Hairy Hill Rodeo Back In The Saddle

Hairy Hill Rodeo back in the Saddle

Emily Mailhot Reporter - Vegreville News Advertiser

Hairy Hill’s biggest annual event came to a close on Saturday evening after a whirlwind of rodeo action all weekend long. From Friday, July 5-Saturday, July 6, the 31st annual Hairy Hill rodeo drew in a great number of guests for yet another successful year.

The rodeo began on Friday evening with a list of events, then jumped straight back in the saddle on Saturday morning with a pancake breakfast to start off the day, a slack rodeo, and heavy horse pulls.

To wil the heavy horse pulls, each of the competing drivers had their draft horses pull the load, which increased by 500-pound increments after everyone took a turn. For many turns, the horses barely broke a sweat, even as the weight was increased to more than the combined weight of the team. The eventual winner was Brian Fankhanel, with a total weight of 8,500 lbs.

After a small break to prepare, where guests were free to explore the vendors market, concession, and beer gardens, the rodeo activities with Lakeland Rodeo Association and local entries proceeded. Rodeo performances on Saturday opened with tie-down roping, bareback and saddle bronc riding, novice horse riding, steer wrestling, junior bull riding, and a wild horse race before intermission.

At intermission, announcer Miles Wowk encouraged everyone to go down to the vendor market and but a glass of lemonade from the Country Boys Lemonade stand, set up in the box of a classic truck box. Fresh out of the Lemonade Day competition in Vegreville, where they won an entrepreneurial award, the business decided to sell their prettily presented lemonade at a few more venues over the summer.

Intermission events starred the R&S Trick Riding team’s performance of daring horseback feats. The kids at the rodeo had their turn at some rodeo action with a mutton busting competition for the younger children, and junior wild pony races for the older ones.

The evening rodeo activities included ladies, junior, and peewee barrel racing, team roping, and bull riding before moving on to the most-anticipated events for the evening: wild cow milking and the whiskey race.

The evening tied off with a lawn mower race and rodeo dance.