Sisters Magazine - Rodeo Edition

SISTERS ARTS | CULTURE | EVENTS

A MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE TOWN OF SISTERS

LATE SPRING 2010

INSIDE: COMPLETE SISTERS RODEO GUIDE RODEO TRADITIONS SPECIALTY ACT RODEO HONOREES BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT & MUCH MORE! Endorsed by

Advertising Supplement to The Bulletin

2 | Sisters Magazine | 70th Annual Sisters Rodeo

The 70th Annual PRCA Sisters Rodeo will attract some of the nation’s top rodeo cowboys.

The 70th Annual PRCA Sisters Rodeo promises to be a rip roarin’ time The best cowboys and stock in the world are coming Sisters to compete in the 70th Annual Sisters Rodeo held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 11, 12, and 13.

Classic rodeo events like bareback riding, steer wrestling and team roping will keep the whole family hootin’ and hollerin’, while One Arm Bandit Thomas Payne — a nine-time PRCA Specialty Act of the Year — along with the rodeo clown and rodeo queen, will provide hours of festivity between the competitions.

Local couples started Sisters Rodeo in 1940, when they pooled $10,000 and were able to offer prize money equal to that of Pendleton and Cheyenne. When world-class cowboys began arriving for the event, it became known as the “Biggest Little Show in the World.”

Organizers joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

(PRCA) in the late 1980s. Today, these seven classic rodeo events will keep the whole kit and caboodle calling out for more: barrel racing, bull riding, saddlebronc riding, team roping, steer wrestling, bareback bronc riding and tie-down roping.

Every performance begins with an opening ceremony with a parade of horses and flags and an enthusiastic rendition of the National Anthem.

The Rodeo kicks off on Friday with Les Schwab Family Night, where children 12 years and under can attend free. Seating is general admission and tickets are $12.

This year’s specialty act, Payne will dazzle spectators with his herding prowess. From horseback, he herds buffalo, mustangs or longhorn cattle using a whip and a pair of dogs, rounding them up onto the roof of a trailer.

The annual Sisters Rodeo parade will be held on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. in downtown Sisters. This year’s grand marshals, consisting of past living presidents of the Sisters Rodeo Association, will lead the procession through the streets.

Shelby Ross is the 2010 Sisters Rodeo Queen and will

also be riding in the parade.

Start your S u n d a y morning off right by attending the annual Kiwanis Club Buckaroo Breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. at the rodeo grounds.

The Club provides bacon, eggs, sausages and pancakes as a fundraiser for youth projects.

Rodeo performances are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

“The best in the world will be here because we offer the biggest purse in the nation for that weekend,” said Glenn Miller, who is in his 14th year as president of the rodeo’s board of directors. “The stock contractors have a really strong pen of bulls. They want to bring good animals they know they can win money on.”

Though most cowboys have not yet registered for the competition, Bobby Mote, two time Bareback World Champion and Culver local, is sure to be in attendance.

Other notable performers include bullfighters Rowdy Barry and Danny Newman, rodeo clown JJ Harrison and announcers Curt Robinson and Wayne Brooks.

CONTINUED on Page 5

Friday-Sunday, June 11-13, 2010 | Sisters Magazine | 3

“The Biggest Little Show in the World” June 11-13, 2010 Sisters Rodeo Grounds

PRCA RODEO PERFORMANCES/SPONSORS Friday - 7 p.m.

Saturday - 1 p.m.

Saturday - 7 p.m.

Sunday - 1 p.m.

Les Schwab Identity Zone Identity Zone Pepsi/Tough Enough to Wear Pink

SPECIALTY ACT - THE ONE ARM BANDIT Sponsor: Deer Dome Announcers: Wayne Brooks (On Horseback) and Curt Robinson Bullfighters: Dan Newman and Rowdy Barry, Sponsored by Mainline Station & Market Clown: JJ Harrison, Sponsored by West Coast Paper Co.

