Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede

After what has probably been my busiest week so far this summer I am roasting in the heat in Bozeman trying to catch up on some sleep before I leave again. After Calgary I was home in Wolf Point for the much anticipated Wild Horse Stampede. As a rodeo competitor they always say that the toughest rodeo to compete in is your hometown rodeo. Even though I am a rodeo queen and not a competitor it’s not much different for us rodeo queens. I was overwhelmed with the attention I got in Wolf Point. Everyone who has ever met me or any member of my family was sure to say hello. It was so great getting to see so many of my neighbors, distant relatives, and old friends. I heard the phrases “You probably don’t remember me….” Or “Wow, you sure grew up fast, I knew you when you were in diapers” a lot!

On Thursday I did a radio spot and the rodeo that night. The Stampede has a history of being held on the hottest week of the summer and I think this year was no different. I think I sweat off an extra five pounds in the three days I was there. On Friday we had a parade and I had enough time to walk around and visit my sponsors before the rodeo. Many Wolf Point business have been so gracious in helping me out financially this year; one afternoon wasn’t enough time to thank everyone. That evening held another great rodeo by Brookman Rodeo Company. Everyone attending the rodeo got a pretty good laugh as once again my infamous ski story from Pocatello came up during the calf roping. I have to admit though, the story sounds much scarier when Dave Weifrich tells it the way he witnessed it! Saturday was the last day of the Stampede and in years past, Miss Rodeo Montana has not been able to stay for the last day because of the rodeo in Stanford. I was lucky and got to stay in my home town all three days. I am glad I did too because the Stick Horse Rodeo was Saturday. It’s always a pretty big event held at the Faith Luthern Elderly Care Home. I visited with some of the residents and of course the stick horse rodeo was a big hit. A special thank you to my A-Crew, Vanessa and Quinn, who helped me set up, tear down, and stay organized. It would have taken me twice as long if I hadn’t had the help! The daily parade was directly after the kid’s rodeo and the heat about did me in; I heard it got all the way up to 115 degrees! The last rodeo performance went smoothly and the weekend wasn’t over.

I was off at the crack of dawn again on Sunday for the Stanford rodeo. I was glad to see Lorissa and Jennika O’Neil there to help me with sponsor flags. It was once again an extremely hot rodeo but the queens survived! I would like to say a really big thank you to tie-down roper, Travis Caldwell for letting me use his horse and also to Dr. Gee for bringing in Lorissa’s horse and an extra horse if needed. I drove back to Bozeman that night and crashed immediately after my very long week. My adventures continue this week as I head down to “The Daddy of ‘Em All” the Cheyenne Frontier Days!