Thursday morning, we again hurried down to the French Market buffet, and again Megan was dressed in jeans, so we knew that her speech would be Friday morning. That worked well for us, because more family and friends were arriving and would be able to attend the speeches on Friday morning.
The President's luncheon was held at noon at the Orleans. The contestants wore beautiful dresses of leather and came in carrying their state flag. What an honor for Megan to be able to represent the state of Montana. After a delicious lunch and introductions and awards to the many of those serving on the executive board of Miss Rodeo America, the girls were each asked a current events impromptu question. The questions covered a wide range - from politics to general ethics questions - and all were questions that could be answered easily by the contestants. If you are looking at the pictures, Megan wore a light green dress which was made for her by Julie Ewing. Each girl was presented with a beautiful Black Hills gold necklace from Landstrom's.
Horsemanship interviews and coronation rehearsals took up the rest of the day, until late afternoon when the contestants were treated to the first performance of the WNFR. We also attended the first evening's performance and what an experience! Although our seats were high in the Thomas & Mack, we had a great view of both the bucking chutes and the timed event end of the arena. I was amazed at the speed of the rodeo. It was non-stop action from beginning to end, and I don't think the announcers took a breathe the whole time! We had been told that the queen contestants could sit with their parents during the rodeo, but with the huge crowd most of us were not able to connect with our girls. After the rodeo, some of our group went out to the South Point to watch Flint Rasmussen present the night's go-round buckles.
Friday morning Megan gave her state speech. She did a fantastic job! Her taped interview was also very good. It was obvious that she had done that a few times already during her year! Cowboy Christmas at the Las Vegas convention center was the afternoon program. The crowd to bid on the auctions was standing-room-only and the girls had fun presenting their purses for bidding. Each contestant brought a purse filled with prizes to be auctioned, with proceeds going to the MRA scholarship fund. Offerings varied from sports packages (including rodeo of course) to ski trips to home cooked goodies. Afterwards, we got to spend a little time with Megan before she was whisked away for more coronation practice.
Saturday morning was the Mother-daughter breakfast at the French Market Buffet. The judges spoke to the girls and encouraged them to "swing for the fences" throughout the rest of their lives.
Coronation was held in the Showroom at the Orleans. The lights and stage decoration was impressive, and the girls did a choreographed dance before changing into their fancy dresses.
Each one was introduced and escorted down to the microphone by either Donny Gay or Dan Miller, where they introduced themselves and their parents. Bob Tallman said good-bye to Ashley and caused some tears as she did her final walk as Miss Rodeo America. Then it was time for the Top 10 contestants to be announced. What suspense! It was so exciting to hear Megan's name called and watch her walk down the stairs to take her place in the line-up! We were thrilled!!! It brought a tear to my eye to see Megan up there in that group! Top 5 was announced and then they gave the awards for each category. You'll have to look at the Miss Rodeo America website for all the results, because I don't remember everything. I was just focused on Megan as she received her buckle for Top 10! Miss Rodeo Kansas was crowned Miss Rodeo America 2008, with Miss Rodeo Arizona as first Runner-Up.
Afterwards the contestants raced back to their rooms to change and join their families. We managed to pull together some tables in the back of one of the restaurants and had a fun meal with 20+ members of our family and friends. It was the first time all week that Megan had been able to see everyone, so it was great! Thanks to everyone that attended the pageant and supported her. We really had a huge group of family and friends here throughout the week, and it made this a trip that we will remember for a lifetime. Many of the group toured Hoover Dam, attended various Las Vegas shows, ate fantastic meals, and lost our share in the casinos. And of course, everyone attended one or more performances of the WNFR.
What a wonderful week!!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
More from Miss Rodeo America Pageant
Hi,
Sunday was a big day for the contestants. They had their personality interviews, and 9 hours of practice for the Fashion Show. We were not able to see them at all during that day. I took the opportunity to attend the Cowboy Church service in the casino, which featured Trish Lennahan and her marvelous voice. Ashley Andrews gave an inspirational message on how her cancer had affected her faith.
Monday morning we went down to the French Market Buffet to have breakfast at 7 am - the same time as the girls eat. They all looked nice in their horsemanship outfits. Megan's outfit was a lime green leather shirt with lace and rhinestone overlays, along with the required matching Wranglers and boots.
