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Crowds flock to Pioneer Days, 4-H Fair

Issue Date: 8/7/2013
Last Updated: 8/8/2013 11:59:37 AM | By Berl Tiskus   Megan Strickland  

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RONAN — Pioneer Days events, rodeos, and local 4-H competitions drew huge crowds to Ronan last week as fairgoers enjoyed a lineup of activities with a bit of something for everyone. 

Area athletes were able to battle it out with a 5k run plus softball, volleyball and three-on-three basketball tournaments.

Children had plenty of fun during the week.

“We’ve never caught this many fish in our lives,” Bella Guardipee, 4, said as she examined a stringer of fish her older sisters caught from tanks stocked for the fishing derby in the city park. Later, she planted a kiss on one of the fish when she thought no one was watching. 

Nearby, 13-year-old Austin Taylor cleaned fish he and his cousins caught while balancing on tree limbs above Spring Creek. 

“He’s cleaning it, but I caught it,” said the competitive 12-year-old Erik Rodda. 

Children also had close encounters with domesticated animals, as local 4-H entrants took to the show pens with their chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits, cattle, dogs, cats and horses. 

The small fry stock show brought out critters that were almost as adorable as their pint-sized owners with a guinea pig named LaQuisha, a cat named Marshmallow and a chicken named Berniece. 

Before the grown-up cowboys and cowgirls had a chance to enter the arena, local children tried their hand at wrangling and riding. Teams of three kicked up dust as they struggled to put bloomers on a sheep. Chickens and calves tagged with money sprinted frantically from a mob of children trying to land some cash and bragging rights in the calf and chicken scrambles. 

Yuna Wicky, 9, of Blonay, Switzerland beamed as she caught one of the chickens, thousands of miles from home. 

It was raining cowboys at the Friday, Aug. 2 Broncs and Bulls performance of the Ronan Pioneer Days Rodeo, according to announcer Joe Warner. 

With only three scores in the saddle bronc riding, the big, juicy Kittson saddle broncs planted cowboys all over the arena. 

With a section of mini bulls for the younger cowboys and a section of Pistol Creek’s bulls, the opening night of Ronan Pioneer Days got the weekend kicked off to a good start. 

Pickup men Pete White, Bodge Whitworth and Brandon Brash were kept busy roping horses and bulls and teaming up to urge recalcitrant saddle broncs into the pen as judges Stewart Schall and Eric Christiansen tallied scores.

Saturday and Sunday rodeos added cowgirls to the mix and ended with a wedding proposal to one of the barrel racers. She accepted the offer, and a nervous announcer noted the same situation had not gone so smoothly a few years ago in Ronan when one of the cowgirls responded “I’ll think about it.” 

Other events like the quilt show, street dance, pancake breakfast, and bingo gave people something to watch, scoot a boot to, play with, or eat during downtime between major exhibits and shows. 

The weekend concluded with two parades, one for kids and one for everyone else.

Mayor Kim Aipperspach smiled as he changed out of his cow suit meant to advertise for the 50-50 button raffle and parade onlookers splashed in the last drops shooting into the air from the hose of the final fire truck in the parade.

Grand and Reserve Champion fair results will be published in the Aug. 14 edition of the Valley Journal.

 

Tags

Ronan   4-H   Lake County 4-H   Lake County Fair   Lake County Fairgrounds  

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