Rodeo Parade

Saturday, June 12, 9:30 a.m., Downtown Sisters

Buckaroo Breakfast

(All You Can Eat - Sponsored by Sisters Kiwanis) Sunday, June 13, 7-11 a.m.; Sisters Rodeo Grounds Cost: Adults - $8; Under 12 - $4; Under 3 - Free

Tickets: $12, $15 and $18

RODEO EVENTS & SPONSORS

All seats reserved on Saturday and Sunday *Kids 12 and under free on Friday night. *Kids 6 and under free Sunday (in some sections).

Ticket Hotline: 541-549-0121 or 800-827-7522

Team Bronc Riding

Bareback Riding (WPRCA)

Buckle/Award Sponsors - Pepsi, KSJJ 102.9FM, Four Horsemen Event Sponsor - Central Electric Coop., Tewalt & Sons Construction

Contributing Sponsors - Sweeney Excavation, Inc., G.J. Miller Construction, Inc. Buckle/Award Sponsors - Houston Design Studio, Rimrock Ranch Event Sponsor - Scoots Bar & Grill

Steer Wrestling Contributing Sponsor - Kevin Spencer Masonry Buckle/Award Sponsors - Press Pros Printing Co. Event Sponsor - Sisters Rotary Club

Tie-down Roping Contributing Sponsors - Wells Fargo Advisors Buckle/Award Sponsors - Three Creeks Brewing Co. and Wayne Conick Buckle/Award Sponsors - Wells Fargo Advisors Event Sponsors - JH Excavation, Inc.

4 | Sisters Magazine | 70th Annual Sisters Rodeo

Saddle Bronc Riding Contributing Sponsors - Sisters Market, Rock Star Buckle/Event Sponsors - Daddy Bill Farley and Rodeo Office Girls, Laurie & Bob Venderbeek Event Sponsor - Sisters KOA, Farleigh, Wada & Witt Attorneys

Team Roping Contributing Sponsors - McDonalds of Sisters Buckle/Award Sponsors - Anchor Insurance

& Surety, Inc., Wells Fargo Advisors Event Sponsors - Cathy Williams

Barrel Racing Contributing Sponsors - Springtime Landscape & Irrigation, Inc. Buckle/Award Sponsors - Sisters Rental, Kathie & Dick Helser Event Sponsors - Charles Fadeley, Attorney at Law

Bull Riding Contributing Sponsor - Dr. Bonnie Malone, DC Buckle/Award Sponsors - The Bulletin, Snowline Manufacturing Event Sponsors - Sisters Pumphouse & Country Store, J. Chester Armstrong

Tickets are available for the 70th Annual Sisters Rodeo by calling 541-549-0121 or 800827-7522. For Friday evening’s performance, general admission is $12.

On Saturday and Sunday, general admission tickets are available for $12, $15, and $18. All children must have tickets for the weekend performances but may be offered a special rate on Sunday, so ask about the Sunday Children’s Special when ordering tickets. For more information about the

rodeo and to download a mail-in order form, visit the event’s Web site: www.sistersrodeo.com.

If you only can attend one rodeo performance, Bonnie Malone, the secretary of the rodeo’s board of directors, recommends going on Sunday.

“It is always beautiful, and the cowboys are in the final rounds of competition, so it makes it really exciting,” she said.

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SISTERS RODEO: SPECIALTY ACT

One Arm Bandit

Returns to Sisters Payne’s company won the PRCA “Specialty Act of the Year” award each year from 1989 through 1996.

A popular rodeo act throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, Payne performs outstanding riding exhibitions on horseback while herding buffalo.

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After a one-year break, John S. Payne, a.k.a. “the One Arm Bandit”, will return for four performances this year as the featured entertainment at the 70th annual Sisters PRCA Rodeo.

A popular rodeo act throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, Payne performs outstanding riding exhibitions on horseback while herding buffalo. He appeared at the 2002 Sisters Rodeo and performed with longhorn steers. He came back to Sisters in 2005 and again in 2008.

“We are looking forward to having ‘the One Arm Bandit’ back with us for our 70th Sisters PRCA Rodeo,” said Bonnie Malone of the Sisters Rodeo Association. “This is a great entertainment act.”

