Welcome to Chief Joseph Days
W
ith the prettiest moun-
tain settings in the
West, the community of
Joseph is proud to host one of
the best small town rodeo cel-
ebrations in the West for its
74th year.
This year Chief Joseph
Days brings together volun-
teers from all corners of Wal-
lowa County to put on the
county’s oldest and largest
event, centered around Profes-
sional Rodeo Cowboy Associ-
ation performances Wednes-
day through Saturday nights,
July 24-27, at Harley Tucker
Memorial Arena in Joseph.
The big celebration also
offers two parades, cow-
boy breakfasts every morn-
ing, teen and adult dances, a
friendship feast and Native
American
encampment,
downtown vendors, a bene-
fit walk and a cowboy church
service, all staged against the
backdrop of the spectacular
Wallowa Mountains. Every
year over 200 cowboys —
plus professional barrel-rac-
ing cowgirls — put on an
exciting show that spotlights
PRCA bareback riding, team
riding, saddle bronc riding,
calf roping, steer wrestling,
and bull riding. The Family
Night rodeo Wednesday also
features mutton-busting by
local peewee wranglers (who
also compete Thursday),
and wild cow milking by
some of the county’s work-
ing cowboys, which may be
the most exciting event of
all. Mini-bullriding (with tiny
bulls and riders ages 7 to 14)
adds to the fun.
In addition to the 7 p.m.
rodeo performances, the public
is invited to watch slack rodeo
action around 2 p.m. every
afternoon, as some events
have more competitors than
time during the regular rodeo.
Reigning over the celebration
will be the 2019 CJD Court of
Queen Rylee Wilcox and Prin-
cesses Bethany Anderson and
Katelynn Diggins.
The unofficial kickoff of
CJD is the increasingly pop-
ular bucking horses stam-
pede Tuesday afternoon, when
crowds gather to watch two
dozen bucking horses herded
up Main Street to the rodeo
grounds.
The popular Junior Parade
at 10 a.m. Friday morning lets
costumed youngsters up to age
15 — including visitors — step
into the spotlight for fun and
cash prizes.
“Strolling thru the Mountain
View” is the theme of the CJD
Grand Parade at 10 a.m. Sat-
urday morning, which always
packs the largest crowd of the
weekend into Joseph. Enter-
WELCOME
2019
prise native Bill Wells will be
honored as grand marshal.
Immediately after the
parade everyone is invited to
the Chief Joseph Commemora-
tive tepee encampment next to
the rodeo arena for a friendship
feast (with salmon and Indian
fry bread) hosted by families
that descend from the Joseph
Nez Perce band, along with
local residents. Potluck contri-
butions are encouraged. Native
dancing and drumming will
follow the friendship feast.
There will be cowboy
breakfasts every morning
during CJD, with an all-night
breakfast on the rodeo grounds
starting at 11 p.m. Saturday
and continuing through Sun-
day morning.
A cowboy church service at
9 a.m. on Sunday at the rodeo
arena is the last event of Chief
Joseph Days. All rodeo-goers
are urged to also take the time
to explore the shops and galler-
ies of Joseph, hike into the wil-
derness or enjoy beautiful Wal-
lowa Lake during their Chief
Joseph Days visit.
Wallowa County’s Newspaper Since 1884
M eMber O regOn n ewspaper p ublishers a ssOciatiOn
Acclimate
with new window treatments from
800 S. River Street, Enterprise, Oregon 541.426.9228 • carpetone.com
• Hunter Douglas • Kathy Ireland • Graber
Window Treatments for every room in your home.
P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828
Office: 209 NW First St., Enterprise, Ore.
Phone: 541-426-4567 • Fax: 541-426-3921
General manager, Jennifer Cooney, jcooney@wallowa.com
Editor, Ellen Morris Bishop, editor@wallowa.com
Publisher, Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com
Reporter, Stephen Tool, steve@wallowa.com
Administrative Assistant, Amber Mock, amock@wallowa.com
Advertising Assistant, Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com
Cover Photo: Ellen Morris Bishop
Contents copyright © 2019. All rights reserved.
Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
Wallowa.com | C3