Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
A11
WEDNESDAY
August 10, 2016
BACK IN THE SADDLE
NPRA rodeo planned in Grant County in September
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
What was looking like a dis-
mal year for Grant County rodeo
fans is turning into one of the best.
Although this week’s Grant
County Fair will not feature a
Northwest Professional Rodeo
Association event as it has in
the past, an NPRA rodeo is be-
ing planned at the fairgrounds in
September.
And, in place of the rodeo,
the fair this year will feature a
free freestyle rodeo bullfi ghting
competition at 7 p.m. Friday,
Aug. 12 — “60 seconds of the
most intense, extreme sport you
will ever see,” according to or-
ganizer Trever Hamsher.
Trever’s father, Jim Ham-
sher, who chairs the fair’s ro-
deo committee, told the Grant
County Court Wednesday the
NPRA rodeo is being planned
for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9
and 10, the same weekend as an
NPRA rodeo Saturday and Sun-
day in Burns. Contestants, he
said, would be able to compete
in both.
Fair organizers had chosen
not to host a rodeo this year be-
cause the event cost more than
it brought in. Jim Hamsher said
the contract to provide the live-
stock alone cost $25,000.
After the Grant County ro-
deo was canceled, however, the
stock contractor, Lazy HK Bar,
offered to provide the animals at
a reduced rate because he hadn’t
worked enough rodeos for his
stock to qualify for nationals.
His new bid was $4,850, “al-
most too good to pass up,” Jim
Hamsher said.
He said sponsorships could
possibly be obtained to cover
the stock cost before the rodeo
even began, and even if not,
several hundred attendees each
night could easily cover the cost.
The county court, which
oversees the fair, unanimously
voted to allow the fair to move
forward with the contract.
Fair Manager Mary Weaver
said later that Lazy HK Bar has
served the rodeo for the last six
years.
“We’re going to try to plan to
have music, a bar and food,” she
said, “and we’ll have ticket pric-
es out as soon as fair is over.”
NEARLY PERFECT
Fierce competitors take on 4-H archery contest, earning ‘fantastic’ scores
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
This year, three youth earned al-
most perfect scores at Saturday’s 4-H
archery competition.
Out of 400 possible, Logan Mill-
er scored 399, Summer Miller scored
398 and Ty McDaniel scored 397.
“Those are fantastic scores,” said
Mike Springer, who leads the 4-H ar-
chery program with Andy Day. “The
judges, leaders and parents should all
be very proud of each and every one
of the participants.”
There are 300 points available
with an extra 100 points for no safety
violations.
The event, held behind Winner’s
Choice Bowstrings, had 22 youth
in junior (grades 4-6), intermediate
(grades 7-9) and senior (grades 10-
12) participating. Five others partic-
ipated on a separate day.
The 4-H groups were from John
Day’s Airport Flyers club, Prairie
City Community Club and Monu-
ment’s North Fork Community Club.
Most used compound bows and
shot in the freestyle division, while
others shot in the traditional division
with recurve bows.
Competitors in the bear bow divi-
sion used a compound bow with no
sights.
Andy Day and Mike Springer
were the range offi cers. Maxine Day
and Shannon Springer kept the score
and made sure the right shooter was
shooting at the right target. All four
judges scored the arrows and watched
for any safety issues.
Their targets will be on display
Wednesday through Saturday at the
fair pavilion, along with 4-H shotgun
and rifl e targets.
“All the kids shot extremely well,”
Springer said. “The judges all agreed
that there was a huge improvement
over last year’s scores and in overall
performance. We also had another
year with no safety violations.”
High scorers
Th ree archers nearly scored the
highest score possible of 400.
399
398
397
5K honors memory
of two brothers
Brothers Run
set for Saturday,
Aug. 13
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Logan Miller
Summer Miller
Ty McDaniel
File photo/LindseyWyllie.com
Riley Clark flies into action, competing in steer
wrestling at last year’s NPRA Rodeo during the
Grant County Fair. The fair this year will feature a
bullfighting event, not a rodeo, but an NPRA rodeo
is being planned for Sept. 9-10 at the Grant County
Fairgrounds.