Payne’s company won the PRCA “Specialty Act of the Year” award each year from 1989 through 1996.

“The One Arm Bandit” is scheduled for one performance in each of the four scheduled rodeos during the Sisters Rodeo weekend.

He will perform one time Friday, twice on Saturday, and once on Sunday. Deer Dome will sponsor the shows.

His act includes herding longhorned steer and buffalo, from horseback, with a bullwhip.

While working as an electrician, Payne lost an arm following an accident that involved 7,200 volts of electricity passing through his body for 10 seconds. He had been a rodeo entertainer before the accident and quickly recovered to return to the rodeo arena.

Born in Oklahoma, Payne continues to ranch in the Sooner State with his father and four brothers while not on the rodeo circuit.

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SISTERS RODEO: The Talent

SISTERS RODEO

attracts

JJ HARRISON, RODEO CLOWN — JJ Harrison has quickly become one of the most sought-after rodeo barrelman/clown in the NPRA, Pro-West and PRCA associations. He has just entered his fourth year in the PRCA and has high hopes of continued success.

Harrison’s “walk and talk” antics provide humor throughout the entire show. Coming from a rodeo background has allowed JJ to fill those unavoidable lulls in the action with dancing and humor.

In his sixth full season as a barrelman, he has quickly earned the respect and admiration of those around him. He was named the 2005 and 2006 NPRA Barrelman of the Year along with being selected to work the ProWest finals in 2005. He was their Specialty Act of the Year in 2006.

ROWDY BARRY, BULLFIGHTER — A serious bullfighter who refuses to take the job of protecting cowboys lightly, Rowdy Barry is one of the top bullfighters in the country. Since joining the PRCA in 1986, Barry has become recognized as one of the best in the

business.

The 21-year veteran has performed for 17 years in Sisters rodeos and is recognized by his trademark white Wrangler shirt, knee braces, and red and yellow socks. He wears no clown makeup, saying he wants the crowd to focus on his athletic ability as he protects the cowboys.

Barry has twice been recognized as the Wrangler Bullfighting Champion in the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, and in 1992, competed in the National Finals Rodeo

J.J. Harrison

(NFR). In 1999, he was voted by the bullriders of the PRCA to protect them at the NFR, and in 2000, he was chosen as an alternate at the event.

DANNY NEWMAN, BULLFIGHTER — This year, bullfighter “Dangerous” Danny Newman is making his fifth visit to the Sisters Rodeo to help in the protecting of performers. He first appeared

in the Sisters Rodeo in 2004.

From Eatonville, Washington, Newman has been a bullfighter since the late 1980s and has performed at a number of prestigious rodeos. In 1992, Newman was the NPRA Bullfighter of the Year. He joined the PRCA in 1990 at the age of 20 and has since worked in rodeos across the country.

From 1993 to 2000, Newman was a top10 performer on the Wrangler Bullfight Tour. He has made nine appearances in the National High School Rodeo Finals and five appearances at the Columbia River Circuit Finals. He was also twice crowned the champion of the Cowboy Safety Competition.

CURT ROBINSON, ANNOUNCER — From Pendleton, Oregon, Curt Robinson’s roots in rodeo announcing can be traced back to Central

Friday-Sunday, June 11-13, 2010 | Sisters Magazine | 7

Oregon. He began by announcing at several junior high and high school rodeo events, including the Oregon High School Rodeo Finals.

Robinson emerged as a PRCA announcer more than 25 years ago. Known for being a stickler for statistics and factual announcing, he is part of the ESPN broadcast crew each year at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He also reports for the PRCA “rodeo hotline”.

His natural talent for announcing has also earned him 11 stints at the National Finals Steer Roping, six at the Women’s National Finals Rodeo, and two at the College National Finals Rodeo. He has also worked at the American Junior Rodeo Association Finals, the Timed Event Championship, and the largest outdoor rodeos and

invitational roping competitions in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

WAYNE BROOKS, ANNOUNCER — A former rodeo competitor at the PRCA Sisters Rodeo, Brooks will be back in Sisters this year as an announcer on horseback. From Casa Grande, Arizona, Brooks is also a former commercial voice talent in broadcasting.

