America, America!!!

6 Jul 2010--Went to the rodeo and the fireworks on the 4th of July. They have a regular rodeo here 7 nights a week during the summer, but a separate "Cody Stampede" from July 1st to the 4th. This was the 91st Annual Stampede, and is made up of professional cowboys/cowgirls trying to not only win money, but to get enough points to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas every year. We were told that the regular rodeo the rest of the summer was made up of people trying to qualify as "professionals", so seeing the Stampede is seeing the cream of the crop!!!

This little cutie was ready for the show...decked out in her pink boots and punk sunglasses, she had her cowgirl hat to cover that messy hair! haha

For those of you that have never been to a rodeo, you might find it interesting to see just how patriotic these events can be. Even when it is not the 4th of July, there is a lot of flag waving and patriotic song singing. These Marines entering the arena are the same ones that were in the parade the other day. They are the only mounted unit left in the Marines, so I guess they travel around for shows like this...not a bad deal, especially being a Marine!

The women you see in the background are carrying the service flags of the Air Force, Marines, etc. Each one entered the arena separately, to the song of their particular service, and got standing ovations from the crowd.

The best part of this is hearing everyone sing along. There was an older couple in front of us that were wiping their eyes...I think they probably had someone close to them in the service.

Unlike almost any other sport I can think of, participants in rodeos actually have to pay a fee to compete. I guess the fee is based on what event you want to compete in...they said the steer wrestlers had to pay $330 each to participate, and that there would be over $250,000 in prize money given out tonight.

Here is a bronco rider before and after the horse thru him to the ground. That's his legs up in the air in the 2nd pic.

This was funny. When they opened the gates this horse just froze in place and wouldn't come out. They had to close the gate and start over.

This is steer wrestling, where both team members chase the steer, one guiding the steer in a straight line while the other jumps on the steer and wrestles him to the ground.

And calf-roping, our least favorite event...seems like it must really hurt the calf at the point it is jerked to the ground.

This is steer roping, not quite as violent as calf roping...didn't want to scare the kiddies!!

During intermission this trick rider entertained the crowd...he is actually from England.

The lady wearing this jacket was sitting in front of me, so I took the picture.

If you recall from our posting from Cheyenne's Cowgirl Hall of Fame, women used to be involved in calf-roping and a lot of the other rodeo events back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but today they are pretty much only involved in barrel racing. We did see one other woman on a guide horse during the steer wrestling, but that was it. The lady in red won this event. These horses almost look they are going to tip over as they turn the barrel, huh?

And the best event of any rodeo, the bull riding contest. These bulls average about 2000 pounds, and it is beyond me what would ever possess someone to try to ride one, never mind to stay on one for 8 seconds!!! Here are a couple that were not successful, and a couple who were

With the rodeo over, we headed up on a hill where all the locals gather to watch the fireworks, and it is getting colder and colder as the sun goes down.

Looking down on the city.

And the skyline before the fireworks, in a couple stitch photos. Click on them and see how beautiful!!!