Rodeo is more than a sport, it's a lifestyle
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HEPPNER
Rodeo is more than a sport.
It's a lifestyle. It's a taxing
lifestyle to be sure, but one that
is infinitely rewarding to those
that choose to pursue it.
Rodeo is the only sport in the
world to have developed from
the skills required in a work
situation and even today it re
tains the fierce independence of
the ranch hands of the 1800s
who turned it into sport..
Pro Rodeo Cowboy Associa
tion (PRCA) rodeos are held in
46 states within the United
States and four Canadian Pro
vinces.
The Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo
(OTPR) is coming to Heppner
on August 18-19. This is one of
the top professional rodeos in
the Northwest; many of the top
cowboys and cowgirls will be
competing. Bring the whole
family and join in the fun at this
year's rodeo, a tradition in
Morrow County for 73 years.
Friday, August 18, the rodeo
performance will start at 7:15
p.m. On Saturday, August 19,
Slack will start at 7:30 a.m. and
the afternoon performance will
start at 1:15 p.m. General ad
mission tickets for adults is $8,
$5 for children 6-12 and
children under five years of age
will be admitted free.
Champions that will be com
peting for $25,000 in prize
money this year include: Clint
Corey, Joe Beaver, Mike Beers,
Dee Picket, Rod Lyman, Brad
Gleason, Fred Whitfield, Bob-
VOL. 114
Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
28 Pages Wednesday, August 16, 1995,
NO. 35
Queen Rondi follows family rodeo tradition
Queen Rondi Lynne Robin
son of the 1995 Morrow Coun
ty Fair and the Oregon Trail
PRCA Rodeo traces her local
roots to 1884 homesteaders, the
M.J. Devins and the Robinson
family pioneer settlers. Rondi is
a fifth generation member of
Heppner area ranch families.
The 18-year-old daughter of
Kirk and Delia Robinson,
Queen Rondi is a 1995 Hepp
ner High School graduate
following in the footsteps of
family members. She has a
younger brother, Royal, a
freshman at HHS this year.
Heppner school ties as well
as royality roles have become a
part of her family's traditions.
Rondi's grandmother, Merlyn
Kirk Robinson, was the 1947
fair and rodeo queen at Hepp
ner. Merlyn's sister, Evelyn
Kirk Broun, was a princess on
the 1939 court of Maxine
McCurdy Gilman. And Rondi's
aunt, Krynn Robinson Parham,
was a princess on the 1977
court of Mary Ann Proctor
Munkers.
Supported by her two pretty
brunette princesses, Michelle
Meakins and Stephanie Skulte-
ty, this blonde queen quips that
court positions as well as life
have their ups and downs.
During her 4-H years, Queen
Rondi says she enjoyed horse
shows, particularly hunt seat
over fences. But she joked that
she never perfected the art of
gracefully falling off a horse. In
jest, she says that she wasn't
Queen
Rondi Robinson
Height: 5 7 "
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
Parents: Kirk & Delia
Age: 18 yr HHS graduate
Activities: 4-H, FFA, drama
club, Volleyball basketball,
prom court, homecom ing
court, past rodeo princess,
trying to give a trick riding de
monstration when her saddle
turned during the court's grand
entry at the Arlington Rodeo.
But that embarassing incident
was treated with good humor
with the retort that "it was one
way to warm up after a teeth-
chattering parade route" in
Arlington due to cool spring
weather.
Growing up on a ranch also
has its highs and lows, she
recalls, as there were some
horse-related wrecks associated
with training horses, trail rides
and cattle drives. She also suf
fered a knee injury that re
quired two surgeries while
playing high school basketball
and at her graduation time, she
was ill with monoucleosis.
But obstacles can be over-
Queen Rondi Robinson with her horse she rides
.
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come and court responsibilities
weigh heavily on court mem
bers, says Rondi. She added
that courts have the opportuni
ty to present a positive role
model for younger girls, edu
cated people about ranching
lifestyles and to promote fair
and rodeo as important county
wide events.
