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!Wednesday, November 7, 2007
More Japan...
I continued on Thursday with multiple media interviews and other appearances. I met the rest of the Montana delegation before my day started. There were about 10 of them including Lt. Govenor John Bohlinger and state Senator Greg Barkas. I was very relieved to see some fellow Montanans on the trip! After brief in
troductions, Myuki and I left for the International Center that was host to the Montana Club. The Montana Club is basically a bunch of Japanese that work for the trade office and this year we were celebrating the 25th anniversary of the sister state relationship between Montana and Kumamoto City. I was pretty excited when I arrived because I found more people spoke English! I listened to a Japanese rendition of the Montana state song, watched Japanese line dancers and I even got to take part in the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Myuki and I had some extra time so she took me to a traditional Japanese craft store. I saw a lot of really unique things so I made sure I brought some back home with me for gifts. After a little shopping, I attended a briefing on Montana-Japan trade. It was an incredible feeling b
eing involved in such an important meeting about beef trade in Montana and the US. I couldn’t believe I was taking part in something like that! In September of 2001, the first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was confirmed in Japan. The following month, the entire nation of Japan implemented 100-percent blanket testing on all of its cattle slaughtered for beef. Naturally, this halted the export from the US to Japan. Now Japan’s beef consumption has not only been cut but the majority of the beef they consume is from Australia. If you haven’t tasted the difference in beef between different countries, you should. You would be surprised the difference and realize just how lucky we are to have delicious US beef! The agriculture on Kyushu Island (the island of Kumamoto) is extensive—ranking number one in all of Japan’s prefectures (equivalent to state government) in the production of many fruits and vegetables, as 
well and rice. Most of the rice harvest was completed just prior to our trip. However, we were able to see harvested fields and the making of rice straw bales. The fruit tasted amazing! After dinner one night they brought in a platter of fruit for us to eat. Before I realized it I had eaten almost an entire cantaloupe. When someone pointed out how much I had eaten Mako noted that one cantelope cost 4,000 yen, that is $40!!!
By Thursday afternoon after the meeting I was beginning to feel sick again. The combination of all the new things I was experiencing started to get to my delicate stomach. I had more interviews that afternoon so I barred my teeth and got through them. It was my first experience going to a TV station in Japan. It was not what I had expected at all. Up to that point I noticed everything in Japan was colors of grey and black. That changes when you get to a TV s
tation I learned. The walls and floors are all brightly painted and the TV anchors often where costume-like outfits. This particular TV crew was very interested in my outfit. During the live taping I looked up at the monitor at one point and noticed they were filming my boots! They had a map of the US and I pointed to where Montana was and was able to say a few words in Japanese. The television interviews would prove to get even more interesting as the week went on.
That night I missed a small social engagement with the rest of the Montana group because I wasn’t feeling well. I drank Sprite to settle my stomach and a little vanilla ice cream made me feel slightly better to have something familiar. At this point in the week I was really struggling because it was nearly impossible to find relief, someone or something that I could relate with. The next morning I experienced the relief I was hoping for. I was joined by the rest of the Montana delegation who could speak English, felt the same about the food we were eating, and they were all just as excited to be in a different country!
troductions, Myuki and I left for the International Center that was host to the Montana Club. The Montana Club is basically a bunch of Japanese that work for the trade office and this year we were celebrating the 25th anniversary of the sister state relationship between Montana and Kumamoto City. I was pretty excited when I arrived because I found more people spoke English! I listened to a Japanese rendition of the Montana state song, watched Japanese line dancers and I even got to take part in the ribbon cutting ceremony.Myuki and I had some extra time so she took me to a traditional Japanese craft store. I saw a lot of really unique things so I made sure I brought some back home with me for gifts. After a little shopping, I attended a briefing on Montana-Japan trade. It was an incredible feeling b
eing involved in such an important meeting about beef trade in Montana and the US. I couldn’t believe I was taking part in something like that! In September of 2001, the first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was confirmed in Japan. The following month, the entire nation of Japan implemented 100-percent blanket testing on all of its cattle slaughtered for beef. Naturally, this halted the export from the US to Japan. Now Japan’s beef consumption has not only been cut but the majority of the beef they consume is from Australia. If you haven’t tasted the difference in beef between different countries, you should. You would be surprised the difference and realize just how lucky we are to have delicious US beef! The agriculture on Kyushu Island (the island of Kumamoto) is extensive—ranking number one in all of Japan’s prefectures (equivalent to state government) in the production of many fruits and vegetables, as 
well and rice. Most of the rice harvest was completed just prior to our trip. However, we were able to see harvested fields and the making of rice straw bales. The fruit tasted amazing! After dinner one night they brought in a platter of fruit for us to eat. Before I realized it I had eaten almost an entire cantaloupe. When someone pointed out how much I had eaten Mako noted that one cantelope cost 4,000 yen, that is $40!!!By Thursday afternoon after the meeting I was beginning to feel sick again. The combination of all the new things I was experiencing started to get to my delicate stomach. I had more interviews that afternoon so I barred my teeth and got through them. It was my first experience going to a TV station in Japan. It was not what I had expected at all. Up to that point I noticed everything in Japan was colors of grey and black. That changes when you get to a TV s
tation I learned. The walls and floors are all brightly painted and the TV anchors often where costume-like outfits. This particular TV crew was very interested in my outfit. During the live taping I looked up at the monitor at one point and noticed they were filming my boots! They had a map of the US and I pointed to where Montana was and was able to say a few words in Japanese. The television interviews would prove to get even more interesting as the week went on.That night I missed a small social engagement with the rest of the Montana group because I wasn’t feeling well. I drank Sprite to settle my stomach and a little vanilla ice cream made me feel slightly better to have something familiar. At this point in the week I was really struggling because it was nearly impossible to find relief, someone or something that I could relate with. The next morning I experienced the relief I was hoping for. I was joined by the rest of the Montana delegation who could speak English, felt the same about the food we were eating, and they were all just as excited to be in a different country!
