Calves roped;
mutton busted
Staff writer
Dogs, veterans, police, and more 20-somethings than you ever imagined lived in the county were drawn to last week’s Kraft rodeo at the county fair.
A cool Wednesday night contributed to the large crowd that flocked to bleachers to watch youths compete in a series of rustic events.
Cattle, calves, bulls, and sheep huddled together in lots around the dirt arena. All but the bulls had tall grass to munch on during proceedings.
Outside the arena, the scent of funnel cake and carne asada filled the air.
To wash down the food, there was Thirsty Dog, a “dirty soda” truck run by husband and wife Jonathan and Brianna Carey and Jonathan’s mother, Kathleen Peterson.
The business has been operational for two months, as Jonathan and Brianna attempt to raise money for a trip to Disney World.
Dirty sodas do not contain alcohol but resemble mocktails.
A soda base is topped with cream, flavored syrups, fruit juices, and sometimes candies.
The drinks proved popular with a temperate Hillsboro crowd, though the truck’s name proved a bit confusing.
“We’ve had three people tonight go, ‘Do you guys sell hot dogs?’” Jonathan said.
He was considering opening a companion truck, Hungry Dog, to fulfill his customers’ desires.
The smell of livestock was overpowering inside the arena.
A beer garden — more of a kiosk with a few benches dotted around — flanked the far side of the arena. Drinkers were confined to wooden bleachers on the same side.
Busier were western stands. Cowboys (long-sleeve shirts, dusty jeans, arms bent and tucked slightly) mingled with the punkish (sleeveless shirts, piercings, tattoos) and the cosmopolitan (white tees, clean jeans, baseball caps).
The first event was breakaway roping, which saw each contestant attempt to lasso a calf while on horseback.
The calves were rowdy and ran circuitous routes around the arena. Emotions ran hot, as contestants had only one throw to capture a calf.
Many missed and received zeros from the judges, leading to sad trots off stage. One older rider pounded his thigh in disgust.
Calf roping came next. The event was similar save for the fact that the calf had to be tied up after it was lassoed.
Young men dismounted their horses to tango with the calves, body-slamming them and tying their legs together in motions both grotesque and elegant.
Young kids climbed onto the arena’s fence to catch a better look.
Miniature bull riding, mutton-busting, barrel racing, and bull-riding rounded out the night.
Thirteen-year old Kelinda Smallwood, the only female competitor in mini-bull riding, drew raucous cheers and a high score from the judges after an impressive ride.
William Zimmerman, also 13, was bucked off his mini-bull and hit the ground hard, but was OK.
“His ears don’t hurt!” announcer Doug Reser cried as the crowd gave him a sympathetic hand.
Mutton-busting was the cutest event of the night, as young kids simulated bull-riding on gentler animals.
Kutter Penner was dragged under his lamb but impressively held on for about 30 feet.
Maddux Delk, riding a lamb named “Shear Terror,” managed to complete most of his ride facing the wrong way.
A hushed mood fell over the crowd for bull-riding, the final and most hazardous event.
It took a few minutes behind arena gates to mount each rider atop his or her bull. The gates obscured most of this process, although a handful of cowboy hats poked out over the top of them.
Bronsyn Dowdle won the bull-riding, bouncing atop his bull’s sleek back for the requisite eight seconds and dismounting with a clean jump.
His bull trotted back to its lot politely, ready for a well-deserved rest.