B6
CHIEF JOSEPH DAYS
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Volunteers: The heart and soul of Chief Joseph Days
By ELLEN MORRIS
BISHOP
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
JOSEPH — If you are
going to the Chief Joseph
Days Rodeo, you might con-
sider giving a hearty “Thank
you” to the person who takes
your ticket. Without them,
and the more than 300 vol-
unteers from the commu-
nity who work hard all year,
there would be no parades,
no rodeo and no Chief
Joseph Days. For each of
them, volunteering for CJD
is a labor of love and a way
to support their community.
It’s been that way for more
than 75 years.
You’ll see these volun-
teers who make the rodeo
happen mostly as the peo-
ple who take your tickets,
or sell you a beverage or
assist at the bronc or steer
chutes. But they are also the
ones who maintain the rodeo
grounds year-round, handle
the ticket sales, organize the
parades, pay the bills, keep
track of contestants and
much, much more.
“We just couldn’t have
a rodeo without them,”
said CJD Board of Direc-
tors President Terry Jones.
“They are truly the heart and
soul of Chief Joseph Days.
Volunteers like the rest
Jones, like the rest of the
board, volunteers his time
in what is a year-round job.
Jones tackles the tasks of
lining up and signing rodeo
performers, specialty acts,
stock contractors, bullfi ght-
ers, and other pro perform-
ers. During the rodeo, you’ll
usually fi nd him working the
bronc and bulls chutes and,
along with other volunteers,
trying to stay out of the way
of fl ying hooves, bucking
horses, rank bulls, pickup
riders and bullfi ghters.
The cancellation of the
2020 rodeo didn’t mean
any less work for many
of the 300-plus volun-
teers, many of whom work
Ellen Morris Bishop/For the Wallowa County Chieftain
Above, volunteer Harry Lathrop adjusts the songs and sounds for a Tuckerettes and Rodeo Honor Court practice session on a very smoky Monday, July 19, 2021.
Below, from left, Jake Thompson, Randy Eschler and J.J. Jones hang a new sponsor sign on the front of the Harley Tucker Arena’s south grandstand.
entirely behind the scenes.
They bore the brunt of issu-
ing refunds to ticket holders,
and the wrenching job of
notifying the specialty acts,
entrants, and others, includ-
ing former court members
who had been invited to the
Saturday night performance,
of the cancellation.
With the 2021 celebra-
tion of the 75th Chief Joseph
Days, volunteers Judi Hol-
brook and Janie McArtor
devoted more time to con-
tacting past CJD rodeo court
royalty and ensuring that
they can participate in the
2021 CJD parade with ease.
That means again gathering
as many as possible of the
more than 200 women who
have been on rodeo courts
since 1946 to appear at the
75th CJD Rodeo on Satur-
day, July 31.
Plenty of ways
people volunteer
Some volunteers, like J.J.
Jones and his wife, Rachael,
have volunteered at Chief
Joseph Days for more than
20 years. Long-time sum-
mer residents, they just
moved here permanently
from Poulsbo, Washington.
Rachael is a time-keeper for
the rodeo’s timed events.
This year, J.J. will drive the
CJD Rodeo’s big red water
truck, keeping the Harley
Tucker arena as dust-free as
possible. He volunteered as
See Volunteers, Page B10
Celebrating 75 Years of Award-Winning Rodeo!
PURE
RAW
HONEY
E
Welcome
Rodeo fans!
Purchase your delicious local honey at the
Ponderosa Hotel in Enterprise
Case of 12 Quarts
Gallon Bucket
Quart Jar
Pint Jar
Clean Beeswax
- $150
- $50
-$15
- $8
- $7 per lbs
75 Years of
Award-Winning
Rodeo
FOR ALL YOUR GITTY UP’S AND GETT’N OUTS!
Welcome Chief Joseph Days Rodeo Fans & Contestants
201 East Hwy 82 Enterprise, OR 97828 • 541-426-0320
P.O. Box 658 Enterprise, OR 97828
Office: 541-426-4071 • Fax: 541-426-6385
admin@wellensgc.com • CCB #166728