Japan Continued...
I awoke on Wednesday morning feeling like myself again. The extra day to adjust to everything really helped. It was a good thing because my schedule started getting pretty intense with interviews and other visits around Kumamoto City. My very fist thing Wednesday was a visit at one of the local High Schools. I would have 30 minutes to present which ended up being 15 minutes because of the translation. I had prepared a 15 minute speech before I left Bozeman to send on to my interpreter, Myuki. The speech was a very simple overview of rodeo, how it was started and what is involved in a rodeo. Most Japanese have never seen a horse much less seen a rodeo so to remain simple was key. I arrived at the school and the first thing I was not prepared for was to take off my boots! Good thing I am always very particular about making sure my socks match with no holes! As soon as I entered the room where the 100+ students were waiting I was greeted with cameras, video cameras, and newspaper reporters. I felt like the President!
My speech went well although by the middle of it the principal stopped me because he and the rest of the class just wanted to look at the pictures I had brought. I was relieved because giving a 15 minute speech sounded pretty boring, even to me. The students loved the pictures of me riding in rodeos, and of the different events of rodeo. At the end of my presentation they opened the room to questions. As a culture, the Japanese are pretty shy so no one really wanted to ask questions. I can say that Japanese High School boys respond the same to a pretty girl as American High School boys, I had a f
ew requests for boyfriends that morning! The class presented a huge bouquet of beautiful Japanese flowers for me. This was just one gesture that showed just how gracious they were for having me in their school.
Later that day I had 2 newspaper interviews and one radio interview. The interviews are conducted in much the same way as in the US but of course I had a translator with me at all times! The most frequent question I got asked was what do I think of Japan. My response was always, everything is so much smaller here! During my interviews I always tried to learn a new word or phrase in Japanese which they always really liked. The one newspaper article showed up the next day on the front page of the newspaper I got at my hotel! Although, I didn’t realize it was the front page because
they fold their papers backwards, so instead of opening the newspaper to the left you open it to the right.
Wednesday I also got to visit Kumamoto castle. It is this enormous castle right in the center of Kumamoto City where a Japanese Lord used to live. Unfortunately, because of time, I didn’t get to have a real tour of the castle so I didn’t completely understand the history but it was pretty cool to visit anyway. I also found a Starbuck’s coffee, I was very excited to see something familiar to me. We ate at a Japanese style Chinese restaurant which isn’t quite the same as American Chinese food but it had fried rice and shrimp so I didn’t starve during that meal!
Thursday was another busy day but it didn’t start until later in the morning so I could catch up on some needed sleep. Although I was getting used to the language barrier and not being able to communicate, it was still hard sometimes. For instance, I was in the elevator going to the lobby to meet my translator and there was a nice Japanese lady in there with me. She was instantly distracted by my Miss Rodeo Montana outfit and wanted to talk to me and of course she didn’t speak English. She was talking 90 miles a minute in Japanese and gesturing, I really had no idea what she was saying so I just smiled. I finally figured out that she wanted a picture with me and we met her husband in the lobby. We took 6 or 7 pictures all in different locations in the
hotel with them talking Japanese the whole way like I could understand every word. I have no explanation as to why we had to keep moving other than they wanted a different background for each picture. You can just imagine me with a smile plastered on my face being tugged around the hotel lobby by a Japanese couple so excited to meet Miss Rodeo Montana. After that, I told my translator maybe she should walk me all the way to my door!
My speech went well although by the middle of it the principal stopped me because he and the rest of the class just wanted to look at the pictures I had brought. I was relieved because giving a 15 minute speech sounded pretty boring, even to me. The students loved the pictures of me riding in rodeos, and of the different events of rodeo. At the end of my presentation they opened the room to questions. As a culture, the Japanese are pretty shy so no one really wanted to ask questions. I can say that Japanese High School boys respond the same to a pretty girl as American High School boys, I had a f
ew requests for boyfriends that morning! The class presented a huge bouquet of beautiful Japanese flowers for me. This was just one gesture that showed just how gracious they were for having me in their school.Later that day I had 2 newspaper interviews and one radio interview. The interviews are conducted in much the same way as in the US but of course I had a translator with me at all times! The most frequent question I got asked was what do I think of Japan. My response was always, everything is so much smaller here! During my interviews I always tried to learn a new word or phrase in Japanese which they always really liked. The one newspaper article showed up the next day on the front page of the newspaper I got at my hotel! Although, I didn’t realize it was the front page because
they fold their papers backwards, so instead of opening the newspaper to the left you open it to the right.Wednesday I also got to visit Kumamoto castle. It is this enormous castle right in the center of Kumamoto City where a Japanese Lord used to live. Unfortunately, because of time, I didn’t get to have a real tour of the castle so I didn’t completely understand the history but it was pretty cool to visit anyway. I also found a Starbuck’s coffee, I was very excited to see something familiar to me. We ate at a Japanese style Chinese restaurant which isn’t quite the same as American Chinese food but it had fried rice and shrimp so I didn’t starve during that meal!