The horsemanship contest was held in the South Point casino Equestrian Center, a large new arena on the south end of the Strip. The South Point hotel is also the host of the PRCA this year so there were a lot of cowboys milling around. Each girl drew a horse and performed a specified reining pattern. They were not allowed on the horses until they went in the arena, so it was really a test of adaptability as well as horsemanship. The horses were brought in by various stock contractors and were also being judged for an award. All were good horses, but some tested the girls when it came to lead changes and stops. Megan was in the middle of the draw, and had a big, slow sorrel horse that did pretty well for her. I think she is on page 8 in the pictures for this event. There was a short break and the girls started their second round on a different horse, with a free-style pattern and queen presentation run. Each girl could determine her own pattern, which should show off her mount's strongest points, and then each girl ran around the arena waving at the crowd. I'm sure the judges had a difficult job in this portion, because each girl had a different pattern. Megan was number 11 in this portion.
That afternoon the girls were allowed a little fun, as they visited the dolphin habitat at the Mirage. The evening was a Get Acquainted party where we were able to visit with the contestants a little, as well as with other parents and friends. After the party the girls had hours of rehearsal yet ahead of them before they could go to bed.
Tuesday was the PRCA luncheon back out at the South Point hotel. This is the luncheon where the girls wear their chap outfits, which usually consists of their chaps, matching wranglers, and a special shirt made to match their chaps. These outfits were very nice and very special to each girl. After we finished eating, and listening to an outstanding young singer, the contestants were each given a word associated with rodeo, and asked to tell the audience who, or what the word meant. These words were pretty basic, but still required a knowledge of rodeo, and the ability to express themselves in front of an audience.
Tuesday night was the Fashion Show, and what an extravaganza!!! We had a meal of steak and scalloped potatoes that was outstanding, and then we were entertained by Miss Rodeo America, Ashley Andrews, and two different singers. The contestants each danced in 3 different production numbers that they had been rehearsing all week, and I heard comments that these were the best dancers they had ever had!!! It was obvious that the girls were having fun with the dancing and the audience had fun with it too. Wrangler had provided clothing products for the girls for each of their numbers, and the theme of the evening was "Happy Birthday Wrangler". Vanessa and I made a restroom run during an intermission and guess who we ran into there??!!! Marilyn Monroe!! Yes, she was dolled up in a gold shimmery dress and putting on her gloves. Later in the evening, she came onstage to sing "Happy Birthday, Mr President" to the Wrangler president. You just never know who might drop in!
The fashion show was the grand finale to the evening. Each girl was introduced and escorted onstage, where they introduced themselves and modeled their dazzling western gowns. For those of you who had the opportunity to see Megan's fashion show gown during her Send-Off parties - it really worked onstage!!! The spotlights really lit up the 3000+ crystals on the dress and it looked fantastic!! After the show we had a few minutes with her to tell her how proud we were and then the girls (at 11:30 pm) went on to their next event, which was an ice cream social.
Wednesday morning we were sure to be at the French Market buffet for breakfast again, because that is the only way that we would know if she was giving her speech that day - she was wearing her black Rick Rageous jacket so we knew her speech wouldn't be that day. Contestants draw each evening for speech position the next morning, so parents don't know when their daughter will perform until they see them wearing their "speech dress". The girls were all getting a little tired by that point - 2 to 4 hours of sleep and non-stop activity is pretty wearing. The format this year includes a taped media interview which is shown after each contestant's speech. It's been very interesting to watch, and I think it's a useful addition to the pageant. Miss Rodeo America has to give many media interviews during her reign, and judging the contestant's ability to talk to the media has to be helpful in the selection process.
Wednesday at noon, was another new addition to the pageant - a father-daughter luncheon. Many of the fathers bought single roses for their daughters and presented them to the girls - a big hit as you can imagine!
Wednesday evening was a dinner with the judges at Billy Bob's steakhouse at Sam's Town. Although we couldn't sit with the girls, many of the parents ate there as well, and what an excellent meal!
So far this week has been great fun for all of us. I am amazed at the Miss Rodeo America organization and their ability to put an event of this complexity with their volunteer board members. The chaperones have the huge responsibility of these girls all week, making sure they are where they are supposed to be at the proper time, so they spend even longer hours than the contestants.
Sunday was a big day for the contestants. They had their personality interviews, and 9 hours of practice for the Fashion Show. We were not able to see them at all during that day. I took the opportunity to attend the Cowboy Church service in the casino, which featured Trish Lennahan and her marvelous voice. Ashley Andrews gave an inspirational message on how her cancer had affected her faith.
Monday morning we went down to the French Market Buffet to have breakfast at 7 am - the same time as the girls eat. They all looked nice in their horsemanship outfits. Megan's outfit was a lime green leather shirt with lace and rhinestone overlays, along with the required matching Wranglers and boots.
