Chinook and Augusta Rodeos

It is HOT, HOT, HOT!!! I have just returned from the Chinook and Augusta rodeos this past weekend and even though they are in relatively different parts of the state they were both very HOT rodeos! I am sure that it was just a precursor to what I will encounter during the July and August rodeos. Through the heat Lorissa and I managed to have a pretty great time; we kept well hydrated thanks to our lovely mom’s and my sister. Thursday night was a BBQ and Calcutta in Chinook to kick off the weekend of rodeo. Chinook is a pretty small town on the hi-line so when the rodeo wasn’t going on there wasn’t a whole lot to do but thankfully I had my mom and sister with me this weekend to keep me company. I really enjoyed spending my down time with them. The rodeo on Friday had a few minor glitches, like the sound system shorting out, but once we got them worked out it proved to be a pretty great rodeo with a beautiful sunset. Saturday there was a parade and like I said, Chinook is a pretty small town, so in order to make the parade longer, we went through town twice! The rodeo that night went as smooth as glass and it was a beautiful evening. Shane and Heather Schwanke with the rest of the Bear Paw Roundup committee and of course Brookman rodeo provided the spectators with really great rodeo action.


Sunday morning Lorissa and I left Chinook at the crack of dawn in order to get to Augusta to sign autographs before the afternoon rodeo. The Augusta rodeo has a reputation for being the “Wildest One Day Rodeo in the West” ; I have never been so I was curious to see just how wild it got in Augusta. I can tell you now, it lives up to its reputation! When we arrived at ten the streets were already busy with people shopping, eating, and socializing. Lorissa and I signed autographs at a cute little store called Latigo & Lace where we met many tourists, locals and familiar faces we would see at the rodeo. The afternoon brought so many people into the tiny rodeo grounds of Augusta, MT! There were people everywhere; thank goodness I was on trusty Cisco again! Kesler’s brought in the stock to Augusta so of course the stock performed wonderfully! I will be doing the usual catching up on things like my laundry this week before I start “Cowboy Christmas” for the Fourth of July. I will be in Cody, Wyoming and Livingston this weekend through next week. Happy summer everyone!