Thursday was another busy day but it didn’t start until later in the morning so I could catch up on some needed sleep. Although I was getting used to the language barrier and not being able to communicate, it was still hard sometimes. For instance, I was in the elevator going to the lobby to meet my translator and there was a nice Japanese lady in there with me. She was instantly distracted by my Miss Rodeo Montana outfit and wanted to talk to me and of course she didn’t speak English. She was talking 90 miles a minute in Japanese and gesturing, I really had no idea what she was saying so I just smiled. I finally figured out that she wanted a picture with me and we met her husband in the lobby. We took 6 or 7 pictures all in different locations in the
hotel with them talking Japanese the whole way like I could understand every word. I have no explanation as to why we had to keep moving other than they wanted a different background for each picture. You can just imagine me with a smile plastered on my face being tugged around the hotel lobby by a Japanese couple so excited to meet Miss Rodeo Montana. After that, I told my translator maybe she should walk me all the way to my door! Monday, November 5, 2007
Japan
My trip began on October 14th where I was scheduled to fly out of Bozeman to Seattle and into Tokyo. I was a nervous wreck for my first international flight. Did I have enough snacks? Did I have enough entertainment? Did I forget anything? Those were just a few of the thousands of thoughts that ran through my head as I checked into the airport. For a queen to be gone 10 days would require a lot of luggage! I had 2 very large, heavy bags, my hat can, purse and a medium sized bag. Looking back on that I wish I had packed a bit differently because we would be changing airports and hotels many, many times; packing all those bags around got old, fast. Anyway, as I checked in the counter at the Bozeman airport they immediately told me there were no planes landing or going out of Seattle. I thought it was going to be the beginning of a very long trip to Japan. It turned out the cause was fog which burned off within 20 minutes and our plane left without arriving too late. I made my connection and I was on my way to Tokyo!
The flight to Tokyo was about 9 hours and wasn’t nearly as bad as I imagined it would be. I entertained myself by reading, playing games and watching movies. Before I knew it we were in Tokyo. I met up with Marty Earnheart from the MT Dept. of Ag. She had just returned from another beef promotion trip in Russia. Marty and I spent the night in Tokyo and transferred airports to fly into Kumamoto City in the morning. There is a 15 hour difference from Montana to Japan. So Monday morning in Japan was Sunday night in Montana. The jet lag hit me as soon as I arrived in Japan.
I wasn’t able to sleep so the mornings came pretty early. After breakfast Marty and I were on a plane to Kumamoto City where we met up with Mako. Mako is a Japanese lady that works for the Montana Dept of Commerce. She is the coolest lady!I didn’t have to be in Japan long before I noticed the cultural difference. You must bow as a courtesy when you greet someone. The Japanese are very gracious people so there is generally quite a bit of bowing! I kept noticing things about the Japanese that seemed so strange to me but was very normal to them. Things like, the colors they wear are usually limited to greys and blacks, everything is smaller, people drive on the "wrong" side of the road, clocks on the walls and trash cans on the sidewalk are few and far between. I had to learn quickly to look right first before crossing the street or you will get flattened! The language barrier was more difficult to deal with than I imagined it would be. Not only because I can’t understand the spoken word but I can’t even sound out the written word. The Japanese characters used to spell are impossible to understand. As I walked down the sidewalk I would not know a bank from a restaurant. These are all things I learned to adapt to quickly. I soon realized I just had to be patient and my translator would tell me if she thought it was important otherwise, I asked questions when I saw something really outrageous!
Marty and I spent Tuesday with Mako and trying to get past our jet lag. I have never seen the ocean before and this was something the Japanese thought was pretty strange about me mainly because regardless of where you are in Japan it was 45 minutes at the most to the ocean. Mako was very excited to take us to the ocean where went for a hike in a national park that overlooked a city called Amaksa with a beautiful shoreline view. The ocean was everything I expected it to be!
By this time in my trip, Tuesday evening, I started getting pretty hungry; because the food was so different I hadn’t eaten a lot. The first thing they asked me when I got to Japan was “Are you a picky eater?” I refused to think I was but after my trip to Japan I can easily embrace the term! I don’t like a lot of fish and I don’t like a lot of pork; beef is not a common dish! The 
combination of the jet lag, which makes you feel like you have the flu, the lack of food, and just the adjustment of a new country resulted in me getting kind of sick, and it wouldn't be the last time during my trip that I didn't feel well. I was able to eat some of the snacks I brought with me and went to bed. In the morning I felt much better although I was still pretty tired. I had first wondered why Marty and I arrived a day earlier than the rest of the Montana delegation and I was informed that it is really nice to have that extra day to adjust to everything. Since I had such an intense schedule, I am really glad that it was scheduled that way! I will continue my trip, be sure to check back later!
combination of the jet lag, which makes you feel like you have the flu, the lack of food, and just the adjustment of a new country resulted in me getting kind of sick, and it wouldn't be the last time during my trip that I didn't feel well. I was able to eat some of the snacks I brought with me and went to bed. In the morning I felt much better although I was still pretty tired. I had first wondered why Marty and I arrived a day earlier than the rest of the Montana delegation and I was informed that it is really nice to have that extra day to adjust to everything. Since I had such an intense schedule, I am really glad that it was scheduled that way! I will continue my trip, be sure to check back later!Sunday, November 4, 2007
MRM Update
First off, I apologize for not keeping you all up-to-date with my latest travels. It seems like things have been crazy busy since I have returned from Japan. I am currently preparing for my send-off party tour. This past weekend was the send-off to Vegas parties in Billings and Bozeman. I will be having one this coming weekend, the 10th, in Wolf Point at the Sherman and the following weekend, the 17th, in Great Falls at the Hampton. The parties are a preparation for the Miss Rodeo America pageant. I model some of the clothes I will be wearing in Vegas, giving my speech, and answering impromptu questions. The Billings and Bozeman parties went very well. Thank you to Sarah Capp and Linda Rest for putting them on. All are welcome to my last two parties in Wolf Point and Great Falls!
