Behind The Chutes

FIRESIDE READING FOR A COLD WINTER
[Oct. 12, 2009] The weather hasn’t gotten to the ‘sit by the fire with a good book’ time yet, but with snow flurries in Colorado and points north all ready, but it is right around the corner. These books I have read and will recommend to pick up and enjoy. By Gail Woerner

NATIONAL COWBOY SYMPOSIUM REVIEW
[Sep. 18, 2009] Cowboys and cowgirls, musicians and singers, poets and writers, trick ropers, Quanah Parker family members, trade show vendors with everything from cowboy hats to custom-made knives, and National Championship Chuck Wagon cooking experts poured in to Lubbock from September 10th through the 13th for the 21st National Cowboy Symposium. By Rodeo Attitude

YESTERDAY’S ARENA RODEO CLOWNS AT THE REUNION
[Aug. 29, 2009] There is nothing I like better than to gather the senior rodeo clowns and see them entertain and please the fans at a Rodeo Clown Reunion. This summer we were at Deadwood Days of ’76 in beautiful South Dakota... By Gail Woerner

DALE WICKIZER OBITUARY
[Aug. 27, 2009] Dale Wickizer, age 71, died of complications from a stroke suffered earlier this year, in Mesa, Arizona, on August 19th.

RODEO CLOWN REUNION DELIGHTS DEADWOOD
[Aug. 5, 2009] Nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the town of Deadwood gets a little more western and wild for the week the Days of ’76 Rodeo is held. To add to the rip-roaring good time the Rodeo Clown Reunion came to town and gave even more laughs and excitement to the citizens and the fans.

2009 RODEO CLOWN REUNION TO BE HELD AT DEADWOOD
[Jul. 16, 2009] The 2009 Rodeo Clown Reunion will be held in Deadwood, South Dakota, during the 87th annual Days of ‘76, July 23rd through the 25th. This event has again been chosen as the PRCA Midsize Rodeo of 2008. This honor has been bestowed on this rodeo numerous times for their consistency in having a top flight rodeo. There will be four performances (two on the 25th) and the honorees of the Reunion will be present to sign autographs and talk with fans at each performance. They will also participate in two parades down the main street of Deadwood on Friday at 1:30 PM and Saturday morning at 10 AM. By Gail Woerner

WHOA, COWBOY, LET’S PONDER AWHILE
[Jul. 7, 2009] I received an inquiry the other day that made me stop and think. It said:
“Who decides which cowboys and cowgirls should be placed in the Hall of Fame? I often read the credentials and wonder why competitors are picked sometimes before they have finished competin? They may have won world titles and done great things but being placed in a Hall of Fame before they are retired sounds like ‘jumping the gun’? Who knows what else is in store for these exceptional professionals? Don’t you think the ‘powers that be’ might be rushing things a bit?”

LAUGHS GALORE AT THE RODEO CLOWN REUNION
[Jun. 5, 2009] The rodeo clown said to the announcer “My wife’s so fat. But she is in the audience.”

“I’ve seen your wife, she’s not so fat. Where is she sitting,” asks the inquisitive announcer?

“She’s in the bleachers, sitting in seats 12, 13, and 14,” the funnyman answers!

 

A rodeo clown’s humor never grows old. Some of the oldest jokes in the rodeo arena are still being told by today’s funnymen. The Rodeo Clown Reunion with gather at the Deadwood Days of ’76 Rodeo on July 23 through the 25th. By Gail Woerner

JOHNNIE MULLENS KILLED IN 1934??? DIDN'T HAPPEN!!!
[May 11, 2009] When Ruby Mullens, Johnnie’s wife, received a telegram from Reno, Nevada, citing the death of her husband on June 23, 1934, she was shocked, to say the least. Was this someone’s idea of a sick joke? When she left Johnnie thirty minutes before, returning to their hotel room in Silver City, New Mexico, he was busy as an arena director for their annual rodeo. He looked very alive and very healthy. The telegram, from the authorities in Reno, was only the first of numerous telegrams to follow sending condolences to his ‘grieving widow’. By Gail Woerner, Rodeo Historian

STEINER RANCH STEAK HOUSE
[Mar. 31, 2009] A NEW TRADITION FOR A WELL-KNOWN RODEO FAMILY

After making their mark in the rodeo world for four generations, the Steiner family, of Austin, Texas, has started a new endeavor with the same excellence they had in rodeo. The Steiner Ranch Steak House, on Lake Travis, opened during the holidays and has all ready been considered a ‘must’ in seeking a great meal, whether it is their superb variety of steaks, Chilean sea bass, or other fare. By Gail Woerner

COWGIRLS, YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY
[Feb. 18, 2009] We have come in to the world of the Cowgirl full speed this past year. I have been contacted by numerous people seeking information regarding various cowgirls from the past and the history of cowgirls. I must admit, although I have done much research over the past twenty-some years there is always more information out there to be found. I love gathering information regarding these early day pioneering ladies of the first rodeo arenas and wild west shows. They had such spunk and were such thrill-seekers it is exciting to uncover each and every independent story. No two were alike, and often they entered a world unlike anything they had experienced before. By Gail Woerner

BULLYING HURTS PROGRAM IS MAKING HEADWAY
[Jan. 21, 2009] Last fall the Bullying Hurts Program hired former rodeo clown, George Doak, honoree in numerous Rodeo Halls of Fame, to be their Director of Rodeo Relations. Since that time Doak has represented this important program which offers incentives to various club organizations and high school youth groups, in identifying bullying, its impact and long-lasting affects to children and how to work with youngsters in their community. By Gail Woerner

WINTER READ & VIEWING FOR COWBOYS & COWGIRLS
[Dec. 19, 2008] When the wind blows and the snow flurries, find a good book, or video, get in front of a fire and enjoy yourself. I have a couple of suggestions to recommend. By Gail Woerner, Rodeo Historian

HAWAII MEANS R & R - RODEO & RANCHING!!
[Nov. 12, 2008] The Rodeo Clown Reunion ended, I returned home, packed my bags and headed west. Yep, really west, the 'Big Island' of Hawai'i. My running buddies, Imogene Beals and Donna Clark joined me and after a long flight we arrived at the airport in Hilo. We rented a car and headed to our ‘cabin’ across the island. The road was winding and we hugged the Pacific Ocean on our right as we drove through lush green foliage and trees of a kind we don’t have back in Texas. A waterfall would appear amid the greenery here and there. The drive was beautiful. No freeways here, it was just a narrow two lane highway and occasionally we would drive through a village. We were enjoying it immensely. Then it got dark. By Gail Woerner, Rodeo Attitude