The 2005 PRCA Announcer of the Year, Brooks brings a sense of enthusiasm and insight to the sport, an insight he developed as a past competitor.

Brooks has announced at the National Finals Steer Roping competition, the Dodge National Circuit Finals, and the Wrangler Copenhagen Cup Tour Finale. He has also worked the Calgary Stampede and the National Finals Rodeo.

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at Aspen Lakes, located 3 1/2 miles east of Sisters on Hwy 126 www.aspenlakes.com • 541-549-3663 8 | Sisters Magazine | 70th Annual Sisters Rodeo

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SISTERS RODEO GRAND MARSHALS: Past Rodeo Association Presidents

Honoring Past Leadership Sisters Rodeo Assocation honors past living rodeo presidents as parade grand marshals.

by Bunny Thompson, for The Bulletin Special Projects When nine presidents gather for a photo op, people tend to pay attention, especially when all nine are wearing cowboy hats.

Celebrating their 70th anniversary this year, the 2010 Sisters Rodeo is honoring eight former and one present Rodeo Association presidents as Grand Marshals of the 2010 Sisters Rodeo Parade. The parade will be lined with enthusiastic fans waving to celebrities, rodeo participants and nine

presidential Grand Marshals.

“Every president had a part in making the Sisters Rodeo great and keeping the rodeo tradition going,” said current rodeo president Glenn Miller. “We took their visions and their hard work and made the rodeo what it is today.”

Join in the fun and greet all nine presidents and this year’s Grand Marshall’s at the Sisters Rodeo Parade Saturday June 12 at 9:30 am on Cascades Avenue in Sisters.

70th Annual Sisters Rodeo Grand Marshals Homer Shaw

Alan Litzenberger

Mike Oxman

Tenure: 1973-77

Tenure: 1978

Tenure: 1979-80

Ninety-six year-old Homer Shaw is the patriarch of this esteemed group. Shaw has been an active member of the Rodeo Association since its beginning and was the president from 1973 through 1977.

Shaw still travels from Condon, Oregon with his wife to volunteer during the rodeo. He’s a two-time former grand marshal and a Sisters Rodeo legend.

Alan Litzenberger, now a resident of Walla Walla, Washington, took over the reins from Shaw to serve as president of the association in 1978. It was during Litzenberger’s term that negotiations began with Virginia Campbell to purchase 33 acres with highway frontage for a permanent rodeo home. Campbell’s father was one of the 10 original founders of the rodeo.

Mike Oxman of Prineville continued the land deal during his presidency in 1979 and 1980 to finalize it and move the Sisters Rodeo to its present day location five miles east of Sisters on Highway 20.

“About 35 of us, members and volunteers, prepped that land between April and June and held a rodeo there in two months,” Oxman said.

“I can’t believe we pulled that off.”

Jim Cheatham

Steve Gregory

Tenure: 1984-85

Tenure: 1986

Jim Cheatham served as president in 1984 and 1985. Cheatham began the organization to construct the outbuildings for rodeo support.

Now a Corvallis resident, Steve Gregory led the association through the construction of the ticket booth and east concession building during his presidency in 1986.

Glenn Miller

John Leavitt

John Morris

Tenure: 1988-89 & 2000-Present

Tenure: 1990-91

Tenure: 1992-94

Mike Reed Tenure: 1981-83 Sisters resident, Mike Reed, was president from 1981 until 1983.

Reed realized the rodeo was getting too big to continue borrowing bleachers from Canby, so he and two board members borrowed money from investors to purchase permanent bleachers in exchange for 10 years of free box seats.

Little did Glenn Miller know that when he took over as president in 1988 and 1989 that he would again take over the reins in 2000 to become the Rodeo Association’s present president and the person holding this job the longest at a grand fourteen years. During Miller’s first presidency, Lane Frost made his legendary ride on Red Rock, the centerpiece for a movie called “Eight Seconds.”