I am sure everyone is curious to hear about my trip to Japan. To say the very least, it was the trip of a lifetime. I have hundreds of pictures and dozens of stories from the 10 days I spent there. I could type for days all of the neat things I saw and the new things I experienced. Being able to travel to Japan with a delegation from Montana was an experience in itself. I will be posting a new blog with a better day-to-day recap of my trip. I welcome you all to check back frequently this week to hear all about Japan!
I am sure everyone is curious to hear about my trip to Japan. To say the very least, it was the trip of a lifetime. I have hundreds of pictures and dozens of stories from the 10 days I spent there. I could type for days all of the neat things I saw and the new things I experienced. Being able to travel to Japan with a delegation from Montana was an experience in itself. I will be posting a new blog with a better day-to-day recap of my trip. I welcome you all to check back frequently this week to hear all about Japan!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Bon Voyage!
Hello everybody! I am vigorously preparing for the Miss Rodeo America pageant. Clothes are coming in and I am studying morning, noon and night. If you think you can stump me I always like a fresh question so send them on!
My good friend Miss Rodeo Wyoming, Crystal Rivers, came up to Bozeman to visit me and study together. We had such a great time hanging out. She had never been duck hunting so I made sure she got to experience the thrill of dressing in camo and hunting birds. She had fun and we made sure we both had all ten fingers and toes by the time the shot guns were put away!
In just a few days I will be leaving for Japan. I can not wait to experience my very first over seas trip! I am a little nervous about the flight but once I get over there I know I will have a blast. I hope to keep a journal while I am over there so I can fill everyone in on what I did. I will be gone for ten whole days. Bon Voyage!!
My good friend Miss Rodeo Wyoming, Crystal Rivers, came up to Bozeman to visit me and study together. We had such a great time hanging out. She had never been duck hunting so I made sure she got to experience the thrill of dressing in camo and hunting birds. She had fun and we made sure we both had all ten fingers and toes by the time the shot guns were put away!
In just a few days I will be leaving for Japan. I can not wait to experience my very first over seas trip! I am a little nervous about the flight but once I get over there I know I will have a blast. I hope to keep a journal while I am over there so I can fill everyone in on what I did. I will be gone for ten whole days. Bon Voyage!!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Billings Horse Sale
It turned out to be yet another interesting weekend for me in Billings. I spent all of last week at home in Wolf Point with my m
om and dad. We got to ride, work with colts and of course spend some quality family time. It was nice because I have been traveling so much that I haven’t been able to see much of my family this year; they always seem to be going the opposite direction as me!
On Friday of this last weekend we were headed to Billings for their monthly horse sale. My mom was selling her weanling colts and some mares and I was auctioning off a Toby Capp bronze for a fundraiser. It was going to be a crazy weekend and that’s exactly how it ended up. Since we were selling so many horses we had two trailer loads to haul. I hauled one load and my dad the other. I was driving the Miss Rodeo Montana pickup that my sister and I fondly call Forest. Well Forest didn’t make it to Billings unfortunately. Now the load I was hauling was pretty heavy but there were semi’s passing me up a hill about ten miles east of Miles City, so I knew something was wrong. I found a place I could pull over in the middle of nowhere an
d turned my pickup off. When I turned it back on it was blowing white exhaust. Not a good sign! Thankfully my dad was with me and I left it in his hands not knowing what to do. It wasn’t safe to drive so we had to leave the pickup with my name and Miss Rodeo Montana written all over it stranded on the side of the interstate. A few phone calls were made (thanks to the modern cell phone convenience) and one of my sponsors, Rathert-Fox Ford, drove all the way from Wolf Point to where my pickup was stranded to not only bring us a new pickup to haul the trailer load of colts to Billings but also towed Forest back to the shop in Wolf Point to get worked on. A huge thank you goes to Bill Rathert for going out of your way to help me and my family out. We got to Billings much later than we wanted to but at least we got there! I am just glad it happened when I wasn’t traveling alone!
Saturday was the horse sale and I helped my family prep the colts to sell and we all had a pretty good time. We sell our colts there e
very fall and it’s almost a tradition for us. With my brother and my sister both living in Billings now the whole Hardy family was together! I had a table outside the main entrance where I advertised my bronze and signed autographs. Thanks to BLS and Bill and Jan Parker for letting me do a fundraiser during their sale.
