Court Photo Shoot with Nicole Slater

Eastern Oregon Livestock Show

           Driving below the nearly cloudless sky in Union County in the retro Chief Joseph Days van (nicknamed “Bessie”), we were sure the weather would stay beautiful for the 104th annual Eastern Oregon Livestock Show. We should have realized good weather and EOLS was a contradiction. With Brinda Stanley, the 2011 Chief Joseph Days court chaperone in the cockpit, and Brooke Greenshields and me looking out the old-school, curtain-draped windows, we made our way to the Fairgrounds.

            Unfortunately, the risk of equine herpes virus kept us from bringing our horses for the parade and run-ins. The Chief Joseph Days Inc. board members secured us a convertible for the parade. But our first duty was to attend the Queen’s Luncheon. Because EOLS hosted the rodeo, their court welcomes visiting courts and introduces or thanks anybody they so chose. We seated ourselves next to the Columbia County Ambassadors and this year’s Miss Rodeo Oregon, Mackenzie Carr, and her father. While enjoying our meal of pork and beans, we mingled with both groups: telling them about all the fun things to do in Wallowa County and asking about their experiences so far. Everyone seemed really excited to come to Joseph in July.

            After the luncheon, we had time to kill before the parade. Both Brooke and I had friends showing FFA animals at the fair grounds. We decided to pay them a visit. Everyone seemed to gawk at our suede parade outfits. Geez, I guess we have to get used to the spotlight.

            While we were socializing, ominous clouds crept their way over the city. Nonetheless, I was pumped because the car we were ride in was a ’68 baby blue, convertible Camaro. Not even the rain could dampen our excitement for that ride. Throughout the parade, we threw Chief Joseph Days lollipops - sometimes accidentally hitting the children - but overall we were pretty popular. Go figure.

            Following the parade, we made our way to the rodeo grounds to watch the rodeo. Since we were not recognized with the other visiting courts in the run-ins, the announcer acknowledged us in the grandstands. Watching the run-ins was pretty tough; I ached to run my horse across the perfect track in front of so many people we knew. But our horses were safe at home, and we enjoyed watching the rodeo and distributing the CJD brochures.
          Although we missed out on riding our horses, EOLS was still a great experience. The weather came around for the rodeo, and ironically, the best weather seemed to envelop our van on the way back to Wallowa County. Typical.