Photos by The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Mike Springer and Maxine Day
check out the targets after the
competition, and Logan Miller
pulls his arrows from his target.
ABOVE: Summer Miller, left, Dauna Bishop, Ty McDaniel and Logan
Miller compete in Saturday’s 4-H archery competition.
BELOW: In the lineup, competing, are, from left: Drew Wilburn, 14;
Julianna Smucker, 16; Logan Miller, 15; Ty McDaniel, 17; Dauna
Bishop, 17; and Summer Miller, 17.
The Brothers Run 5K
Run/Walk has been go-
ing strong since 2011, with
friends, neighbors and others
running with a couple Grant
County brothers in mind.
This year’s race is set for
8:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13,
starting and ending at Sev-
enth Street Complex in John
Day.
The event will be an
opportunity to remember
the late Arthur “AJ” Dick-
ens (June 6, 2002-Dec. 10,
2015) and his brother Taner
Gilliam (June 24, 1993-July
19, 2010), of Mt. Vernon,
while also raising scholar-
ship funds for Grant County
students.
To date, the Brothers Run,
organized by Megan Work-
man, Dickens and Gilliam’s
sister, has raised $6,500 for
13 scholarships in Gilliam’s
name, and $5,500 for the
Muscular Dystrophy Associ-
ation in Dicken’s name.
Dickens had Duchenne
muscular dystrophy.
This year, all proceeds
will benefi t the Taner Gilliam
Memorial Scholarships and
AJ Dickens Memorial Schol-
arships.
“Let’s all get together
and raise some money for
the 2016-17 Grant County
graduates by honoring Tan-
er Gilliam and AJ Dickens,”
Workman said. “We’re really
excited to see people partic-
ipate.”
Registration forms are
available at Java Jungle, 142
E. Main in John Day, or par-
ticipants can fi ll the form out
just before the race on Satur-
day.
The cost is $37 with a
T-shirt; $32 for all Grant
County students with a
T-shirt; and children ages
12 and under are free and, if
they would like a T-shirt, the
cost is $22. Sweatshirts will
cost $33, and hats are $15.
The pre-order for T-shirts,
sweatshirts and hats has al-
ready been sent, and another
order will be made after the
race.
Anyone wanting to send
a donation without partici-
pating in the race may mail
it to: Megan Workman, P.O.
Box 106, Mt. Vernon, OR
97865. Make checks pay-
able to The Brothers Run
or Taner Gilliam Memorial
Fund.
For more information,
contact Workman at 541-
620-1822 or 541-448-2535.
Cow Kids to stir up
rodeo fun on Sunday
Free event is 10
a.m. Aug. 14 at
fairgrounds
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Rodeo youth will com-
pete for prizes at this Sun-
day’s CowKids Rodeo at the
Grant County Fairgrounds.
The action gets underway
at 10 a.m. with cowboys and
cowgirls through age 16 par-
ticipating.
Youth can sign up for calf
riding, steer riding, wooly
bullies, dummy roping and
breakaway roping. There’s
also pole bending, barrels,
goat tail undecorating and ty-
ing and goat tying.
Age divisions include:
peewee for ages 0-5, youth
6-9, junior 10-12 and senior
13-16.
Organizer Simmie Wad-
del said last year’s event
drew 86 contestants.
“I think they enjoy get-
ting to be in the rodeo atmo-
sphere,” she said. “It is a little
different from the (Cinnabar
Mountain) Playdays rodeos
because it has the rough-
stock and the breakaway. It
gives them an opportunity to
compete and win prizes, and
there’s always a belt buckle
for fi rst place.”
Waddel said those who’d
like to compete need to fi ll
out forms by Friday, Aug. 12,
at the fair offi ce, or call her at
541-620-0596.
To volunteer to be a timer
or run the gates, call Waddel.
“It’s free to come and
watch,” she said. “The more
spectators, the better.”
No Matter
how big or small your trophy was
or if you just want to share a hunting adventure,
send or drop off your best
hunting photos or stories
to
195 N Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845 • kristina@bmeagle.com
Your photos could be published in this year’s EAGLE HUNTING JOURNAL
Please have them to the Eagle by August 8.