For an update on my vehicle situation, after a large number of people saw poor Forest either stranded or being towed and then parked at the shop, it’s not as bad as we first thought. I am still without a vehicle here in Bozeman and will probably be that way for awhile. But my pickup will be repaired soon!
om and dad. We got to ride, work with colts and of course spend some quality family time. It was nice because I have been traveling so much that I haven’t been able to see much of my family this year; they always seem to be going the opposite direction as me!On Friday of this last weekend we were headed to Billings for their monthly horse sale. My mom was selling her weanling colts and some mares and I was auctioning off a Toby Capp bronze for a fundraiser. It was going to be a crazy weekend and that’s exactly how it ended up. Since we were selling so many horses we had two trailer loads to haul. I hauled one load and my dad the other. I was driving the Miss Rodeo Montana pickup that my sister and I fondly call Forest. Well Forest didn’t make it to Billings unfortunately. Now the load I was hauling was pretty heavy but there were semi’s passing me up a hill about ten miles east of Miles City, so I knew something was wrong. I found a place I could pull over in the middle of nowhere an
d turned my pickup off. When I turned it back on it was blowing white exhaust. Not a good sign! Thankfully my dad was with me and I left it in his hands not knowing what to do. It wasn’t safe to drive so we had to leave the pickup with my name and Miss Rodeo Montana written all over it stranded on the side of the interstate. A few phone calls were made (thanks to the modern cell phone convenience) and one of my sponsors, Rathert-Fox Ford, drove all the way from Wolf Point to where my pickup was stranded to not only bring us a new pickup to haul the trailer load of colts to Billings but also towed Forest back to the shop in Wolf Point to get worked on. A huge thank you goes to Bill Rathert for going out of your way to help me and my family out. We got to Billings much later than we wanted to but at least we got there! I am just glad it happened when I wasn’t traveling alone!Saturday was the horse sale and I helped my family prep the colts to sell and we all had a pretty good time. We sell our colts there e
very fall and it’s almost a tradition for us. With my brother and my sister both living in Billings now the whole Hardy family was together! I had a table outside the main entrance where I advertised my bronze and signed autographs. Thanks to BLS and Bill and Jan Parker for letting me do a fundraiser during their sale.For an update on my vehicle situation, after a large number of people saw poor Forest either stranded or being towed and then parked at the shop, it’s not as bad as we first thought. I am still without a vehicle here in Bozeman and will probably be that way for awhile. But my pickup will be repaired soon!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Montana Fur Trappers Convention
This was definitely an interesting trip to Lewistown. Lorissa and I were scheduled to leave Bo
zeman to go to Lewistown on Saturday morning at 9. It didn’t really work out that way because as Lorissa will tell you, she had a bad Burger King experience that kept her feeling pretty ill that morning. Due to our late departure I drove the necessary speed it took to get us there as close to on time as we could while Lorissa slept off her flu. Luckily I made it there just about at the time we needed to be there and went to the Yogo Hotel where we were told the convention would be taking place this year. Lewistown was flooded with Choke Cherry Festival go-ers so we had to take a detour to get to the hotel. Once we got there no one knew anything about the Fur Trappers so we were left to find the Fur Trappers in the small town of Lewistown amidst all of the Choke Cherry people. Finally we discovered they were at the Fairgrounds and when we arrived…we were early! Whew, thank goodness!
The convention was filled with fun activities for all ages. They had trapping contests for men, women, and kids. Unfortunately, Lorissa and I didn’t get a trap setting lesson before we went and since we value our fingers we chose not to partake in that event. But there were some pretty fast times! We also got to see a beaver get skinned which was fascinating, once you got past the smell. The ever-so-famous skillet toss was pretty fun. The skillet wasn’t nearly as heavy as I thought it was going to
be so we were able to throw it pretty far.
After the games and demonstrations was the fashion show and banquet. Lorissa and I got to model fur coats from Paparazzi Fur. The coats we modeled would be up for a drawing later in the evening. My favorite coat was a white sheared and bleached beaver; it was even featured in the magazine Vogue! Neither Lorissa nor I won the drawing but it was a lot of fun to wear the coats. After we helped with the live auction we left the fairgrounds and couldn’t believe that it was snowing! Thankfully for me, I didn’t have to drive in a snow storm the next morning. The hotel we stayed out was a little old but the room was very big. Good thing Lorissa an
d I like each other because it was one small bed for two queens! The room was very cold and neither one of us knew how to run the propane heater so for fear we would turn it on and gas ourselves to death we decided to bear the freezing cold and bundle up in whatever we had in our bags! Both of us made it through the night but we were both ready to be back in Bozeman on Sunday. I had a great time and I think Lorissa did too, even though it was quite an interesting day. Thanks to the Hebbe’s for being so generous to us all year and all evening. It was so nice getting to talk to them and listen to all of their fun stories!
zeman to go to Lewistown on Saturday morning at 9. It didn’t really work out that way because as Lorissa will tell you, she had a bad Burger King experience that kept her feeling pretty ill that morning. Due to our late departure I drove the necessary speed it took to get us there as close to on time as we could while Lorissa slept off her flu. Luckily I made it there just about at the time we needed to be there and went to the Yogo Hotel where we were told the convention would be taking place this year. Lewistown was flooded with Choke Cherry Festival go-ers so we had to take a detour to get to the hotel. Once we got there no one knew anything about the Fur Trappers so we were left to find the Fur Trappers in the small town of Lewistown amidst all of the Choke Cherry people. Finally we discovered they were at the Fairgrounds and when we arrived…we were early! Whew, thank goodness!
