Converging on a beautiful, hot weekend was fun, food, and great entertainment making for a memorable weekend not to be forgotten.
The 80th anniversary for the Moose Mountain Pro Rodeo was extremely successful. The two-day event was attended by many.
Beginning on July 21 with a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. people then got ready for the parade down Main Street. There were about 20 floats entered in the parade ranging greatly in design. Floats included the RCMP, local churches, Langbank Co-op, the Kennedy Fire Department, and so many more.
With a variety of cars, trucks, and even rustic tractors in the parade there was something for everyone to enjoy. Many chose to toss candy to the crowds and children were seen scuttling about the street picking it all up. Carting their buckets and plastic bags they were ecstatic to fill them.
People were asked during the parade to raise their hands if it was their first Moose Mountain Pro Rodeo. Quite a few people had their hands in the air showing great support for the event. Also asked was the question of who was there for the very first rodeo. At the parade there were two gentlemen who indicated they had been.
Following the parade the Friendship Centre held a beef on a bun luncheon. The demolition derby began after lunch. Packed stands watched the cars bash into each other cheering on the destruction.
Over in the kids area there was also great fun being had by many. The stick horse rodeo began with a wild cow milk challenge. This was followed by barrel racing with stick horses, tire racing, and a wagon race. There were stick horses to be bought that weekend, but during competition one little girl had brought her pink stick unicorn to ride.
There were also kid's bouncers and rides. For $10 the youth could have fun bouncing and racing about. The kid's area was sponsored by Whitewood Service Center and Viterra, with the additional funding coming from last year's raffle by the Moose Mountain Pro Rodeo Princess Contest. This year there were three girls running for the honour: Clara Houff, Jaicee Lemieux, and Kinda Rienks.
Near the kid's area a trade show was set up which boasted a great variety of items. There was everything from hand bags, pie, and jewelry to pieces of art, cowboy hats, and Moose Mountain memorabilia.
Walking by the concessions the smell of a barbeque and deep fried foods drew people's attention. Mini-doughnuts and spuds were available, which found many eating them throughout the weekend.
Before the rodeo began on Saturday, Saskatchewan Express performed. Entertaining a large crowd they sang a variety of songs, which had many tapping their toes to the beat.
The big event of the day was then underway by 5 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. The rodeo stock was provided by Big Stone Rodeo, which proved to be well bred. The announcer for the weekend's festivities was Brett Gardiner.
Featuring some of the best cowboys, the rodeo had it all: bull riding, tie down roping, bareback, saddle bronc, steer wrestling, team roping, and ladies barrel racing. There were also novice competitions in saddle bronc, bareback, and junior steer riding that drew the attention of the crowd.
Following the rodeo on Saturday was GX 94 Star Search Champion, Evan Overand. He performed the evening despite a short thunderstorm looming. Once the rain finished the Seed Hawk's Fireworks display was let off, which was a fantastic show. Many exclaimed that it might be the best firework show ever.
Sunday saw continued excitement. Again the day began with a pancake breakfast. This meal was then followed by a cowboy church service at 11 a.m. The day completed with another stick horse rodeo showing, kid's carnival rides, and the trade show. It also hosted another demolition derby enjoyed after the rodeo completed.
Winners of the weekend excitement included Sandy Forbes who scored an 82 on Black Cat in the Saddle Bronc competition.
Riding bareback was Jake Marshall who took away first place on Spy Major with a score of 79.
Bull riding was split between Dakota Buttar on Zen Master and Chad Besplug riding Go To Guy. Each scored an 84 in competition.
Ladies Barrel Racing went to Lauren Byrne with a time of 15.574 seconds.
Tie Down Roping also saw a tie. Chad Johnson and Stacy Cornett walked away with a time of 8.2 seconds.
Steer Wrestling went to Zane Henkel with a time of 3.8 seconds.
Team Roping went to Braidy Davies and Trent Tunke making the catch in 4.9 seconds.
The Novice Saddle Bronc competition went to Dillon Barkshire with a score of 77.5.
Novice Bareback was taken home by Jake Stemo. He scored 72 to gain first place.
Griffin Smeltzer was the winner of the Junior Steer Riding competition. Taking first with a score of 73.
The weekend was a major success. It brought in people from all walks of life. Everyone enjoyed the show immensely and are excited to gear up again for next year's big event.
They would be unable to put the rodeo on without the fantastic support of the surrounding community. Sponsors and volunteers all help make this a successful event.
