A13
PAGE LABEL
WEDNESDAY
Aug. 7, 2019
Get ready for the Grant County
NPRA Rodeo coming Aug. 9-10
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County NPRA
Rodeo is coming to town
7-9:30 p.m. Friday-Satur-
day, Aug. 9-10, with saddle
bronc and bull riders, bar-
rel racers and more ready
to compete and entertain
at the fairgrounds in John
Day.
“We’re proud that we
can keep this tradition alive
and hope we can get every-
one out,” said Fair Manager
Mindy Winegar. “We prom-
ise, it’ll be great entertain-
ment and a great way to
kick off the 110th fair.”
The cost of admission
is $10 for ages 13 and up,
$2 for ages 6-12 and for
seniors 65 and older. Chil-
dren ages 6 and under enter
for free.
This year’s rodeo will
kick off with an old-fash-
ioned
barbecue
that
includes a barbecue beef
dinner with a drink and des-
sert. The cost is $10 a per-
son or $35 for a family of
four.
Lindsey Wyllie of Long
Creek is the Grant County
NPRA announcer, and Lazy
HK Bar is the stock con-
tractor again this year.
Grant County Fair and
Rodeo Queen Courtney
Nichols and Junior Miss
Rodeo Oregon Rowdy
Israel will ride in during
the grand entry both nights,
help at the rodeo and sign
autographs afterward.
There will be hide races
during the intermission.
After Saturday’s rodeo,
there will be a Queens
Dance, and all ages are
invited to enjoy live music
from the band Last Call and
play corn hole at the fair-
grounds pavilion.
Fair & Rodeo queen
contestants
Katie Barker, 15, of
Dayville and Kelsei Kiser,
19, of Fox will be intro-
duced as the Grant County
Fair and Rodeo 2020 queen
contestants.
Kiser is starting her sec-
ond year at Treasure Val-
ley Community College in
Ontario, studying horse pro-
duction and management.
She is currently the Baker
County and Panhandle
Rodeo Queen. She was also
the Adams County, Idaho,
fair and rodeo queen.
Barker will be a soph-
omore at Dayville High
School. She’s active in FFA,
and her hobbies include
horseback riding, basket-
Eagle fi le photo
Ty Holly of Mt. Vernon competes in calf roping at last year’s
NPRA Rodeo at the Grant County Fairgrounds in John Day.
ball and volleyball. She has
also participated in youth
rodeos.
Girls (who will be ages
15-19 next year) who are
interested in trying out
next year can call court
advisor Deanna Maley at
541-620-2407.
Tryouts for the contes-
tants will be at 7 p.m. Thurs-
day, Aug. 8, at the fair-
grounds, and the queen and
princess will be announced
during the Freestyle Bull-
fi ghting event Saturday,
Aug. 17, at the fair, which is
free with fair admittance.
SHOOTING
THE BREEZE
Take a hike
H
unting season is still a ways
off, and you don’t feel much
like fi shing, so now is a great
time to take a hike. Grant County has
lots of hiking opportunities for every-
one from the casual stroller to the
extreme sports nut.
Looking for a casual evening
stroll? The Prospector Trail runs
along the river behind the fairgrounds
and is relatively fl at. One step up in
diffi culty is the dirt bike track north
of the Seventh Street Complex. The
trails to Strawberry Lake or Aldrich
ponds are both a little under 1.5 miles
long and well maintained, plus you
can do some fi shing when you get
there. The Strawberry trail is a lit-
tle steeper, but not bad. All of the
national parks in the area, like the
Fossil Beds, have
well-maintained trails
to check out.
If you really want
to get out into nature,
stop by one of the
hardware stores or
the Forest Service
Rod
offi ce and pick up a
Carpenter
map of the area you
are interested in.
They will show you the trails that are
available. If you are looking for an
amazing view, I suggest the top of
Strawberry Mountain. The trail from
Strawberry Campground is in good
shape, but plan for a seven-plus hour
hike depending on the kind of shape
you are in. The lazy man’s way is to
go from Road’s End on the south side
of the mountain. The trail isn’t too
bad until you start the fi nal climb to
the top.