The horsemanship contest was held in the South Point casino Equestrian Center, a large new arena on the south end of the Strip. The South Point hotel is also the host of the PRCA this year so there were a lot of cowboys milling around. Each girl drew a horse and performed a specified reining pattern. They were not allowed on the horses until they went in the arena, so it was really a test of adaptability as well as horsemanship. The horses were brought in by various stock contractors and were also being judged for an award. All were good horses, but some tested the girls when it came to lead changes and stops. Megan was in the middle of the draw, and had a big, slow sorrel horse that did pretty well for her. I think she is on page 8 in the pictures for this event. There was a short break and the girls started their second round on a different horse, with a free-style pattern and queen presentation run. Each girl could determine her own pattern, which should show off her mount's strongest points, and then each girl ran around the arena waving at the crowd. I'm sure the judges had a difficult job in this portion, because each girl had a different pattern. Megan was number 11 in this portion.
That afternoon the girls were allowed a little fun, as they visited the dolphin habitat at the Mirage. The evening was a Get Acquainted party where we were able to visit with the contestants a little, as well as with other parents and friends. After the party the girls had hours of rehearsal yet ahead of them before they could go to bed.
Tuesday was the PRCA luncheon back out at the South Point hotel. This is the luncheon where the girls wear their chap outfits, which usually consists of their chaps, matching wranglers, and a special shirt made to match their chaps. These outfits were very nice and very special to each girl. After we finished eating, and listening to an outstanding young singer, the contestants were each given a word associated with rodeo, and asked to tell the audience who, or what the word meant. These words were pretty basic, but still required a knowledge of rodeo, and the ability to express themselves in front of an audience.
Tuesday night was the Fashion Show, and what an extravaganza!!! We had a meal of steak and scalloped potatoes that was outstanding, and then we were entertained by Miss Rodeo America, Ashley Andrews, and two different singers. The contestants each danced in 3 different production numbers that they had been rehearsing all week, and I heard comments that these were the best dancers they had ever had!!! It was obvious that the girls were having fun with the dancing and the audience had fun with it too. Wrangler had provided clothing products for the girls for each of their numbers, and the theme of the evening was "Happy Birthday Wrangler". Vanessa and I made a restroom run during an intermission and guess who we ran into there??!!! Marilyn Monroe!! Yes, she was dolled up in a gold shimmery dress and putting on her gloves. Later in the evening, she came onstage to sing "Happy Birthday, Mr President" to the Wrangler president. You just never know who might drop in!
The fashion show was the grand finale to the evening. Each girl was introduced and escorted onstage, where they introduced themselves and modeled their dazzling western gowns. For those of you who had the opportunity to see Megan's fashion show gown during her Send-Off parties - it really worked onstage!!! The spotlights really lit up the 3000+ crystals on the dress and it looked fantastic!! After the show we had a few minutes with her to tell her how proud we were and then the girls (at 11:30 pm) went on to their next event, which was an ice cream social.
Wednesday morning we were sure to be at the French Market buffet for breakfast again, because that is the only way that we would know if she was giving her speech that day - she was wearing her black Rick Rageous jacket so we knew her speech wouldn't be that day. Contestants draw each evening for speech position the next morning, so parents don't know when their daughter will perform until they see them wearing their "speech dress". The girls were all getting a little tired by that point - 2 to 4 hours of sleep and non-stop activity is pretty wearing. The format this year includes a taped media interview which is shown after each contestant's speech. It's been very interesting to watch, and I think it's a useful addition to the pageant. Miss Rodeo America has to give many media interviews during her reign, and judging the contestant's ability to talk to the media has to be helpful in the selection process.
Wednesday at noon, was another new addition to the pageant - a father-daughter luncheon. Many of the fathers bought single roses for their daughters and presented them to the girls - a big hit as you can imagine!
Wednesday evening was a dinner with the judges at Billy Bob's steakhouse at Sam's Town. Although we couldn't sit with the girls, many of the parents ate there as well, and what an excellent meal!
So far this week has been great fun for all of us. I am amazed at the Miss Rodeo America organization and their ability to put an event of this complexity with their volunteer board members. The chaperones have the huge responsibility of these girls all week, making sure they are where they are supposed to be at the proper time, so they spend even longer hours than the contestants.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Miss Rodeo America Pageant Begins!
Hi everybody! This is Rita, Megan's mom, giving my version of the Miss Rodeo America activities.
What an exciting first day! Contestant check-in was at 11 a.m. in the Gator Lounge at The Orleans. The girls turned in their scrapbooks, and lined up for introductions.
For check-in the girls were required to wear Wrangler products - an unadorned Wrangler shirt and matching jeans, no vests or jackets. I think pretty much every color was represented - white, many yellows, shades of pink and purple, blue, orange, green, browns, and black. Megan wore a pretty lavender Wrangler shirt with matching jeans and boots, and looked very pretty! Her jewelry was a chunky lavender and turquoise necklace with a silver cross, and matching earrings. She also wore a wide lavender and turquoise antique bracelet. Each girl had their competition banner pinned on by Ashley Andrews, Miss Rodeo America 2007.