John Leavitt, owner of Leavitt’s Western Wear in Sisters, served as president in 1990 and 1991 and has been arena manager since the late 1990’s. Leavitt has been a team roper since age 10 and still competes.

Sisters resident, John Morris, focused on improving the appearance of the rodeo grounds and buildings during his presidency from 1992 until 1994. The pristine rodeo grounds are a big part of the annual work parties that help the Rodeo Association to get ready for rodeo participants and viewers to enjoy the week.

Friday-Sunday, June 11-13, 2010 | Sisters Magazine | 9

SISTERS RODEO QUEEN: Shelby Ross

Taking

the

2010 Sisters Rodeo Queen Shelby Ross following in her mother’s royal footsteps Sisters resident Melinda Witt represented the St. Paul Rodeo as its queen three decades ago. This year, her daughter, Shelby Ross, will be following in her mother’s footsteps by wearing the crown at the 70th Sisters Rodeo, to be held Friday through Sunday, June 11-13.

A 2009 graduate of Sisters High School, Ross outshined five other competitors to be named this year’s Sisters Rodeo Queen following competitions last fall at the Sisters Rodeo Grounds.

“She looked and acted like she really wanted this,” said Lou DeGregorio, a judge that day.

“And, she was so well-prepared.”

Ross is the daughter of Melinda and Brian Witt of Sisters and Candia and Dale Ross of Vancouver, Wash.

She is a freshman at Oregon State University majoring in animal equine science, which seems a natural fit.

A decorated competitor, Ross remained active with 4H horse clubs for 12 years and was on the Sisters High School equestrian team for four years. By

winning High Performance Point Championships in intermediate and senior categories at the Deschutes County Fair, Ross qualified six times to compete at the Oregon State Fair.

There, she competed in showmanship, trail and western equitation in the Medallion Classes, among the top 10 percent of all state fair competitors.

In a poised and enthusiastic speech to a large crowd at the rodeo grounds during rodeo queen competitions, Ross said that being part of teams has taught her the values that are the basics of her life.

“These are leadership, honesty, forgiveness, love and responsibility,” she said.

She also expressed excitement about “taking the reins and being the heart of Sisters Rodeo.”

Ross rides an 18-year-old gelding, Boss. She will represent Sisters Rodeo during its main events Friday through Sunday, June 11-13, and at other rodeos of the Columbia River Circuit.

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SISTERS RODEO: The Traditions

Rodeo Parade & Buckaroo Breakfast Rodeo Parade

Floats, marching bands, motor clubs and horses—lots and lots of horses—will highlight this year’s Sisters Rodeo Parade, an annual tradition that goes hand-in-hand with this year’s 70th annual PRCA Sisters Rodeo. The parade is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 12, in Sisters.

“It is a very traditional rodeo, and a very traditional parade,” said Jeri Buckman, co-chairperson of the parade’s organizing committee. “There will be rodeo queens, people on horseback, carts, lots of great music ... it’s all part if the tradition that continues to carry on each year.”

Sisters Rodeo Queen, Shelby Ross, will be on hand, as well as rodeo grand marshals, a group of nine past presidents of the Sisters Rodeo Association. The One Arm Bandit John Payne, the specialty act highlighting this year’s rodeo, will also take part in this year’s parade.

For the kids, Smokey Bear is expected to participate.

“The Sisters High School Band will be in the parade again this year, always a highlight because they dress up as rodeo clowns,” said Buckman.

An announcer’s booth will be located midway along the Cascade Avenue stretch of the

parade route with R.L. Garriguez of KSJJ providing commentary for spectators.

“It’s just a real fun family event,” said parade co-chair, Vicki Yost. “It’s kind of a highlight for a lot of young families in the area.”

Buckaroo Breakfast

Beginning as a Sunday-morning Sisters Rodeo tradition in 1943, the Buckaroo Breakfast continues to feed rodeo-goers a hearty meal before the rodeo’s final show of the weekend.

For more than 20 years, the Sisters Kiwanis have taken charge of the event, which is one of the club’s top three fundraisers each year. This year, the Buckaroo Breakfast will be served on the Sisters Rodeo grounds from 7 to 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 13.