The convention was filled with fun activities for all ages. They had trapping contests for men, women, and kids. Unfortunately, Lorissa and I didn’t get a trap setting lesson before we went and since we value our fingers we chose not to partake in that event. But there were some pretty fast times! We also got to see a beaver get skinned which was fascinating, once you got past the smell. The ever-so-famous skillet toss was pretty fun. The skillet wasn’t nearly as heavy as I thought it was going to
be so we were able to throw it pretty far.After the games and demonstrations was the fashion show and banquet. Lorissa and I got to model fur coats from Paparazzi Fur. The coats we modeled would be up for a drawing later in the evening. My favorite coat was a white sheared and bleached beaver; it was even featured in the magazine Vogue! Neither Lorissa nor I won the drawing but it was a lot of fun to wear the coats. After we helped with the live auction we left the fairgrounds and couldn’t believe that it was snowing! Thankfully for me, I didn’t have to drive in a snow storm the next morning. The hotel we stayed out was a little old but the room was very big. Good thing Lorissa an
d I like each other because it was one small bed for two queens! The room was very cold and neither one of us knew how to run the propane heater so for fear we would turn it on and gas ourselves to death we decided to bear the freezing cold and bundle up in whatever we had in our bags! Both of us made it through the night but we were both ready to be back in Bozeman on Sunday. I had a great time and I think Lorissa did too, even though it was quite an interesting day. Thanks to the Hebbe’s for being so generous to us all year and all evening. It was so nice getting to talk to them and listen to all of their fun stories!Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Ellensburg, Washington
What a week! I was in Ellensburg, Washington for eight days for the rodeo and Miss Rodeo Washington pageant. They kept me pretty busy during my stay. I arrived on Sunday evening in time for the pageant pajama party where I met all of the contestants running for Teen and Miss. There were 4 in both categories and after spending a week with them I am pretty happy that I am not a queen in Washington. These girls were amazing.
The pajama party was fun as always and everyone should be proud to know that I took 2nd place in the Chubby Bunny competition, fitting six huge marshmallows in my mouth and still being able to mutter “I’m a chubby bunny!” The next few days were packed with pageant activities. I got to do a queen buzz during their horsemanship competition. Unfortunately, I was put on the horse that w
as rejected to the queen draw because he couldn’t carry flags. Little did I know he doesn’t like queen buzzes either because I soon as I got in the arena he immediately started bucking. I was able to ride him and keep waving at the same time so he must not have been bucking that hard. Later in the week we all had lunch at one of the Miss Rodeo Washington board member’s house. We were fed great all week but this lunch was special because Santa happens to have a workshop in Ellensburg and this is his busiest time of the year. He requested the rodeo queens to help out wrapping presents! He is definitely a busy guy but a smart one too for asking 10 or so girls help wrap Christmas gifts! We wrapped a ton and felt like we were a really big help.
The girls competing had the most amazing clothes provided by Riding High USA from right there in Washington. They were all dressed fit to compete at Miss Rodeo America and I couldn’t believe how polished they were. The style show was incredible. Their theme was “Pink Acres” and the association donated most of the proceeds to a local girl diagnosed with cancer. I even got to tell a joke during the Hee Haw portion of the show, “How many Montana State Freshman does it take to screw in a light bulb?” “None, that’s a sophomore course!” That was my only line and I nailed it! I was pretty proud of myself and even though my role was small, it was definitely
a crowd pleaser!
The rodeo started on Friday and that was also the day of coronation. It was the closest pageant I have ever watched; the judges really had a tough job throughout the week. Congratulations to Mandy Melovich, the new teen, and Jessica Crouch, the 2008 Miss Rodeo Washington, they will both do an outstanding job next year. The rodeo in Ellensburg was pretty big and it attracted the top cowboys in the standings. Each day I felt like I was at Tour Finale rodeo because of the cowboys and also the stock. There were a total of 7 or 8 stock contractors who brought only the best bulls and broncs. The day of the finals I got to see the 3-time bucking horse of the year, Grated Coconut and his mom buck.
The girls and I rode in the huge grand entry and had a queen buzz every day. There were at least 150 people in the grand entries. We would enter at a fast lope and make it all the way around the arena and then slow down a bit, following the person in front of you
, doing a serpentine pattern around 4 people stationed with American flags. I was very well mounted all weekend. Gary Rempel was a pickup man there so I rode his horses all weekend and during the parade. Sunday served to be an interesting grand entry for me. I was riding Gary’s horse Quizno and as we make our first buzz around the arena, my stirrup leather broke! The stirrup fell clean off into the arena dirt and my fender was hanging, slapping poor Quizno in the knee. He didn’t seem to mind at all and we finished the buzz and serpentine with one stirrup. Thank goodness Gary had another horse saddled for me to ride for my queen buzz after bareback.
I was amazed at how many people showed up to the parade on Saturday! It was the biggest one, by far, of the year…including Cheyenne. Ellensburg is a town of only about 30,000 people but Seattle is only 100 miles away and Spokane isn’t real far either. Labor Day is the official end to summer so now I progress my preparation for the Miss Rodeo America pageant. If you have any good impromptu questions, rodeo knowledge or something you think you can stump me on, I need all the practice I can get. Send ‘em on! Next week Lorissa and I go to Lewistown to visit the Montana Trappers Association. I am glad to be back in Montana!