Orientation was held in the Showroom, which is an auditorium with stage at the front and comfy chairs for the audience. The rules for contestants (and spectators) were covered. The bad news is that we aren't allowed to take photos during the competition. The good news is that they have an oustanding professional photographer shooting pictures, and he already has the first days pictures up on his website!! Go to http://www.shooterenterprises.com and click on Online Images on the right hand side. Each event has its own link and you can page through all the pictures. Notice that there are multiple pages of pictures for each event - you won't want to miss anything! If you are looking for Megan in the pictures, it helps to remember that she is wearing lavender.
After orientation, the girls were assigned their roommates for the week. Megan is rooming with Nebraska. The parents all helped their daughters move in, and what a job!! We had traffic jams in the hallways as all the clothes racks and carts were wheeled in! Then I got a little preview of what the girls would be wearing for some of their fashion show production numbers, as they tried on their costumes. Parents had to be off the floor by 5 pm, so the girls could get ready for fashion show rehearsals.
New this year, and a wonderful addition, was the Parent's Social in the evening. Ashley and her parents were there to welcome everyone. Then the parents got to experience the limelight as we each got up and introduced ourselves and where we were from. We put a push-pin in a US map to locate our hometown, and then had our photo taken with Ashley as she presented us with a bag of sponsor gifts. Ashley thanked all of us parents on behalf of our daughters, and presented her parents with a gift for their love and support. It was so much fun visiting with some of the other moms (and a few dads). The consensus seemed to be that the moms are there all the time, but the dads arrive later in the week. As one lady said - "Somebody has to work and pay the bills!"
What an exciting first day! Contestant check-in was at 11 a.m. in the Gator Lounge at The Orleans. The girls turned in their scrapbooks, and lined up for introductions.
For check-in the girls were required to wear Wrangler products - an unadorned Wrangler shirt and matching jeans, no vests or jackets. I think pretty much every color was represented - white, many yellows, shades of pink and purple, blue, orange, green, browns, and black. Megan wore a pretty lavender Wrangler shirt with matching jeans and boots, and looked very pretty! Her jewelry was a chunky lavender and turquoise necklace with a silver cross, and matching earrings. She also wore a wide lavender and turquoise antique bracelet. Each girl had their competition banner pinned on by Ashley Andrews, Miss Rodeo America 2007.
Orientation was held in the Showroom, which is an auditorium with stage at the front and comfy chairs for the audience. The rules for contestants (and spectators) were covered. The bad news is that we aren't allowed to take photos during the competition. The good news is that they have an oustanding professional photographer shooting pictures, and he already has the first days pictures up on his website!! Go to http://www.shooterenterprises.com and click on Online Images on the right hand side. Each event has its own link and you can page through all the pictures. Notice that there are multiple pages of pictures for each event - you won't want to miss anything! If you are looking for Megan in the pictures, it helps to remember that she is wearing lavender.
After orientation, the girls were assigned their roommates for the week. Megan is rooming with Nebraska. The parents all helped their daughters move in, and what a job!! We had traffic jams in the hallways as all the clothes racks and carts were wheeled in! Then I got a little preview of what the girls would be wearing for some of their fashion show production numbers, as they tried on their costumes. Parents had to be off the floor by 5 pm, so the girls could get ready for fashion show rehearsals.
New this year, and a wonderful addition, was the Parent's Social in the evening. Ashley and her parents were there to welcome everyone. Then the parents got to experience the limelight as we each got up and introduced ourselves and where we were from. We put a push-pin in a US map to locate our hometown, and then had our photo taken with Ashley as she presented us with a bag of sponsor gifts. Ashley thanked all of us parents on behalf of our daughters, and presented her parents with a gift for their love and support. It was so much fun visiting with some of the other moms (and a few dads). The consensus seemed to be that the moms are there all the time, but the dads arrive later in the week. As one lady said - "Somebody has to work and pay the bills!"
Friday, November 30, 2007
Greetings from Vegas!
Greetings from Vegas! I just thought I would update my blog one last time before checking-in for the Miss Rodeo America pageant.
My mom and I departed Bozeman on Tuesday in my pickup pulling a 4X8 UHAUL trailer packed to the brim with mulitple pairs of boots, dozens of outfits and suitcases that weighed a ton! The drive ended up being around 14 hours but we took our time and stayed near Salt Lake City Tuesday night. We were blessed with good roads most of the way and arrived in Las Vegas Wednesday afternoon.
The bell hops at the Orleans Hotel were helpful in unloading the UHAUL. Some of them have worked here many years so they were used to having to unload rodeo queens around this time of the year. I was relieved when one commented that I wasn't nearly as bad as some of the girls with the amount of boxes.