Anyone can come to the breakfast, but mostly the rodeo crowd attends, said organizations.

Members of the Sisters Kiwanis serve more than 1,000 hungry rodeo-goers each year. The menu includes cowboy hotcakes, country sausage, ranch eggs, smoked bacon, range coffee, milk and juice.

Cost for the all-you-can-eat breakfast is $8 for adults $4 for children under 12. Kids 3-andunder eat free.

Parade: Saturday, June 12, 9:30 a.m.

Buckaroo Breakfast: Sunday, June 13, 7-11 a.m.

Photo by Gary Miller

Friday-Sunday, June 11-13, 2010 | Sisters Magazine | 11

Tough enough to Rodeo to raise funds for breast cancer research

by Linda Orcelletto, for The Bulletin Special Projects The rough and tumble world of rodeo and the delicate issue of breast cancer seem like an unlikely pair. Yet, it is a perfect match. Only five years young, the Tough Enough to Wear Pink (TETWP) program, a national rodeo campaign to fight breast cancer and support women both during and after cancer treatment, has raised more than $5 million dollars to benefit local breast cancer charities and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

This is the first year the Sisters Rodeo and Pepsi have partnered with the program. Funds raised during the rodeo Sunday, June 13 will support the Sara Fisher project, a breast health education partnership created by St. Charles Cancer Care to promote early breast cancer detection, build awareness and

o f f e r support to women facing the daunting challenges of breast cancer.

“We felt enthusiastic about the men in rodeo in support of women who are participating in this national program in such a novel way.

We were invited by TETWP to join, and since several Sisters Rodeo members have benefitted from Sara’s project, it was really a no-brainer for us to get on board,” said Bonnie Malone, Sisters Rodeo promotions manager.

According to the national website, w w w.toug henoug htowe a r pi n k. com, the program was created by entrepreneur and breast cancer survivor Terry Wheatley, to bring the 12 | Sisters Magazine | 70th Annual Sisters Rodeo

sport of professional rodeo and the western community together to rally against breast cancer.

TETWP has empowered rodeos and western events in the U.S. and Canada to focus attention on the need for a cure. The grassroots movement has inspired other sports communities to mount their own TETWP campaigns, spreading a message of hope and support that reaches beyond the rodeo arena to competitors, families and fans across America.

You don’t have to be a member of the rodeo circuit to show your support. Spectators are encouraged to wear pink Sunday in honor of breast cancer survivors.

“We’re excited about seeing all that pink in the stands Sunday. We’re sure our spectators will be generous in support of the battle against breast cancer,” said Malone.

Sisters Rodeo will have TETWP products available for purchase in the Rodeo Store during the weekend.

Attendees will be invited to make a financial contribution during the Sunday rodeo performance.

Celebrating its 70th anniversary, the Sisters PRCA Rodeo will feature four performances June 11, 12 and 13.

Tickets may be purchased at the rodeo office in Sisters from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays or by calling 541- 549-0121 or 800- 827-7522.

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: The Gallery Restaurant & Bar

The Accidental Restauranteur Jim Cheatham and The Gallery Restaurant & Bar are two long-time fixtures of Sisters

by Robert Spring, for The Bulletin Special Projects The Gallery’s Jim Cheatham wasn’t looking to buy an eatery when he moved to Bend in 1978.

“I was just looking for a business, not a restaurant,” he said.

But the experience of owning and running a small restaurant in Bend convinced him to buy Sisters’s The Gallery Restaurant and Bar one year later.

Thirty-one years later, the “accidental restaurateur” has learned a great deal about running a business and has quite a few t a l e s to tell.

“The restaurant business is pretty

common sense—I serve food that I recognize,” Cheatham said. “We’re successful because we’ve generated business from the past. We’re on our third generation of customers.”

A restaurant has been at The Gallery’s location since at least the 1930s.

“Ruth’s Cafe was the name at one time. It was pretty famous then,” Cheatham said.

The name was changed to The Gallery in 1972.