More than putting on a hap
py face, court members must
have horses groomed to perfec
tion along with immaculate
tack and meticulously clean
and pressed court clothing,
Queen Rondi emphasizes. And
just as important, she claims, is
the friendly persona projected
by court members that depicts
this county's great Eastern
Oregon hospitality.
A busy summer has includ
ed the usual "hurry up and
wait" appearances at parades
in Spray, The Dalles, Hermis-
ton and Boardman, as well as
Arlington, Sisters and Joseph.
With a bevy of ribbons to attest
to this year's court parade
wins, these girls will also be
participating in the Pendleton
Round-Up parades.
Like other fashions, royality
dress styles have changed
through the years. The once
traditional pant outfits have
been replaced with a more
glamorous version of the old
style leather riding skirts with
vests. Queen Rondi's off-
white, fringed, ultrasuede attire
with accents provides a pleas
ing contrast to her princesses'
burgundy outfits.
During her growing up
years, Rondi was a 4-H and
FFA member, where she held
offices and won ribbons and
trophies with horse, sheep and
beef projects. In high school,
she was a varsity volleyball and
basketball team member. She
played major roles in plays pre
sented by the Drama Club and
she was a member of the Out
door Club. She was chosen
twice as princess for the HHS
homecoming court and
the 1995 prom court. She was
also a fair and rodeo court
princess on the 1993 court of
Queen Liz Doherty McGuire.
Queen Rondi has been work
ing full time this summer at
lone restaurants to earn college
funds. She plans on attending
Portland Community College
tMS^all with intentions of
becoming a paralegal.
For her many mounted court
appearances, Queen Rondi
rides a bay Arabian gelding,
"Bey Adni" who has become
a parade ham, she says. This
week, her court has a hectic
schedule handing out ribbons
and taking part in the style
show and livestock auction. On
Saturday, besides heading up
their own parade, they will
host out-of-town courts at a
noon luncheon. And then
there's the thrilling, fast-paced
rodeo grand entries where
these three accomplished
young horsewomen excel.
Grand Jury
hands down
indictment
A Morrow County Grand
Jury handed down indict
ments, August 8, charging
Miguel Angel Aguilera, 21,
formerly of Irrigon, with one
count of murder and one count
of abuse of a corpse in connec
tion with the shooting death of
Martina Garcilazo.
The indictments were the
result of two months of gather
ing information by the Morrow
County Sheriff's Office and the
Oregon State Police.
Authorities believe Aguilera
to be responsible for the death
of Garcilazo, 19. Garcilazo, a
Riverside High School student
and mother of two children,
was found buried in a shallow
grave near Nevada Street just
outside Irrigon by a Morrow
County Sheriff's deputy, May
9, 1995. A warrant for Agui
lera's arrest was expected to be
issued by the end of last week.
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Randi Rae Britt is leading women’s professional barrel racers
association, Columbia River Circuit.
by Hurley, Allen Bach and
Mike Hammer. Local con
testants are Ron, Tony and
Steve Currin, Jerry Gentry,
Mike Mahoney, Kyle Robin
son, Cliff Dougherty, Mark
Holmquist, Butch Knowles,
Steve Miller and Brett Mc
Dowell, as well as top cowgirls
iri the Northwest: Randi Britt,
Annie Hisler, Mary Ann
Munkers, Trisha Mahoney,
Janice Davis and Maureen
Crossley.
Renowned rodeo announcer,
Bob Tallman, will be on hand
to present the action of this
year's rodeo, along with Bruce
Kimsey, Ike Pryor and Dan
Neuman, famous rodeo clowns
and bullfighters. During his 20
plus years as a PRCA rodeo an
nouncer, Tallman has an
nounced the National Finals
Rodeo eight times and was
"Announcer of the Year" in
1982 and 1987. Tallman is
famous for his crowd involve
ment, making him one of pro
fessional rodeo's most popular
announcers.