Once settled in Mom and I took some time to plan some activities I wanted to do before the pageant started. Last night we went to The Phantom of the Opera show. It was rated the best show in Vegas so we were pretty excited to be going. We both loved it! What a tragic story but the show was amazing. Today we are spending the day relaxing and catching up on rest for the long week ahead. We are both treating ourselves to a massage later!
My mom will be updating my blog throughout the week of competition so check back later to hear her perspective of how the pageant is going. You can also look at pictures from the website I listed on my last blog and of course send me emails if you want to say hi! I can't wait to update you all the next time, hopefully as Miss Rodeo America!!!!
My mom and I departed Bozeman on Tuesday in my pickup pulling a 4X8 UHAUL trailer packed to the brim with mulitple pairs of boots, dozens of outfits and suitcases that weighed a ton! The drive ended up being around 14 hours but we took our time and stayed near Salt Lake City Tuesday night. We were blessed with good roads most of the way and arrived in Las Vegas Wednesday afternoon.
The bell hops at the Orleans Hotel were helpful in unloading the UHAUL. Some of them have worked here many years so they were used to having to unload rodeo queens around this time of the year. I was relieved when one commented that I wasn't nearly as bad as some of the girls with the amount of boxes.
Once settled in Mom and I took some time to plan some activities I wanted to do before the pageant started. Last night we went to The Phantom of the Opera show. It was rated the best show in Vegas so we were pretty excited to be going. We both loved it! What a tragic story but the show was amazing. Today we are spending the day relaxing and catching up on rest for the long week ahead. We are both treating ourselves to a massage later!
My mom will be updating my blog throughout the week of competition so check back later to hear her perspective of how the pageant is going. You can also look at pictures from the website I listed on my last blog and of course send me emails if you want to say hi! I can't wait to update you all the next time, hopefully as Miss Rodeo America!!!!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Miss Rodeo America pageant!!!!
Well my preparations for Miss Rodeo America are coming to a close thanks to the Miss Rodeo Montana send-off to Vegas tour. I had 4 parties, Billings, Bozeman, Wolf Point, and Great Falls. They were all a success and a huge help in getting me prepared for MRA. A huge thanks goes out to all who attended and helped in setting the parties up. I was fired impromptu questions, modeled some of my Miss Rodeo America clothes, and talked about my year. I feel like I am ready to go now that I have all the kinks worked out! I will list the information you need to send me a good luck note, card or flowers in Vegas if you couldn’t make it to the send-off parties, or even if you did!
For Gifts or Cards:
c/o Jody Rempel For MRM Megan Hardy
1405 US Hwy 89 Fort Shaw MT 59443
By November 29, 2007
Jody will be taking all the gifts and cards to Las Vegas and distributing them to me during the week.
For Flowers: (must arrive between 12/1 - 12/7)
The Orleans Hotel
Megan Hardy, Miss Rodeo Montana Check out these websites during the week:
4500 W Tropicana Ave www.missrodeo.com or
Las Vegas, NV 89103 www.shooterenterprises.com for pics.
For Email: (You can send one everyday if you’d like from 11/30 - 12/6)
missrodeopageant@yahoo.com
Subject line: Megan Hardy, Montana
For Gifts or Cards:
c/o Jody Rempel For MRM Megan Hardy
1405 US Hwy 89 Fort Shaw MT 59443
By November 29, 2007
Jody will be taking all the gifts and cards to Las Vegas and distributing them to me during the week.
For Flowers: (must arrive between 12/1 - 12/7)
The Orleans Hotel
Megan Hardy, Miss Rodeo Montana Check out these websites during the week:
4500 W Tropicana Ave www.missrodeo.com or
Las Vegas, NV 89103 www.shooterenterprises.com for pics.
For Email: (You can send one everyday if you’d like from 11/30 - 12/6)
missrodeopageant@yahoo.com
Subject line: Megan Hardy, Montana
Monday, November 19, 2007
Country Gold, Japan
Sunday morning arrived pretty fast after a long night of sleeping on the floor…with no heat. Breakfast was another ceremony. I wasn’t prepared to be eating fish for breakfast but thankfully they had a fruit plate to munch from.
