B2
CHIEF JOSEPH DAYS
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Sweet smell of success
Rotary’s longtime
connection to
Chief Joseph
Days aids many
By JEFF BUDLONG
Wallowa County Chieftain
JOSEPH — The sweet
smell of fried onions is set
to fi ll the air around Chief
Joseph Days once again.
For more than 25 years,
the Rotary Club of Wal-
lowa County has been a fi x-
ture at Chief Joseph Days
selling food as its primary
fundraiser for the year. The
cheeseburgers, hot dogs
and drinks are popular
enough that the club grew
from a cramped trailer to a
more permanent structure
where the grill and wok are
able to satisfy the happy
customers.
“We run the Bronc
Buster Grill out of that
space, and it is the only
time of the year it is open,”
club President-elect Jeff
Fields said. “Our big draw
is that we grill up a bunch of
Walla Walla sweet onions
and that aroma fl oats across
the rodeo grounds. It is our
biggest advertisement.”
Seven Rotary members
work shifts throughout the
four days of the event with
Fields often manning the
grill with another person at
the two-foot wok tending
to the onions. Two people
take orders at a time, some-
one preps the food, a fl oater
helps where needed and a
cashier collects money.
It comes across as a
well-oiled machine, but
planning begins in April to
get the wheels in motion,
and food vendors are lined
up in May. All of the food
comes from local vendors.
Fields said the club will
grill about 100 pounds of
onions and about 1,000
hamburger patties weigh-
ing in at one-third pound
each.
Each day the grill is
Contributed Photo
The current Bronc Buster Grill that the Rotary Club of
Wallowa County operates during Chief Joseph Days.
restocked and the process
starts all over again. The
long days lead to tired bod-
ies, but Fields said it is all
worth it in the end.
Rotary members work
in shifts across the days
and are often greeted by the
smiles of returning custom-
ers throughout the years. It
allows the club to show-
case itself to people that
come far and wide to Chief
Joseph Days.
“It is a great community
partnership and a great way
to showcase the service rea-
son behind Rotary,” Fields
said. “The motto of Rotary
is a life of service.”
Fields said it also allows
rotaractors — those 18
through their 20s — and
interactors — high school
rotary clubs — to see their
club in action and build
connections with other
members.
“I think it is import-
ant for people of all ages
to have examples,” Field
said. “To have people and
those in their 20s … is a
great example of when peo-
ple work together so much
more can get done.”
Lasting impact
Although there are just
four nights of rodeo at
Chief Joseph Days, the pro-
ceeds that are raised help
sustain the club’s general
fund throughout the year.
The club focuses on edu-
cation, health and the local
environment.
“We do short- and long-
term high school student
exchange, there is a youth
leader conference we send a
person to and job shadowing
for high school students,”
Fields said. “We also sup-
port seven female students
in El Salvador.”
The club also aids a
drinking water project in
Baja, Mexico, helps the
local food bank and several
other projects out of its gen-
eral fund.
Fields said being able to
help others gets back to the
core of the Rotary Club of
Wallowa County.
“It is a group that is really
animated by this idea of a
life of service, and they are
putting it into practice,” he
said. “It is just people who
want to get things done and
have a good time doing it.”
Welcome fans of Wallowa County!
Thank You for supporting our
Chief Joseph Days and
Back Country Bash Events
Why
rough it!
Ellen Bishop/Contributed Photo
The 2022 Chief Joseph Days Court is, from left, Princess Mia Salerno, Queen Maggie Zacharias
and Princess Bailey Vernam. They will preside over the festivities July 27-31, 2022, in Joseph.
Chief Joseph Days court
excited for chance to lead
By JEFF BUDLONG
Wallowa County Chieftain
JOSEPH — Maggie Zach-
arias is carrying on a fam-
ily tradition as queen of the
Chief Joseph Days Rodeo,
but it also has a bigger mean-
ing for the 19-year-old from
Joseph.