A word of caution on our trail sys-
tems. The farther from the road you
get, the worse shape the trail may be
in — sometimes disappearing alto-
gether. A good GPS or map and com-
pass with the knowledge of how to
use them is a good idea. Also, in the
areas recently affected by fi res, you
are going to experience a lot of blow-
downs that you will have to crawl
over, under or around.
Wherever you choose to go, use
some common sense in your prepa-
ration. Make sure to tell someone
where you are going. I know, you
are a big boy and can take care of
yourself. But from personal experi-
ence, I can tell you that “crap hap-
pens” even to big boys. Be sure to
take along some food and water
plus a little extra just to be safe.
Don’t forget bug spray for the fl ies,
mosquitoes and ticks. Weather can
change pretty fast so a weather-
proof jacket is a good idea. I like to
carry a cheap plastic rain poncho.
Of course, you never go anywhere
without a knife and fi re starter. That
would just be stupid. Sunscreen!
Don’t forget the sunscreen. Those
UV rays can be pretty intense on
top of our mountains. And last, but
maybe most important, the trail-
heads may or may not have bath-
room facilities. Always, always
remember to pack some TP.
We have some amazing coun-
try around us here in Grant County.
I hope you take some time this sum-
mer and get out and enjoy it.
Have a favorite hike you would
like to tell us about? Drop us a line
at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.
com.
Rod Carpenter is a husband,
father and hunting fool.
The Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
Youths, their parents and other volunteers take part in the Cinnabar Mountain Playdays rodeo on Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Grant County
Fairgrounds. A total of 59 kids competed that day with 55 out the following day.
HORSIN’ AROUND
Record-breaking number of rodeo youth compete at Grant County Fairgrounds
Record-breaking
number of rodeo youth
compete at Grant
County Fairgrounds
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grayson Schmadeka of Dayville competes
in the goat tail untying event.
Brooklyn Kimball of John Day competes in the
Figure 8 at the Aug. 3 Cinnabar Mountain Playdays
youth rodeo.
Callie Arriola of Willowcreek competes in
the Figure 8 event at the Aug. 3 Cinnabar
Mountain Playdays rodeo.
Tavin Desadier of Monument guides his horse
through the Figure 8 event.
A total of 59 rodeo youth competed at the
Saturday, Aug. 3, Cinnabar Mountain Play-
days youth rodeo series at the Grant County
Fairgrounds in John Day. There were 55
youth at the fairgrounds arena on Sunday for
another round of rodeo fun.
Jessi Arriola, 15, and her sister Callie Jo,
13, of Willowcreek were enjoying the events.
“I like how everybody supports each
other.” said Jessi, who is in the senior divi-
sion. “Even though it’s a competition, every-
body tells each other ‘good job’ and ‘nice
try.’”
Callie Jo, in the intermediate division,
agreed. “I enjoy that everybody is friendly.”
She said her favorite event is pole bending.
CMP treasurer Emma Winkelman was
on hand to record results, along with board
member Nicole Israel and others.
“We had a wonderful weekend with
record breaking participation,” Winkelman
said. “There were 59 contestants on Saturday
and 55 on Sunday.”
“It was great that we had so many kids,
and so many families there to support all the
kids,” Israel said.
She noted families, including grandpar-
ents, came from Grant County, Central Ore-
gon, Burns and Vale.
“I think it’s great that everyone comes
together,” Israel said. “It’s a very positive
learning environment — there to have fun
and learn and enjoy.”
“We are so happy to see our organization
growing and to see the smiles on the faces
of all the kids as they learn and grow in the
sport of rodeo,” Winkelman said. “The CMP
Board of Directors would like to thank all
of those who came to participate, and all of
those who volunteer for us at each event and
help keep things running smoothly.”
The fi nal weekend of Playdays is coming
up Aug. 24-25 with their Tough Enough to
Wear Pink theme. The CMP annual awards
banquet will be held Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. at the
Mt. Vernon Community Hall.