Part fiesta and part reunion, the rodeo tradition began when Mexican vaqueros wrangled livestock in the open desert ranges of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Sonora and for fun, began to compete with one another, showing off their ranching skills of roping, riding and wild horse training-formerly known as bronco busting. As the gatherings grew, a carnival atmosphere followed and spawned offshoots like Buffalo Bill’ s Wild West Show as cowboying became commercialized. But the myth could only last so long before rodeo returned to its very real roots – the small communities scattered all across the west where ranching skills were still highly prized. Places where gatherings with a competition at its center could bring out the whole community and in the case of a rodeo, folks from every town around them, too.
I am gripped by nostalgia as I drive onto the rodeo grounds. Although the main event begins at 8 p. m., I arrive early. But by 5 o’ clock, trailers loaded with horses lumber in at a steady pace. Whether you’ re entered into an event, or are just there to attend, you bring your horse, even from as far away as Irving, to ride the grand entry, right here, as I did, 52 years ago.
I make my way behind the chutes and climb the announcer’ s booth where I encounter the sound man Dillon Cummings working out the kinks from a crashed system the night before. Despite the crisis he still makes time to kindly show me the ropes.( Saturday’ s sound will go on without a hitch). From my perch I spy the rodeo secretary for the Flying C Stock Company taking entry fees at a table set up next to a trailer owned by one of the rodeo clowns, Chase Nolan,
24 GREENVILLE LIFE