• This year's major sponsors of
the Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo in
clude: Graybeal Distributing,
Morrow County Wheat Grow
ers, Les Schwab, Morrow
County Grain Growers, Coca
Cola Bottling Co., Finley But
tes Landfill, Carner Auto Cen
ter, Mike Partlow Cattle Co.,
Gardner's Mens Wear and the
Bank of Eastern Oregon.
Highlights of the weekend
include: The Oregon Trail All-
Around Saddle, sponsored by
Gardner's Mens Wear and
made by Rich Boyer, the sixth
annual Memorial Mike Currin
OTPR Professional Calf Roping
Champion Buckle and the
"Top Hand High School Rodeo
Athlete" from Morrow County.
Frank Beard's "Dodge Mag
num V-10", sponsored by the
OTPR Committee, earner's
Auto Center and Dodge, will
be a featured attraction. This
bull was ridden at the Mollala
Pro Rodeo for $12,000 earlier
this year.
A "Cowboy Auction" featur
ing Morrow County Team
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Sports physicals slated for August 16
Free physical exams for
Heppner and lone students
wishing to participate in sports
for the 1995-% school year will
be held this Wednesday, Aug.
16, at Pioneer Memorial
Hospital.
All
seventh
graders,
sophomores, lone sixth graders
and anyone new to the district
planning to participate in sports
is required to have a physical.
Those unable to take advan
tage of the physicals Aug. 16
must make an appointment for
a physical at their own
expense.
Girls' physicals will be held
from 5 io 7 p.m. and boys' from
7 to 9 p.m.
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Fair & Rodeo
section in GT
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Included in this week's issue
of the Gazette-Times is your
20-page Morrow County Fair &
Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo special
section.
The special section contains
articles and advertisements to
help you enjoy this years fair
and rodeo.
I.
For Fair è Rodeo
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221
1-800-452-7396
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Ropers will be held at the
Heppner Elks d u b Saturday
night, followed by dancing to
the music of the "Beck-A-
Roos", sponsored by the Bank
of Eastern Oregon, featuring
James Mason, the top fiddler in
the Northwest. -
Thè Morrow County Rodeo
on Sunday, August 20, starting
at 1:15 p.m., will feature local
and alumni rodeo athletes from
Morrow County.
Events include: stickhorse
races, for ages three and under,
four and five year olds and six
and seven year olds, with
trophies furnished to the top
three places in each age group
by Bob and Sherree Mahoney
and Peterson's Jewelers.
In the following events, buck
les will be presented: mutton
busting sponsored by Court
Street Market; calf riding spon
sored by Paul Hisler Jr. family;
breakaway roping sponsored
by Green Feed and Seed; steer
wrestling sponsored by the Bob
Steagall family; cow riding
sponsored by Coast to Coast;
pee wee barrels sponsored by
Murray's Drug; junior barrels
sponsored by the Healy fami
ly; senior barrels sponsored by
Peterson's Jewelry; steer dob-
bing sponsored by Dick Tem
ple, DVM; jr. goat tying spon
sored by Turner 4; goat tying
sponsored by Wrangler's Horse
Club; open calf roping spon
sored by Van Marter and Kahl
Insurance; team roping spon
sored by Pettyjohn Hardware
and Heritage Land Company;
and the all-around champion
buckle sponsored by Les
Schwab Tire Center.
The featured event of this
rodeo is "The Morrow County
Amateur Calf Roping" with a
championship saddle donated
by Greg Demers and made by
saddle maker Lee Ansotequi.
The Morrow County Amateur
Calf Roping event has been a
tradition in Morrow County
since 1950.
Cost of admission for the
Morrow County Rodeo is $5 for
adults, $3.50 for children 6-12
and children under five are ad
mitted free.
Closed Saturday
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