We departed for Mount Aso where Country Gold was taking place in the morning. The outdoor amphitheatre where it was held is said to be the largest outdoor theatre in the world. You would believe it if you saw it! Once the concert started we were informed that there would be between 20,000 – 25,000 people in attendance. I couldn’t believe that in just a few hours I would be talking to all those people! The entire delegation was looking forward to lunch becaus
e we were told lunch would be American beef BBQ. Beef has never tasted so good! Montana had a booth right across from the US beef booth where we gave out maps, pins, and other random souvenirs from Montana. People would also have an opportunity to get my autograph; I signed between 700-800 autographs that day and took probably twice that many pictures. The Japanese attending Country Gold were aware of the Montana booth and getting to meet Miss Rodeo Montana every year. It was neat signing cowboy hat’s that had Cassidy and Brooke Lyn’s autograph on them already. I couldn’t believe the enthusiasm over everything country and western. A person could make a pile of money just having a booth that sold cowboy hats because most everyone bought at least one when they got there. I never thought I could say that I was “underdressed” at a cowboy event!!!
Charlie Nagatani and the Cannonballs opened the show. They played some of the same old country classics as at the party the other night along with some Japanese style country music. I couldn’t believe most everyone knew the words to the songs even though they were in English. They could sing along to the songs but they had no idea what they were saying! At the front of stage there was a huge section blocked off for line dancing. The Japanese are heavily into line dancing rather than couples dancing because line dancing doesn’t leave someone without a partner out. The rest of the bands performed on the huge stage one after another. Meanwhile, I was signing autographs like crazy. There was a local dude ranch that brought in their horses for the Japanese to sit on. Of course everyone requested that Miss Rodeo Montana sit on a horse.
I did and, although I felt kind of silly because they had to hold the horse and they didn’t even have a bridle on this horse, dozens of people came by to take pictures which promoted our booth even more. I had an unexpected radio interview at our booth and it served to be another interesting one. Mako translated for me and she told me that the first question would be, What do you think of Japan? I was used to this question by now and when it was time to air I responded with a nice response. “I love it here; the mountains remind me of the mountains in Montana. I am having a wonderful time…etc” I continued on but noticed the interviewer was getting a confused look on her face and Mako looked like she wanted me to stop so she could translate. I stopped and looked at Mako to translate and she smiled and said, “Actually, she was just saying hello.” That was the only communication problem I had with the translation during my entire stay. I thought that was pretty good! 
Towards the middle of the concert I was whisked backstage. I mingled with the bands, sponsors, and Charlie while I waited to go on stage to speak. I felt just like I was one of the country stars. We were escorted up to the stage by the stage crew, Lt. Governor Bohlinger spoke first and Myuki translated for him. I was next on stage in front of 25,000 people (with my chaps on of course) I had to take a minute to soak it all in. I said “Hello everyone! My name is Megan Hardy, Miss Rodeo Montana. I would like to welcome you all to the Montana booth” ALL in Japanese!! I was so proud of myself for not even needing a translator. The crowd went wild at the sound of Miss Rodeo speaking in Japanese. It is a moment I will never forget! I spent the rest of the evening back stage talking with the bands and even Mark Chesnut. When our bus came to take us back to the hotel I was o
ver stimulated and exhausted, but what a day!
Monday was the last day we would be spending in Japan. Everyone was showing their exhaustion but we still had a lot of things to see. We visited Mount Aso, an active volcano. It had been closed for 3 days prior to our visit because the toxic gas it was emitting was too dangerous for tourists. They opened it that morning but we had only been there about 10 minutes before they sounded alarms to evacuate the volcano because the gas started pouring out of the volcano again. It was chaos taking the shuttles back down from the mountain and I could tell that the gas was toxic. When you inhaled it felt as though your lungs were swelling. A cool experience but I wouldn’t do it twice!
We then went to the headwaters of the local river. It wasn’t the same as the headwaters around here. You can actually see the water boiling up from the earth. People are welcome to come and fill water bottles and use it as drinking water. I thought it would be cool to drink fresh Japanese water too! Next, we went to eat at a local restaurant and when leaving we saw a local farmer loading his bales on the tiniest hay truck I have ever seen. Of course the group of Montanan’s was fascinated and we all stopped to take pictures of this farmer. After lunch we went to a local market to see how beef was marketed locally and while there I noticed a very random, mean looking, goat atop of a hill on a golf course. Once again, I felt a picture was needed. As people stared we could always play the tourist card! The commute to Fukaoka airport, where we
would be flying out of the next day, was about 2 hours but it was just more Japanese landscape to watch before having to leave the next day.
We flew out the next day and the flight home seemed longer but it gave me a chance to reflect on what I just took place in. What an opportunity for a 23 year-old college student to be involved in an international delegation. I will never forget my trip of a lifetime to Japan. I never could have experience Japan in the same way if I had just been a tourist. I recommend Japan for a vacation to anyone but I suggest you have a translator with you and “While in Japan do as the Japanese do!!!”
