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McClure
pact OK'd by council
Councilor, city at odds on recorder position
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Rodeo whoopin' and a hollerin' |
The rodeo's four-day run delivers sunny skies,
plenty of action and a feast for the eyes, ears and palate |
By Laurent
Bonczijk, Newberg Graphic
reporter
E-mail Laurent at
lbonczijk@eaglenewspapers.com
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St. PAUL - It’s that time of the year again, with the first hot days
of summer the rodeo comes to St. Paul. Yee haw!
While the rodeo attracts fans of big burly men taking down calves
and big burly bulls taking down men, dust kicked high in the air
isn’t the only draw for the people.
Brothers James and Leon Broadous came so that their nephew Denaree
could master his own bucking broncos: the ponies of the fair ride.
It was his first time on horseback and by his own account Denaree
rode “a little pony,” but his eyes were shining with delight all the
same.
James, who lives
in northeast Portland, said that Denaree “had been wanting to ride
for the longest time.” He brought his nephew because he “used to
come quite a bit.” But that was all before he got married. “I got
married on the Third of July and I brought my wife here one year for
our anniversary, and she said ‘Never again,’” James recalled.
The brothers won’t be able to introduce their nephew to the
higher-octane rides this year as they have to attend a memorial
service. But Denaree seemed more interested with the mechanical
horses of the carousel anyway.
He can always talk to his “cowboy uncle” later. Although the cowboy
uncle has a confession to make, and it takes plugging the ears of
the little one, “I’ve been on a horse maybe three times in my life,”
James says with a chuckle. He owns enough Western wear though that
the legend of the cowboy uncle still has life.
Western wear is what Tom Turner of Aurora is looking for. On his
second trip to the rodeo he’s waiting for the fashion tent to open,
sitting, slightly sunburned, on a shaded bench. He’s camping at
Champoeg State Park for a few days and plans on “wigging it” that
night for the rodeo once his buddy shows up.
Giffert Clarence, who will turn 80 this year, says “I’ve been
coming here ever since I can remember.” The Dundee resident says the
rodeo is easily “three times as big” as when it started. He plans on
driving his blue 1966 Mustang in the Fourth of July parade. His wife
and him started restoring cars after they retired. The Mustang is
the last one she rode in before she died a few years ago.
Kendall Hall is an old hand at the St. Paul rodeo and proclaimed it
his favorite. His older sister Crystal says that’s because it’s the
only rodeo close enough to the 8-year-old’s home for him to sleep at
home. Their parents own the chicken wrap stand and travel to the
different fairs and rodeos as a means to earn a living.
Crystal says that she used to work the fairs and rodeos until she
got a job working at McMenamins. She enjoyed watching the kid’s
rodeo Sunday night and the wild horse competition. Kendall’s
favorite? “What I like to do best is play with my friends,” he says.
Once the dust has cleared and all the cowboys have gone home, St.
Paul will return to its normal way of life (with no traffic on Main
Street) until the commotion and drama of the rodeo returns next
year. |
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From
July 4, 2007, Newberg Graphic
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