“Lithographs of original art were sold in the restaurant; that’s why it was named The Gallery,” said Cheatham. “When I took over, I continued to sell prints.”

Cheatham no longer sells prints. Instead, he displays a substantial collection of Winchester rifles, which he says are not typically on

public display.

Cheatham first visited a previous incarnation of The Gallery as a convenient bathroom stop between the Willamette Valley and his family’s Central Oregon hunting grounds. (Cheatham said that The Gallery still offers its restrooms to anyone who asks.)

Cheatham’s mother grew up in Bend and “it seemed like a good place” to him. He and Carrie, his wife of 42 years, had been living in the Valley but had been looking to relocate to Central Oregon.

So he “bought a map and then a place in Bend.”

“We sold the cars, the house—everything,” he

Jim Cheatham, owner of The Gallery

www.sistersathleticclub.com • 541-549-6878 Friday-Sunday, June 11-13, 2010 | Sisters Magazine | 13

70TH ANNUAL SISTERS RODEO - POSTER ARTIST: Dennis McGregor

Back in the Saddle Again

‘Poster Guy’ Dennis McGregor applies his popular perspective to 70th Annual Sisters Rodeo poster.

Dennis McGregor, who painted the most popular series of Sisters Rodeo posters in the association’s history, has returned as the artist for the 70th annual event.

McGregor, the self-described “poster guy,” was pleased to be invited back for this commemorative year.

“I really wanted to be part of this celebration,” McGregor said, “because this is an historic year for the rodeo and for Sisters.”

McGregor produced a fresh and surprising piece that represents Sisters Rodeo in a raw, physical, emotional and hypnotic calamity of action across the color spectrum.

There is no such thing as a casual viewing of this piece. McGregor loosed his brush strokes into a free-wheeling, big sky sunset of heartjolting passion, a wild, raucous, screaming depiction of high desert skies.

At the ground level, the viewer has reprieve in the fine attention to detail that distinguishes a McGregor painting. A simply constructed wood

platform, an historic reflection of the original announcers’ stand in the rodeo arena, sets the stage, with the Three Sisters resting quietly behind, muted by the blazing sky.

However, the viewer is not allowed to dwell peacefully on the backdrop, but is thrust to the great, heaving power of a feverishly determined Buckskin bronc.

The cowboy has been propelled vertically in a twisted, grasping fling of force that will not result in a happy landing.

“We’re celebrating our 70th anniversary with a big, wild wreck of action,” said rodeo President, G.J. Miller, sharing the enthusiasm all rodeo members expressed for McGregor’s work.

The poster is available at Leavitt’s Western Wear in Sisters. It can also be purchased at Sisters Rodeo Ticket office or at the rodeo.

Call 541-549-0121 or 800-827-7522 for more information.

said. “We went from a 2,400-squarefoot house to an 800-square-foot apartment. We started over.”

“I had been a busboy in Salem and my wife had been a bartender and a waitress,” Cheatham added. “The guy we bought the restaurant from in Bend taught me how to cook. My wife waited tables.”

A family friend owned The Gallery and wanted to sell, Cheatham said.

“We worked out a way to buy the business,” he said. “We went from three employees to 45. The employees helped make the restaurant successful.”

Cheatham has many employees who have been with him for more than 20 years. His sister-in-law, Gretchen Stroup, has been a Gallery employee for 31 years and now manages it.

“Gretchen is 99 percent in charge,” Cheatham said, adding that he now splits time between Sisters and Arizona.

“We treat employees like family and pay above-average wages,” he said.

“We are strict but we’re fair. That’s why we keep employees so long.”

Cheatham remembers when Sisters was a lot smaller and The Gallery was the biggest restaurant in town.

“Sisters Market was a market and a 14 | Sisters Magazine | 70th Annual Sisters Rodeo

—Bonnie Malone

hardware store,” he said. “There was one dentist, one doctor, one savings and loan and no bank. We had to drive to Bend every day to deposit the money.

“We had more business than we could handle. We had lines out the door half a block long in the summer.”

When he bought it, The Gallery was the only hard liquor bar in Sisters, which was a good and a bad thing.