Zacharias saw her aunt
crowned queen in 2000, her
cousin followed in 2019
and her grandparents were
involved with Chief Joseph
Days for years.
Zacharias has experience
as queen of a rodeo court, tak-
ing that honor for the Elgin
Stampede in 2019. It was
during this time she met Ty
Hallgarth, who would make a
big impression on her.
“Ty was a board member
at Elgin and we went to Vegas
in December of 2019, and the
conversation we struck up
on the plane was whether I
was running for Chief Joseph
Days,” she said. “I told him
‘yes’ and he said he would be
my biggest fan.
“Unfortunately, Ty passed
away at the beginning of this
year. I have dedicated my
queen year and everything to
Ty because he helped me get
here.”
Hallgarth was a major sup-
porter of rodeo and worked to
help others get the most out
of their experiences.
For Zacharias, who was
named queen in April, it is
also a chance to support her
hometown rodeo, even if
it did have its challenges at
times.
“On the other rodeo court,
we only had to give one
speech one time,” she said.
“For Chief Joseph Days we
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old and I started competing
actively when I was 7,” she
said.” I have done rodeos,
gaming shows and barrel
racing.”
Vernam is looking for-
ward to riding in the parade
and watching children come
up and interact with her and
Domino.
The trio is spending the
summer on the rodeo circuit,
starting with the Eastern Ore-
gon Livestock Show in early
June, and ending with the
Pendleton Round Up in Sep-
tember. At each rodeo, they
will ride in parades, partic-
ipate in rodeo run-ins and
meet other rodeo courts from
around the region.
Zacharias, the daughter
of Luke and Merilee Zacha-
rias, is set to enter the work-
force as a medical assistant
at Winding Waters Medi-
cal Clinic in Enterprise. Ver-
nam will attend the Univer-
sity of Idaho in the fall and
major in pre-health profes-
sions with designs on becom-
ing an orthodontist. Salerno,
the daughter of Damian and
Kristan Salerno, will enter a
trade school to learn to weld.
After the pandemic can-
celed the 2020 Chief Joseph
Days and life returns to more
normal with each passing day,
this year’s event is important
to the court.
“We can show people that
we are back with rodeo,”
Zacharias said. “We still need
to be cautious of COVID, but
don’t be afraid to come out
and have a good time.”
“It is so nice to be back
to normal,” Vernam said.
“Being able to see people’s
faces and the smiles we bring
to them is so amazing to me.”
PROUD
SPONSOR OF
CHIEF JOSEPH DAYS
FOR 42 YEARS!
ROS
ED
E
Wake Up
Well!
R
y
r
Anniversa
had to give it four times. I
never have had to try out in
the snow, but I ran barrels in
the snow and did our tryouts
in the snow in April. It was a
lot with it being senior year,
and I wondered how I would
get it all done.”
Zacharias is joined on
the court by Princesses Bai-
ley Vernam of Enterprise and
Mia Salerno of Joseph. All
three were judged on their
speeches, ticket sales and
horseback riding.
Each enjoys time on their
horses and are excited to be
part of the events and celebra-
tions of Chief Joseph Days.
“I am excited to do our
rodeo and for it to be our time
to push cows and do run-ins,”
Zacharias said.
She will be showcasing
several horses during Chief
Joseph Days. Cowboy is a
10-year-old gelding, Rudi is a
7-year-old gelding, Snickers
is another gelding and Kaddi
is a 9-year-old mare.
Vernam, 18, also has a
history with the event. Her
mother, Shannon, of Enter-
prise, was also a princess
at Chief Joseph Days. Ver-
nam will ride Domino, which
stands more than 17 hands
high during Chief Joseph
Days.
Salerno, 18, trained her
horse, Bugatti, named after
the sports car for her passion
for speed.
Salerno earned her fi rst
royalty honors at Chief
Joseph Days and has been
excited to attend diff erent
rodeos to meet people and
strike up friendships. She has
a passion for riding.
“I fi rst sat on a horse when
I was a couple of months
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