We departed for Mount Aso where Country Gold was taking place in the morning. The outdoor amphitheatre where it was held is said to be the largest outdoor theatre in the world. You would believe it if you saw it! Once the concert started we were informed that there would be between 20,000 – 25,000 people in attendance. I couldn’t believe that in just a few hours I would be talking to all those people! The entire delegation was looking forward to lunch becaus
e we were told lunch would be American beef BBQ. Beef has never tasted so good! Montana had a booth right across from the US beef booth where we gave out maps, pins, and other random souvenirs from Montana. People would also have an opportunity to get my autograph; I signed between 700-800 autographs that day and took probably twice that many pictures. The Japanese attending Country Gold were aware of the Montana booth and getting to meet Miss Rodeo Montana every year. It was neat signing cowboy hat’s that had Cassidy and Brooke Lyn’s autograph on them already. I couldn’t believe the enthusiasm over everything country and western. A person could make a pile of money just having a booth that sold cowboy hats because most everyone bought at least one when they got there. I never thought I could say that I was “underdressed” at a cowboy event!!!
Charlie Nagatani and the Cannonballs opened the show. They played some of the same old country classics as at the party the other night along with some Japanese style country music. I couldn’t believe most everyone knew the words to the songs even though they were in English. They could sing along to the songs but they had no idea what they were saying! At the front of stage there was a huge section blocked off for line dancing. The Japanese are heavily into line dancing rather than couples dancing because line dancing doesn’t leave someone without a partner out. The rest of the bands performed on the huge stage one after another. Meanwhile, I was signing autographs like crazy. There was a local dude ranch that brought in their horses for the Japanese to sit on. Of course everyone requested that Miss Rodeo Montana sit on a horse.
I did and, although I felt kind of silly because they had to hold the horse and they didn’t even have a bridle on this horse, dozens of people came by to take pictures which promoted our booth even more. I had an unexpected radio interview at our booth and it served to be another interesting one. Mako translated for me and she told me that the first question would be, What do you think of Japan? I was used to this question by now and when it was time to air I responded with a nice response. “I love it here; the mountains remind me of the mountains in Montana. I am having a wonderful time…etc” I continued on but noticed the interviewer was getting a confused look on her face and Mako looked like she wanted me to stop so she could translate. I stopped and looked at Mako to translate and she smiled and said, “Actually, she was just saying hello.” That was the only communication problem I had with the translation during my entire stay. I thought that was pretty good! 
Towards the middle of the concert I was whisked backstage. I mingled with the bands, sponsors, and Charlie while I waited to go on stage to speak. I felt just like I was one of the country stars. We were escorted up to the stage by the stage crew, Lt. Governor Bohlinger spoke first and Myuki translated for him. I was next on stage in front of 25,000 people (with my chaps on of course) I had to take a minute to soak it all in. I said “Hello everyone! My name is Megan Hardy, Miss Rodeo Montana. I would like to welcome you all to the Montana booth” ALL in Japanese!! I was so proud of myself for not even needing a translator. The crowd went wild at the sound of Miss Rodeo speaking in Japanese. It is a moment I will never forget! I spent the rest of the evening back stage talking with the bands and even Mark Chesnut. When our bus came to take us back to the hotel I was o
ver stimulated and exhausted, but what a day!Monday was the last day we would be spending in Japan. Everyone was showing their exhaustion but we still had a lot of things to see. We visited Mount Aso, an active volcano. It had been closed for 3 days prior to our visit because the toxic gas it was emitting was too dangerous for tourists. They opened it that morning but we had only been there about 10 minutes before they sounded alarms to evacuate the volcano because the gas started pouring out of the volcano again. It was chaos taking the shuttles back down from the mountain and I could tell that the gas was toxic. When you inhaled it felt as though your lungs were swelling. A cool experience but I wouldn’t do it twice!
We then went to the headwaters of the local river. It wasn’t the same as the headwaters around here. You can actually see the water boiling up from the earth. People are welcome to come and fill water bottles and use it as drinking water. I thought it would be cool to drink fresh Japanese water too! Next, we went to eat at a local restaurant and when leaving we saw a local farmer loading his bales on the tiniest hay truck I have ever seen. Of course the group of Montanan’s was fascinated and we all stopped to take pictures of this farmer. After lunch we went to a local market to see how beef was marketed locally and while there I noticed a very random, mean looking, goat atop of a hill on a golf course. Once again, I felt a picture was needed. As people stared we could always play the tourist card! The commute to Fukaoka airport, where we
would be flying out of the next day, was about 2 hours but it was just more Japanese landscape to watch before having to leave the next day.We flew out the next day and the flight home seemed longer but it gave me a chance to reflect on what I just took place in. What an opportunity for a 23 year-old college student to be involved in an international delegation. I will never forget my trip of a lifetime to Japan. I never could have experience Japan in the same way if I had just been a tourist. I recommend Japan for a vacation to anyone but I suggest you have a translator with you and “While in Japan do as the Japanese do!!!”