“One night I was having a drink in the bar with my wife,” he said.

“Suddenly a man next to her turns around, takes a swing. My wife ducked and he ended up hitting his own wife.”

In addition to being popular with tourists and locals, The Gallery has had famous customers, who are generally left alone, Cheatham said. The actor James Woods, however, liked to be catered to.

Recalled Cheatham: “We had a 20year-old waitress who asked him if it was true that he was the best kisser in Hollywood. Woods said, ‘Do you want to find out?’”

The Gallery Restaurant and Bar is located at 171 West Cascade Avenue in Sisters and is open Sunday through Thursday 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Friday-Sunday, June 11-13, 2010 | Sisters Magazine | 15

Sisters Country is So Much Fun!

It’s time to visit the Sisters Country for fun and adventure.

Welcome summer with a trip to our many fine shops, join us for an event, or soak up the scenery on a day hike. We have art galleries, clothing shops, books, quilts, restaurants, birding, fishing, golfing, biking, rafting, and hiking. Sisters Country has something for everyone. Be sure to bring the whole family!

A great way to experience the afer Photo by by Rick Sch Sisters Country is by following the Charm Trail (beginning June 2010). Start at the Sisters Chamber of Commerce to pick up your bracelet, first charm, and map. Then visit our local stores to track down additional charms, while enjoying all that Sisters has to offer. You’ll end the day with a complete western themed charm bracelet, a unique and enjoyable souvenir of your visit to Sisters.

Be sure to visit www.SistersCountry.com for a complete list of events, hiking guides.

www.SistersCountry.com

Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce 866.549.0252

Sisters Country Events SISTERS STAMPEDE: Sunday, May 30. Mountain Bike Race. Sponsored in part by FivePine Lodge & Three Creeks Brewing Company

SISTERS “GLORY DAZE” CAR SHOW: Saturday, July 17, downtown Sisters. The greatest collection of cars, music, raffle prizes, giveaways and awards.

SISTERS FOLK FESTIVAL: Friday - Sunday, Sept.

10-12, throughout Sisters. Annual celebration of American music from blues to bluegrass.

SISTERS RODEO & PARADE: Friday-Sunday, June 11-13, Sisters Rodeo Grounds. Four performances: Fri. & Sat. at 7 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. at 1 p.m. Parade: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, downtown Sisters.

SUMMER FAIRE #2: Saturday-Sunday, July 31-Aug. 1, Village Green Park. Quality handmade arts and crafts, live music, food and a farmers market.

SISTERS IN SISTERS CELEBRATION: Friday - Sunday, Sept. 24-26, FivePine Lodge. Round up your mom, sister, best friend and enjoy a weekend of great entertainment, food, workshops and special memories.

ART STROLL: Saturday, June 19, downtown Sisters.

Stroll through the fine shops and art galleries.

SISTERS BEAD STAMPEDE: Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 7-8 , Barclay Park. Quality handmade one of a kind beads.

SUMMER FAIRE #1: Saturday-Sunday, July 3-4, Village Green Park. Quality handmade arts and crafts, live music, food and a farmers market.

SISTERS ANTIQUE FAIRE: Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 14-15, Village Green Park. Dealers from all over the Northwest selling quality antiques and collectibles.

SISTERS OUTDOOR QUILT SHOW: Saturday, July 10, downtown Sisters. More than 1.000 quilts displayed throughout town.

SISTERS WESTERN & NATIVE AMERICAN ARTS FESTIVAL: Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 4-5, Creekside Park. Live entertainment, demonstrations, food, fine art and more.

FROM TIMBER TO TURNED WOOD: Saturday, Oct. 2. Lumberjack competition, food, entertainment and wood artists. Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce.

SISTERS HARVEST FAIRE: Saturday - Sunday, Oct. 9-10, Hood Avenue, downtown Sisters. A juried arts and crafts festival of more than 200 artists. Food, live entertainment by Moon Mountain Ramblers, children’s activities and more.

866-549-0252 • www.SistersCountry.com • 541-549-0251