The pajama party was fun as always and everyone should be proud to know that I took 2nd place in the Chubby Bunny competition, fitting six huge marshmallows in my mouth and still being able to mutter “I’m a chubby bunny!” The next few days were packed with pageant activities. I got to do a queen buzz during their horsemanship competition. Unfortunately, I was put on the horse that w
as rejected to the queen draw because he couldn’t carry flags. Little did I know he doesn’t like queen buzzes either because I soon as I got in the arena he immediately started bucking. I was able to ride him and keep waving at the same time so he must not have been bucking that hard. Later in the week we all had lunch at one of the Miss Rodeo Washington board member’s house. We were fed great all week but this lunch was special because Santa happens to have a workshop in Ellensburg and this is his busiest time of the year. He requested the rodeo queens to help out wrapping presents! He is definitely a busy guy but a smart one too for asking 10 or so girls help wrap Christmas gifts! We wrapped a ton and felt like we were a really big help.The girls competing had the most amazing clothes provided by Riding High USA from right there in Washington. They were all dressed fit to compete at Miss Rodeo America and I couldn’t believe how polished they were. The style show was incredible. Their theme was “Pink Acres” and the association donated most of the proceeds to a local girl diagnosed with cancer. I even got to tell a joke during the Hee Haw portion of the show, “How many Montana State Freshman does it take to screw in a light bulb?” “None, that’s a sophomore course!” That was my only line and I nailed it! I was pretty proud of myself and even though my role was small, it was definitely
a crowd pleaser!The rodeo started on Friday and that was also the day of coronation. It was the closest pageant I have ever watched; the judges really had a tough job throughout the week. Congratulations to Mandy Melovich, the new teen, and Jessica Crouch, the 2008 Miss Rodeo Washington, they will both do an outstanding job next year. The rodeo in Ellensburg was pretty big and it attracted the top cowboys in the standings. Each day I felt like I was at Tour Finale rodeo because of the cowboys and also the stock. There were a total of 7 or 8 stock contractors who brought only the best bulls and broncs. The day of the finals I got to see the 3-time bucking horse of the year, Grated Coconut and his mom buck.
The girls and I rode in the huge grand entry and had a queen buzz every day. There were at least 150 people in the grand entries. We would enter at a fast lope and make it all the way around the arena and then slow down a bit, following the person in front of you
, doing a serpentine pattern around 4 people stationed with American flags. I was very well mounted all weekend. Gary Rempel was a pickup man there so I rode his horses all weekend and during the parade. Sunday served to be an interesting grand entry for me. I was riding Gary’s horse Quizno and as we make our first buzz around the arena, my stirrup leather broke! The stirrup fell clean off into the arena dirt and my fender was hanging, slapping poor Quizno in the knee. He didn’t seem to mind at all and we finished the buzz and serpentine with one stirrup. Thank goodness Gary had another horse saddled for me to ride for my queen buzz after bareback.I was amazed at how many people showed up to the parade on Saturday! It was the biggest one, by far, of the year…including Cheyenne. Ellensburg is a town of only about 30,000 people but Seattle is only 100 miles away and Spokane isn’t real far either. Labor Day is the official end to summer so now I progress my preparation for the Miss Rodeo America pageant. If you have any good impromptu questions, rodeo knowledge or something you think you can stump me on, I need all the practice I can get. Send ‘em on! Next week Lorissa and I go to Lewistown to visit the Montana Trappers Association. I am glad to be back in Montana!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Clothes for sale!!!
Hey everyone. Since I have a whole week to get some “housekeeping” stuff done before I am back on the road I am beginning to get my wardrobe ready for Miss Rodeo America. I have a lot of clothes that I can’t or won’t be wearing anymore or haven’t worn all year! If there is anyone interested in seeing what I have for sale please contact me! I have a variety of quality from princess on up and I have everything from dresses, skirts, jackets, and arena shirts and boots up to my neck! I wear a size 7-8 in boots, a size 7x36/34 or 9x36/34 in jeans, and medium jackets and shirts. I will try and start getting some pictures of some of the stuff I am selling and I can post them on here or email them to you. You can call me at (406) 209-1931 or email me at missrodeomt07@hotmail.com. Please help me get some of this stuff off my hands!!!!
Also, my family has a package deal on NFR tickets. We have 4 tickets for all 10 days of the rodeo and we are selling what we aren’t using to whoever would like them. They are balcony tickets and going fast! Please let me know what night and how many tickets you would like and we will reserve them for you. They will be waiting for you when you get to Vegas!
Also, my family has a package deal on NFR tickets. We have 4 tickets for all 10 days of the rodeo and we are selling what we aren’t using to whoever would like them. They are balcony tickets and going fast! Please let me know what night and how many tickets you would like and we will reserve them for you. They will be waiting for you when you get to Vegas!
Monday, August 20, 2007
North Western Fair and Pro Rodeo
Well I am finally home now for about a week between events for Miss Rodeo Montana. I just returned from Kalispell where the Northwestern fair, rodeo and pageant took place. After traveling through the smoke where visibility was down to only a half a mile with some delays I arrived in Kalispell with a heavy heart from the sights of my beautiful state on fire.
Thursday night was the first night of Kessler rodeo in Kalispell. I met up with Bob Tallman, the talented NFR announcer, and we caught up since seeing him last in Calgary. The rodeo went great every night. All the Little Miss, Princess and Queen contestants participated and were announced every night which they all enjoyed immensely! Friday morning was the parade. What a turnout! Kalispell and the surrounding communities really take pride in their week of fair and rodeo and it is evident. After the rodeo that night the contestants, parents, committee members and myself had a pizza party where we all shared our most memorable and embarrassing stories of being a queen or queen contestant. It was a ball listening to all the girls’ stories and it was obvious that those girls were having a
good time getting to know each other. I didn’t realize it but I have A LOT of embarrassing moments as Miss Rodeo Montana. I think everyone was pretty entertained that night!
