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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, August 31, 2005
No cats and dogs this time. But how ‘bout Mexican
horses? How can you tell they’re Mexican? Just kidding.
Actually, I want to reminisce about La Charreada --
the Mexican rodeo -- several of which I attended in Escon-
dido, Calif. prior to moving to Oregon in 1979. By the way,
this means that the coming Labor Day will mark our 26th
year in the Beaver State.
For some reason, that reminds me of the bull “fight” I
viewed as a lad of approximately 14, when some cousins
in El Paso, Texas took me and another cousin, Cliff, to
Juarez, Mexico. I don’t want to go into it because it in-
volved a drive-in business and a beverage called “Cuba
Libre.” Also because the event, called the national sport
of Mexico, didn’t appeal to me. And that’s no bull.
Anyway, back to Escondido not long before we
shifted ourselves north in ‘79. I knew this guy from Peru,
who also worked for NCR Corp. in Rancho Bernardo, and
he was a peerless promoter. He got involved with the
Mexican community in Escondido, and hired me to be the
photographer for the muy grande Mexico rodeos at an
arena on the road to Valley Center.
I enjoyed the charreadas; they appealed to my soul,
what with being a Rodriguez and all. I was immersed in
the sights and sounds: the charros (men) and charras
(women) in their colorful, ornate costumes with silver-
and-gold colored trimmings, plus stunning sombreros;
the display of serapes; the audience hombres with the
tops of their bottles of Jose Cuervo protruding from their
right-rear pants pockets; the aroma of carne asada, tama-
les, burritos and fresh tortillas; the taste of beverages
including Carta Blanca, Dos Equis, Tecate and Bohemia.
To name a few. And bowls of homemade, tasty tortilla
chips plus other bowls of salsa caliente y piquante.
And there were the musicians; an amateur crew that
made what I call soul music with bass fiddle, trumpets,
violins and guitars. You could call them mariachis and
not be too far off base. If they delayed playing too long
between numbers, at least half the audience would shout,
“Musica! Musica!” So the musicians would wipe their
lips, return Senor Cuervo to their right-rear pockets and
continue playing.
There also were the young men and women in their
fiesta best, sitting in groups and casting shy glances at
one another. Eventually they’d mingle, with many smiles
and giggles, while a few matronly chaperones in sturdy
shoes and dark dresses, with mantillas over their severe
hair styles, would keep their eyes wide open.
Of course, the horsemanship and horse sense also
were admirable, which were the reasons I was there with
my camera. The two events I enjoyed most were the paso
de la muerte (the pass of death), and the coleadero
(literally, “the tail-twister.”)
In the first, which is usually the final event (no pun
intended), three charros drive a saddleless wild mare
around the edge of the arena at a fairly rapid pace. The
trick is for the one right next to the mare to move
smoothly from his mount to the mare, having only the
mane to hold onto. The audience was always deathly still
(pun sort of intended) during the paso de la muerte. Then
they’d burst into wild applause at the success, and the
mariachis would burst into a triumphant air.
The tail-twist event, usually the most-popular, in-
volves a charro riding alongside a bull, saluting the
judges as he rides past. Then, slapping the steer, he
slides one hand along the animal’s back until he can grab
the tail. Then he must wrap it around one of his boots;
and speed up his horse to a faster pace than that of the
steer so he can pull the bull off balance. (“Pull the bull”
has a nice ring to it, eh?) And what about a bum steer?
Anyway, the harder the animal falls, the better the
score for the charro. Sixty meters are allowed, but if it can
be done within 30 meters, the score will be higher.
Sometimes in this event, the animal would deposit
some internal matter onto the charro, much to his cha-
grin. And some in the audience would shout jokingly,
“Mantequilla!” (butter).
The festivities, butter notwithstanding, would last into
the night after the rodeo, with dancing and eating. Unfor-
tunately, the charreada eventually was shut down by the
cops because of reported liquor law violations. Yeah,
some of the under-age folks were said to be drinking
cerveza. So ended the run of the Mexican rodeos while
we were still living down south.
They were grand events, and I miss the soul music,
but the memories are vivid.
