Just a few days after returning from the east, I was westward bound to my home state of Washington for the Ellensburg Rodeo. Born and raised in Ellensburg, I was thrilled to be able to make at least one performance of a rodeo that I’ve never missed in my lifetime! I began my travel on a Wednesday that brought me into Seattlelate but regardless, my sister Jessica was waiting in the baggage claim for me upon arrival. After being gone for over 3 months, I was ecstatic to see family! I spent the night with her and the following morning my mom arrived to pick me and bring me over the mountains home to Ellensburg. My dad was waiting for me when we pulled into the driveway and the evening was filled with stories and being reunited with family (and pets!). My first full day at home was spent relaxing before a busy day on Saturday. The annual Junior Rodeo hosted by the Ellensburg Rodeo Posse was held at our local arena and I was given the opportunity to carry the American flag in their grand entry. What a thrill it was to carry the flag in my home arena in front of friends, family and community members! Even more exciting was riding my own horse! My sassy, slightly out of shape horse was a handful but he was MY handful none the less!
Sunday brought us gorgeous weather and friends and family gathered for a small homecoming party that my mom and sister loving referred to as the ‘Stars and Stripes’ party! It was great to visit with many of those that would be busy all rodeo week and I may only get to see in passing from one event to the next! Monday was dedicated to my sister, so we ran errands together, shopped (as usual!) and ate at our favorite restaurant that I’d be craving for months! The following day was the kick off to a crazy schedule! It all began with an autograph signing at a local western store, Old Mill Country Store where I was greeted by many familiar faces. I was then off to run errands and visit friends before attending the Ellensburg Rodeo kick-off party for a brief hour then rushing out to WestStar arena. The Repp family, who sponsored me as Miss WestStar to compete for Miss Rodeo USA, holds an annual open team and tie-down roping as well as a dinner and gathering the night before. I was thrilled to help out the Repp’s by being a runner during their successful auction and visiting with many of their generous sponsors. With a more hectic day to follow, I hit the hay!
With King TV from Seattle on hand, I saddled up at the WestStar roping for a full day at the ranch. Thank you to the crew from King TV for coming out to the roping and I can’t wait to see the story! With the Pro-Am team roping underway, I spent my time visiting with friends and later driving out the calves during calf roping. The day flew by and I was happy to have been a part of such a great event and help out a family that has continually supported me through the years. Thank you to the Repp’s! The next morning I was front and center for the opening of the Kittitas County Fair to sign autographs for those there as the gates opened. Seated beside the
Friday was the opening day of the Ellensburg Rodeo with performance time kicking off at 7pm. The morning brought some sprinkling rain as I made my way to the Kids Corral at the rodeo grounds to create craft projects with the kids but luckily it cleared up as I saddled up my horse for grand entry. It was truly exciting to ride in my home arena as Miss Rodeo USA and thank you to the rodeo committee for allowing me to participate! With my horse put up for the night, I wandered the grounds seeing many more friends in my hometown around the arena, at the fair and in the Gold Buckle Club. What a night! It was a late evening and an early morning to follow with the big parade and myself as the Grand Marshal. I did my best to pack up before heading out the door for the parade because IMMEDIATLY following the parade I would be heading west to Seattle to fly back to Oklahoma. A HUGE thank you to James Smith for getting me my new, beautiful chaps just in time and to Susan of Riding High USA for the gorgeous red shirt, fit for a marshal! It was such a highlight to walk my home streets because of all the familiar faces and shouts of encouragement. It may have literally rained on my parade and soaked me by the time I hit the end of the route, but it was a fantastic experience and a memorable one!
Barely 24 hours later I was in Henryetta, Oklahoma for the Jim Shoulders Living Legends Rodeo and running on pure adrenaline! I was tired from the week in Ellensburg but being in Henryetta was like hitting both my hometowns in one weekend. Hampton Rodeo Company put on a great show for a packed house on Sunday night and the following morning for the parade, the streets were lined with spectators. Thanks to Amy for driving my Seth Wadley Ford truck down main street Henryetta, although with all her students watching-she had more fans than I did! As the day heated up, we all got ready for the Monday afternoon performance. It may have been hot but many true fans sweated it out with us and enjoyed the show. Thank you to Tom for letting me us Doc for Sunday’s grand entry and Kevin Hampton for loaning me his horse on Monday, I appreciate it!
Thank you to everyone in my hometown of Ellensburg for making my trip so memorable! I special thank you to my family for being there for me during my hectic schedule even though their schedules were as crazy as my own! I had such a wonderful time and it was much in part to all those in my community, thank you! A second Thank-You is in order to those who were on hand in Henryetta, thank you to Tom and Kevin for the horses, Amy for driving my truck through the parade and Tammy Hyatt for allowing me to participate in your rodeo festivities! I had an amazing time!
Two days rest and I was on the move again, this time heading northeast to Poplar Bluff, Missouri– Stay turned for this weekends stories!