public Library
Tues, June 28
Story & Craft/Activity Time
10-11 AM
Th, June 30 WA Co. Museum-School Days Program 6:30-7:30 PM
Tues, July 5
Story & Craft/Activity Time
10-11 AM
Th, July 7
Hart’s Reptile World
6:30-7:30 PM
Sat, July 9
Movie Matinée
2:00 PM
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C
L
munity
Vernonia Com
Learning Center
g?
Interested inVendin
(503)449-3591
Contact Kathy at
ail.com
oamvernonia@gm
Summer Summer
Reading
Program
2011 Collaborative
Library
Program Manual
Madison, Avenue, Downtown Vernonia
June through October
All programs are free of charge.
For more information call the Vernonia Library at 503-429-1818