Bake Sale
Cutting error
at Babyfoot
admitted by
USFS aide
Due to a U.S. Forest
Service error, timber was
harvested in approximately
10 to 17 acres of the 352-
acre Babyfoot Lake Botani-
cal Area as part of the Fid-
dler Fire Salvage Sale, the
agency said last week.
During the layout of the
Fiddler Fire Salvage Timber
Sale a boundary mistake in
sale layout was made said
the forest service.
The agency said that it
was unaware of the incur-
sion into the Babyfoot Lake
Botanical Area until it was
brought to its attention dur-
ing August, after the trees
had been cut.
The forest service said it
appreciates Barbara Ullian,
of the Siskiyou Regional
Education Project, for bring-
ing this information to the
agency’s attention.
“We regret that this
happened. It was never our
intention or a management
decision to cut trees within
the Botanical Area,” said
Pam Bode, Galice and Illi-
nois Valley District Ranger.
The forest service
planned for the Babyfoot
Lake Botanical Area to be
protected from logging ac-
tivities associated with the
Biscuit Project.
“The forest service is
deeply concerned about the
error, and we will be work-
ing with interested parities
to take action to restore this
area,” said Bode.
“It is our intent,” she
said, “to work closely with
interested parties to identify
and implement specific res-
toration activities that can be
effective in restoring Brewer
Spruce that were killed in
Biscuit Fire, and scenic
quality to the areas that had
been cut, as well as for the
entire Babyfoot Lake Bo-
tanical area.”
The Babyfoot Lake Bo-
tanical Area was established
in 1963 to protect Brewer
Spruce and other rare plant
species. No cutting of
Brewer Spruce is to occur in
the area, and removal of
other trees is only appropri-
ate to alleviate hazards
(dangerous snags around the
trailhead, for example) or to
advance the purposes for
which the area was estab-
lished.
‘Huge Yard Sale’
Eastern Star annual
Labor Day Weekend
Extravaganza!
Dr. Gold joins Siskiyou Health site
Dr. Meg Gold, who
earned her Doctor of Medi-
cine degree at Loyola Uni-
versity Chicago, Stritch
School of Medicine in May-
wood, Ill., will join Siskiyou
Community Health Center
(SCHC) Tuesday, Sept. 6.
Gold, a Board-Certified
Family Practice physician,
will practice at the clinic in
Cave Junction, 319 Caves
Hwy.
Prior to earning her
M.D. degree, Gold gradu-
ated from St. Xavier Univer-
sity in Chicago with a
bachelor of science degree
in nursing. She completed
her Family Practice Resi-
dency at Providence Family
Practice Residency, Univer-
sity of Washington Affiliate
in Seattle.
During this summer she
completed an acupuncture
certification course at the
Institute for Classical Five-
Element Acupuncture in
Santa Monica, Calif.
Before obtaining her
medical degree, Gold
worked as a registered
Hwy. 199
topic for
open house
An open house regard-
ing the U.S. Hwy. 199 Ex-
pressway Project will be
held Thursday, Aug. 25
from 5 to 7 p.m. at the
Grants Pass Family YMCA,
1000 Redwood Ave.
Since January, citizen
teams have met monthly,
developing conceptual alter-
natives for the expressway
from the south “Y” inter-
change west to Midway
Avenue, said Oregon Dept.
of Transportation (ODOT).
This section of 199, cur-
rently designated as an Ore-
gon Dept. of Transportation
(ODOT) Safety Corridor,
has a higher crash rate than
the statewide average for
similar highways.
An Environmental
Analysis will be used to
formulate project alterna-
tives and reach a preferred
alternative. Construction is
scheduled to begin in 2009.
ODOT staff will be
available at the open house
to answer questions and to
gather input from residents
and business owners.
“The project is focused
on improving safety,” said
ODOT
Project Leader
Eryca McCartin. “We’ll
have several displays that
will help the public under-
stand the different elements
of this project.”
nurse, specializing in pediat-
ric intensive care, neonatal
intensive care and working
with HIV/AIDS hospice
patients.
A National Health Ser-
vices Corps Scholar, Gold
DR. MEG GOLD
has spent the last six years
working as a Family Medi-
cine physician in Michigan,
working in private practice
and in a community health
center. She has a strong
commitment to rural under-
served communities, and
will provide full primary-
care services to Illinois Val-
ley residents, said SCHC.
