Little Buckaroos

The Little Buckaroo Rodeo has come and gone again. Mark has been the announcer since before we were married. I’m up in the announcer’s stand with him, keeping track of kids and numbers. He has a co-announcer, our friend Wayne, and they have a great time bantering back and forth. The rodeo and Mark are both 47 this year; his grandpa Eldro was one of the founders. Gary was the clown for umpteen years and still provides the calves, so it’s a family affair.

Mark taught school in Firth for a dozen years, and the rodeo, Firth’s claim to fame, is a good place to see his old students who enter their kids in the rodeo.  Events include stick-horse barrel racing, ribbon-tie and ribbon-pull on goats, sheep dressing (don’t ask), a pig scramble, barrel “racing” on a horse, calf and sheep riding, and the culminating event - the chicken scramble.

The kid rodeo is a big event in Firth with a community breakfast and parade to round out the festivities. Some families plan their vacation around the rodeo. The kids show up in their best western clothing - hats, boots, fringed chaps, many with stick horses.

My favorite event is the chicken scramble. All kids five and under enter the arena (no parents allowed) to try to catch a chicken. It’s complete mayhem, kids crying running here and there, chickens scooching under the fence to freedom. Good clean fun. Mark always tells the kids over the loud speaker, “no matter what Mom says, your bedroom is the best place to keep your chicken!” And this one, “parents, if you don’t want to keep the chicken – too bad!”

When Seth was five he determined he wouldn’t just grab a chicken, he would rope it. We laughed knowing what the outcome would be, but he proved us wrong, he caught a chicken in a clean loop! Seth uses this story from time to time to encourage FFA kids to dream big.

All rodeo proceeds go to the Firth FFA program, which is great, but the best outcome is that it gives children a chance to interact with animals, a rare event in today’s world.  

My nephew and his son discussing the ribbon-pull event

getting it done!

one proud boy