CRESWELL – If you thought Creswell couldn’t possibly get any more patriotic on the Fourth of July with the Chamber’s annual parade and other festivities, think again.
The Creswell Post Acute Hell on Hooves Roughstock Rodeo Freedom Festival rolled into town last week, blasting country songs and sporting American flags in all shapes and sizes.
In a field next to Emerald Valley Dental, behind Dairy Queen, and across the street from Bi-Mart, a metal fence surrounded a freshly plowed plot of dirt.
Inside the oval arena, cowboys and girls competed in their best attire. They were decked out from head to toe in cowboy hats, classic western long-sleeve, button-up shirts tucked into their blue jeans and chaps (with tassels), leather belts with big shiny buckles, and boots with spurs.
Despite the 75-degree weather and the only shade coming from an occasional cloud, they were completely covered.
On the other side of the fence, in the audience, a sea of American flags waved through the bleachers, VIP area, and beer garden.
Audience members dressed more comfortably for the heat in red, white, and blue striped and starred hats, tank tops, shorts, overalls, bandanas, T-shirts, and even shoes.
Around 2,000 people attended the rodeo. “We’re so excited to be here,” said Alisha Charles, 55, of Creswell. Charles said the addition of the rodeo to Creswell’s regular Independence Day celebrations was welcomed. Charles, like many others, was standing.
The bleachers had first-come, first-served seating. Across the arena was the VIP section with folding chairs. The beer garden had scattered hay bales and wooden spool tables for people to sit at, but all this wasn’t enough. A few hundred people were left without a seat and stood to watch the three-hour event.
“The rodeo part is great, the only complaint I have is we came in and we didn’t get a seat,” Courtney Starkey from Creswell said. The purchase of a ticket did not guarantee a seat, so some folks brought their own chairs to sit in.
“This isn’t our first rodeo,” said Jason and Grace Hight, from their lawn chairs. The Hights were visiting from Arizona.
The deep southern voice of Wayne White announced each cowboy, cowgirl, and animal as they bucked through the gates and stirred up dirt.
Horses and bulls kicked and leaped uncontrollably while competitors lost their hats and held on for dear life to a thick rope. Cowgirls as young as 9 competed in barrel racing, where the horse and rider navigated around three barrels arranged in a triangular pattern, as quickly as possible. A handful of little ones as young as 4 got a chance to go mutton bustin’, which had them hugging onto a sheep while it ran around the enclosure.
Other activities
Bikers from Metal Mulisha performed stunts and tricks with a motocross show after the cowboy events. Vendors in the back of the venue included food options like Rattlesnake BBQ, Kettle Corn, Dope Tacos, Sara’s Tamales, and plenty of booze in the beer garden. There was even a mechanical bull, so anyone could try getting battered around.
