Friday, June 08, 2007

Small Town Rodeo

The summer fair season hadn't quite started up yet last weekend, so I had to travel a little farther than usual to find something fun for the kids. I didn't even know they had rodeos around these parts and was a little skeptical so when I heard about this'n in Monroeville, I had to see it.
Praying Cowboys
And it was pretty cool. I'm not sure what I expected, probably just a few cowboys going through a sham rodeo. Instead, though, it felt like an actual competition. I guess there's no way to fake getting on the back of a bull and trying not to get killed. Because of the high fences, it was almost impossible to get close enough for good photos, though. This image is the closest my kit lens could zoom.
Girl Texting her Prayer
The people watching was pretty good, too. Lots of country-mouse tweens on parade, which is always funny to see. Such posturing. Rodeo Clown's Last Smoke

This picture isn't so great because he caught me focusing. I could have been a lot closer if I'd kept my cool, but I had two kids with me, and that makes it tough to be a sneaky photographer.
This clown's job was not to spook the bull away but to provide a hokey play by play. He had a head set and cracked insults between the time a cowboy was thrown from his bull and the next one was released: "That bull must be related to OJ Simpson . . . He doesn't want to go to the pen!" And people would laugh. More bizarre was this "insult" he delivered when the emcee was introduced: "Hey, it's one of the actors from Brokeback Mountain!" That one got a big laugh. So, apparently, even portraying a gay cowboy in a Hollywood movie is enough to set you up for ridicule in these parts. And the 10% of the cowboys who were gay all thought to themselves "Gosh durn it, don't he know those comments just kill me on the inside?"

Anyway, something to put on the calendar for next year, definitely.

11 comments:

countvonsexy said...

I was totally thinking about going--and that girl texting is my friend Ashley's sister.

LOVE, DAVID

countvonsexy said...

POST SCRIPT: Great turn out for SOME LIKE IT HOT...

Mr. Hill said...

Get out, that is not your friend's sister. The world is not that small. She was probably sending a comment to your Myspace.

Some Like it Hot was so hot. How often do you get to see a classic with a crowd like that? Not very.

Unknown said...

To be fair, one of the characters in Brokeback Mountain does get thrown from his horse fairly easily in one scene. Though, I doubt he meant it like that.

Neat pictures. I love that every small town seems to have it's own little weird fair thing. Though, I've never been to a rodeo before.

sarahjane said...

A rodeo, huh? You sure are the event-attending family. You should be proud. We tried to be eventful this weekend by heading to the German Fest, but we turned right around after we heard $5 cover. No, thanks. Did you guys watch Cormac on Oprah?

Mr. Hill said...

The $5 cover turned us off, too. Instead, last Thursday we went to the family oriented thing they're having downtown at the square all summer. The kids had fun and there were lots of people there.

I've been watching the McCarthy interview slowly through the Oprah web site because I missed it when it aired. From what I've seen, he looks a little bashful, but I hear he opens up some as it goes on.

LetsGoThrow said...

Mr. Hill,
Have you been to the library lately? I was supposed to buy some art from countvonsexy but I haven't heard from him if his art has been taken down. Maybe he sold it to someone else. That would be a coup and a tragedy: a cougedy,really. Thanks!

LOVE, JOSEPH

Mr. Hill said...

For some reason, the library gallery has been empty for much of the month of June. It looks a little forlorn right now.

Cougedy. Really.

I might see CVS at film class tonight, so I'll ask.

mbh said...

mr hill have you heard any of the new animal collective album?!?! its incredible. you should illegally get your hands on it if you catch my drift.

Mr. Hill said...

I've only found the first three tracks--the ones that appear to have been leaked with their okay. Do you really have the entire thing?

mbh said...

well ive got 6 out of the 9 that are on the album. Demonoid has them and i guess the other three are supposed to leak soon.