The midway has Corn Dogs, Roasted Corn on the Cob, Funnel Cakes, and Suicide Tacos. All of this right next to the holding pens for the exhibitors' animals. Oh, the combination of smells...
Mary finds her photo op everywhere..
The Bull riding competition always starts out with the Cowgirls Singing , Dancing and riding the horses while presenting the Flag.
A young girl named Connie, age 9, on the left of this picture is next to her mother who is the lead singer. She is a very good performer.
The 43 Bull riders are introduced to the crowd. There will be only 8 qualified rides this afternoon, it is a good day for the Bulls..
Some spend their time talking themselves into the idea the that these animals aren't so tough....
Gizmo McCracken is the barrel man with a wise cracking lingo that entertains the crowd.
Some of his lines are:
I just got married again, I got tired of finishing my own sentences.
Next time I will find a woman I can't stand, I'll skip the ceremony and just buy her a house.
Bungee jumping: is for those who, a l m o s t want to die.
All the thrills of suicide with out the commitment.
If a cowboy takes too long getting ready in the chute he was heard to say "well, I could ride him in there".
When a rider is bucked off it is "THANKS FOR COMING".
"The Bullfighting "clowns" open the cute for the 8 second ride to start.
--
Sometimes you make the 8 second buzzer and ....
sometimes you hit the dirt and get up running, if you can, as fast as you can.....
The Mutton Bustin..
Young competitors 4-7 [approx ages] show early bravery or their parents have convinced them "this will be fun", they march wide eyed into the arena, go into a chute to be placed on a sheep and told to hang on tight. The chute is opened and the sheep runs to join the flock of other sheep across the arena. The kids either fall off early or slowly slide to the under side of the critter and get a loud Cheer from the crowd when they drop to the dirt.
BULL POKER..
The announcer keeps badgering the crowd until he gets some "over 18 , a few slices short of a loaf young men, willing to sign a waiver" to participate in an event known as Bull Poker. Sitting at a table they try to be the last one sitting while a Bull is turned loose in the arena. The prize is $100.00. Now Bull riders do not go near the bulls without a protective vest, chaps and a helmet... WHAT WERE THEY THINKING..
The pictures tell most of the story..
Ok, now for the part it does not show in the pictures, this young man got mauled and pushed around by the bull on the ground before he got to the top of the fence. As you can see his jeans got many rips and tears and he was knocked out of his shoes. The bull pushed him around 3 different times on the ground before he could get away. It was very difficult to watch. He was checked out by the EMT's and was shook, but it was his Mother who was taken from the grandstand and put into the ambulance with heart problems.
If you peek below our seats in the bleachers this big guy was one of many in a pen right below us. We held on tight to our cameras, glasses, water bottles, blankets and hats as I imagine it would be pretty pricey to get a cowboy to go into the pen to retrieve something you had dropped below the bleachers..
3 comments:
I know the work you put into posting blogs. This was very nice and long. Thanks for sharing. You can take some awsome pictures. But then you know that. You and Amy are writing your books on line ya know. Keep up the great writing.
From Mike Stiak
Good stuff Mary .... I think those bull riders are the craziest guys on the planet!
I can't even come up with a word for the guys sitting at the card table in the middle of
the arena. I would rather take the drop at 40 foot Mavericks, before I would get on the
back of a bull.
Love,
Mike
Some real Texan entertainment there... lol I'm pretty sure I'll be playing poker inside the safety of my home! I posted 3 new (short)blogs... check them out!
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