She has a special inter-
est in traditional medicine
and working with entire
families.
Gold was drawn to Jo-
sephine County for its abun-
dance of outdoor activities,
wilderness areas and rivers.
An avid hiker, she is eager
to explore the many scenic
areas in S.W. Oregon.
She has purchased a
home in Cave Junction and
looks forward to becoming
an integral member of the
community, said SCHC.
She will begin seeing
patients Sept. 6. The clinic
in Cave Junction is accept-
ing most insurance plans. A
sliding-scale fee schedule is
available for patients with-
out insurance coverage.
To schedule an appoint-
ment with Gold, telephone
592-4111.
Northwest Hairlines
Walk-ins Welcome for
‘Back to School’ Cuts
$10 for Students
$8 for Students 10 or younger
592-3123
C-J Child Care Center
We’re OPEN!
To register, phone
592-2273
or visit the former
Discovery Acres
28409 Redwood Hwy.
Saturday, September 3
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nifty Gifty Store
across from Shop Smart on Watkins
Open Saturday, September 10, too
Saturday through
Monday, 9-3 daily
Bag Sale
at 1 Monday
Illinois Valley News
An Independent Weekly Newspaper Co-owned and published by Robert R. (Bob) and
Jan Rodriguez - Bob Rodriguez, Editor El Jefe
Entered as second class matter June 11, 1937 at Post Office as Official Newspaper for
Josephine County and Josephine County Three Rivers School District, published at 321
S. Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction, OR 97523
Periodicals postage paid at Cave Junction, OR 97523
Post Office Box 1370 USPS 258-820
Telephone (541) 592-2541, FAX (541) 592-4330
Volume 68, No. 24
Staff: Kacy Clement, Michelle Binker,
Becky Loudon, Bryan Harley, Tabitha Jackson, Nina Holm Consulting.
Member: Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
DEADLINES:
News, Classified & Display Ads, Announcements & Letters
5 P.M. THURSDAY
(Classified ads & uncomplicated display ads can be
accepted until Noon, Friday with an additional charge.)
POLICY ON LETTERS: ‘Illinois Valley News’ welcomes letters to the editor provided
they are of general interest, in good taste, legible and not libelous. All letters must be
signed, using complete name, and contain the writer’s address and telephone number.
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reserves the right to edit letters. Generally, one letter per person per month at publish-
ers’ discretion. Letters are used at the discretion of the publishers. Unpublished letters
are neither acknowledged nor returned. A prepaid charge may be levied if a letter is
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POLICY ON “HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE,” DISPLAY & CLASSIFIED ADS &
NOTICES: All submissions must be hand delivered, faxed or e-mailed to us for publica-
tion. Submissions must be resubmitted weekly if the item is to run more than one week.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One year in Josephine County - $20.80
One year in Jackson and Douglas counties - $24.40
One year in all other Oregon counties and out-of-state - $36
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to
P.O. Box 1370, Cave Junction, OR 97523
From six to nine jobs
initially will result from the
planned Primrose Lane sen-
ior citizen assisted-care de-
velopment in the city of
Cave Junction.
The page 8 continuation
of a page 1 story in last
week’s Aug. 24 issue incor-
rectly reported that 69 jobs
would result, as the editor
covering the city council
meeting, where the state-
ment was made, heard “69”
instead of “six to nine.”
(OK, maybe the editor
needs a hearing aid.)
If all the cars in
the United States
were placed end to end,
it would probably be
Labor Day Weekend.
- Doug Larson -
Get ‘Noosed’
every week.
Phone 592-2541
to find out how.
We have limited openings at
The Little Lambs
Christian Based Preschool
We invite you to join the fun!
We are teaching preschool and kindergarten this year.
We learn about God’s love, our alphabet, phonics, numbers,
and lots more!
We use A-Beka curriculum.
Our school hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday. Our fees are $100 a month per child.
For more information phone 597-2625 or 592-3923.
School starts on Tuesday, the 6th of September.
A ministry of Bridgeview Community Church
5181 Holland Loop