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Japan still...
Friday morning the delegation and I took a street car to Sujenji Park, the place for tea and worship for the Japanese Lords. The street cars run on rails down the center of the main streets in Kumamoto which limits an already crowded street but is very nice for public transportation. The park was breathtaking and very peaceful. Walking through with the Montana delegation I attracted a lot of attention from Japanese tourists. I would see Japanese ladies in traditional Kimonos and want a picture with them but they would want a picture with a girl in traditional western wear! 
Meanwhile, I was still adjusting to the Japanese every day way-of-life. I found myself constantly ducking when going into places to eat or to shop to avoid hitting my head on the ceilings and I was still trying to get in on the wrong side of the car. The toilets fascinated me for the entire 10 days I was there. A Japanese style toilet is basically a porcelain whole in the floor and the Western style toilets were the opposite – very high tech! Some of them would make a waterfall sound when you sat on them and others would have heated seats.
After the park I was whisked away for another TV interview. This was by far the most interesting of all my interviews. The reporter interviewing me was dressed up as a clown and wanted me to rope him. The interesting thing was not only that I had to rope this strangely dressed clown but the language barrier seemed to grow with this certain reporter. I am n
ot sure if that is possible but he was very dramatic with his movements and talked so loud he was almost yelling. I kept thinking he was saying something very urgent because he was shouting but I couldn’t ever respond for several minutes because of the translation. Anyway, it was an interesting interview to say the least but I am proud to say that I roped him successfully in 2 rehearsals and on live TV!I was very excited for Friday night. The delegation and I attended a private concert at Good Time Charlie’s bar in downtown Kumamoto. All of the bands that would be performing at Country Gold gave us a taste of what we would be hearing on Sunday. Charlie Nagatani is the owner of the bar and the creator of Country Gold. He is a Japanese country singing legend! It was really neat being in his bar and seeing pictures of him at the Grand ‘Ol Opry, with the Preside
nt, and huge country singers like Garth Brooks and George Strait. He did his own rendition of country classics like “Tiger by the Tail”. I couldn’t believe how talented Charlie and the Cannonballs were. The last band to perform that night was headliner Mark Chesnutt. I sang along as he played his hits. He was going to quit before playing “Bubba Shot the Jukebox” but I requested it before he left the stage and he willingly sang it, just for me! After the bands were done playing we stayed awhile to chat and get to know them all. What an amazing experience to be that close to country superstars like Mark Chesnutt! 
Saturday was the last day in Kumamoto before everyone headed to Mount Aso for Country Gold. My last TV interview was that morning and Myuki, my translator, and I were somewhat relieved to be on the last leg of interviews. The afternoon was spent shopping and commuting about 2 hours to Mount Aso. The entire delegation was anxiously awaiting the arrival at our Traditional Japanese hotel because we had heard so much about it. We all knew we would be experiencing some very new and different customs in the next two days.
The drive to the mountain was breathtaking. I would compare it to Western Montana landscape in some ways. It is very mountainous and green even in October. We passed small fields of rice but rarely saw a ranch with cattle or horses. The hotel was tucked away on the side of the mountain and because of the size everyone would be sharing rooms. I shared a room with Kristi Pettis from the Northern Ag Network. We had a great time experiencing the Japanese traditional style of living together! We were briefed on the way there the proper way to bathe and eat. Walking into the bedroom I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The bedroom had no beds; we were to sleep on Japanese style “sleeping bags” on the floor. The room was lacking a shower, or so we thought. Going out the back door you would find a handheld shower head and a stool to sit on while cleansing yourself before taking a bath in the natural hot springs bathtub. It was by far the coolest thing in Japan! Each room had their own personal hot spring bathtub or you could go to the community hot springs down the hall. I stuck with my personal one and never felt so clean and relaxed.
Dinner was a major production. We sat on the floor to eat all seven of our courses. I found that if you aren’t a small Asian you get pretty stiff sitting on the floor regardless of how young you are! Once again I was hesitant in trying anything because it all looked so raw, and it was. Because I didn’t want to offend the chef, I forced myself to try as much as I could. Thank goodness I had snacks back in the room accompanied with a Sprite to settle my stomach later. On the menu among other things was: raw horse m
eat, raw beef, and sea weed in many forms. They brought in the horse meat for the special occasion of us being there; horse meat is a rare delicacy. Special entertainment was also provided during dinner. Traditional Japanese dancers who usually only perform in Shrines came in to dance just for us. I love to see different styles of dance so that was pretty neat for me to see and hear. The next morning would be Country Gold. I couldn’t wait!
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