Saturday the coronation was held and I have to say it was my first coronation that I have attended in a sale barn! It was a great venue to have it though because they got a pretty good crowd. Congratulations to all of the girls who won the titles and everyone who competed. The newly crowned girls were announced that night at the rodeo and I enjoyed showing them the “ropes” of chasing out cattle and helping where we were needed during the rodeo. Saturday night was also pretty special because once again Fred Whitfield made an appearance during the performance. He has made it to a handful of Montana rodeos this summer and each time he’s in the performance he is willing to meet fans and sign autographs. Overall I had a really nice time in Kalispell. Driving back to Bozeman I was again a little sad the fires have not let up. Please keep the people working on the fires in your thoughts and let’s all pray for rain!
Thursday night was the first night of Kessler rodeo in Kalispell. I met up with Bob Tallman, the talented NFR announcer, and we caught up since seeing him last in Calgary. The rodeo went great every night. All the Little Miss, Princess and Queen contestants participated and were announced every night which they all enjoyed immensely! Friday morning was the parade. What a turnout! Kalispell and the surrounding communities really take pride in their week of fair and rodeo and it is evident. After the rodeo that night the contestants, parents, committee members and myself had a pizza party where we all shared our most memorable and embarrassing stories of being a queen or queen contestant. It was a ball listening to all the girls’ stories and it was obvious that those girls were having a
good time getting to know each other. I didn’t realize it but I have A LOT of embarrassing moments as Miss Rodeo Montana. I think everyone was pretty entertained that night!Saturday the coronation was held and I have to say it was my first coronation that I have attended in a sale barn! It was a great venue to have it though because they got a pretty good crowd. Congratulations to all of the girls who won the titles and everyone who competed. The newly crowned girls were announced that night at the rodeo and I enjoyed showing them the “ropes” of chasing out cattle and helping where we were needed during the rodeo. Saturday night was also pretty special because once again Fred Whitfield made an appearance during the performance. He has made it to a handful of Montana rodeos this summer and each time he’s in the performance he is willing to meet fans and sign autographs. Overall I had a really nice time in Kalispell. Driving back to Bozeman I was again a little sad the fires have not let up. Please keep the people working on the fires in your thoughts and let’s all pray for rain!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Montana Fairs!
Oh my goodness I have been so busy lately I don’t know if I am coming or going! It’s been two weeks since I have even had time to write on my blog! In the past two weeks I have made a complete circle of the Big Sky state. You never know how big Montana really is until you spend the majority of the time on the highway. I was first in Great Falls for the State Fair, Big Sky Pro Rodeo Roundup and the Roundup Queen pageant. I was kept very busy but I had one of my favorite queens to assist me in my appearances, Miss Rodeo America, Ashley Andrews. Ashley and I have known each other since high school so it was great getting to hang out with her again. The girls running in the pageant had a great opportunity to ask her all sorts of questions about what she does and her experiences as MRA.
The rodeo went great each night. I was on my favorite queen horse, Cisco again and got to hang out with Sue and Bailey Thompson which is always a great time. Congratulations to Kirsten, Tiffany, and Jennika on winning 2007-2008 Big Sky Pro Rodeo royalty. Lorissa was there to help with the pageant too but unfortunately we didn’t get to see much of each other because our schedules didn’t line up the same.
I was home for one day until I drove to Missoula for their fair and pageant. I went a day early to be at the Auto Spa for a mini-fundraiser. They gave me $1 for every car that was washed that day. At this point in my year that is wonderful because every dollar matters! Thanks Auto Spa! I felt right at home staying at Laura Bakker’s house with her two little dogs. We had a great time while I was there. The contestants had a BBQ and kicked off the fair by all of us riding the Merry-Go-Round at the carnival. I am glad they picked that ride because I am pretty sure my stomach couldn’t handle anything faster than that! Wednesday night was the PBR and I carried the American Flag. It was an almost sold out performance and of course Flint Rasmussen was there to entertain the crowd.
The rest of the fair and rodeos flew by! Lorissa and I were kept pretty busy emceeing the style show and horsemanship portion of the pageant, hosting kiddie rodeos, signing autographs, and even handing out cake at the Wells Fargo bank. I tried my best not to raise to much controversy over the fact that I was in Grizzly country but I couldn’t help but say “Go Bobcats”, during the style show. I definitely wasn’t the most popular emcee at that point! Friday night was coronation for the contestants and congratulations to all the girls who won, Leslie, Reagan, Skylar, and Hannah. All of our new Montana royalty are going to represent the state and rodeo very well all year!
Saturday Lorissa and I drank a lot of coffee in order to drive all the way to Glasgow f
or their North East Montana Fair and rodeo. We witnessed a different kind of kiddie rodeo at the fair grounds. Instead of barrels and roping they had greased pig race and a chicken race where the kids had to catch a greased pig and chickens and put them in a barrel. It was pretty entertaining to watch but the best part was when a pig got out of the pen and ran through the arena and into the fair with a herd of kids chasing after him. Thankfully the pig farmer didn’t have to cut his profit because the kids finally caught him somehow. We put on a standard kiddie rodeo at the Elderly Home in Gla
sgow. One of my favorite parts of being Miss Rodeo Montana is visiting with the residents; they are always so happy to see a smiling girl. My sister, Vanessa, brought in her horse Topaz for me to ride during the rodeo so I was very well mounted once again! Kirsten, the new Miss Big Sky Pro Rodeo Queen, Lorissa and I carried flags at the rodeos and helped Tessa Weifrich chase cattle out of the arena. I had a pretty good time because Glasgow is practically home for me being only 45 miles west of Wolf Point. So of course I ran into many people who were glad to see me so close to home again.
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