SISTERS
A MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE TOWN OF SISTERS
ARTS | CULTURE | EVENTS
SPRING 2015 INSIDE: COMPLETE
SISTERS
RODEO GUIDE!
XTREME BULLS RODEO PARADE SPECIALTY ACT BUCKAROO BREAKFAST TOUGH ENOUGH TO WEAR PINK & MUCH MORE!
1940
2015 Endorsed by
Advertising Supplement to The Bulletin | Published Friday, May 22, 2015
The 75th Annual PRCA Sisters Rodeo continues the traditions and the fun of years gone by.
75 ofyears The Biggest Little Show
Bronc riding was a popular event at the Sisters Rodeo in 1948. Photos courtesy Sisters Rodeo Association
by Bridget McGinn, for The Bulletin Special Projects
E
ach year, six-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier and Redmond resident Steven Peebles travels to up to 100 rodeos across the U.S. and Canada, spending hours on the road and away from home. One of his favorite rodeos, and one that he has competed in for the last eight years, is the Sisters Rodeo, celebrating its 75th anniversary this June. “It’s a rodeo I’d happily drive 20 hours to get to,” said Peebles. “But the best part is that it is only 20 minutes from my home.” Peebles isn’t the only professional cowboy that keeps the Sisters Rodeo at the top of his list. Known for treating competitors well and with one of the top purses on the circuit — the biggest in the nation for that weekend — Sisters Rodeo has always attracted the top tier of professionals to its arena. But that hasn’t altered the long history of having a friendly, relaxed atmosphere at the event. “Over the years, we’ve grown into a fairly large rodeo as far as rodeos are concerned,” said Glenn Miller, president of the Sisters Rodeo Board of Directors. “But we still have that hometown feel.” The first Sisters Rodeo was held in 1940 and featured amateur and professional cowboys wearing cloth squares hand-painted with numbers and pinned to their backs. Events included bull and
in the World
bronc riding, calf roping, bull dogging, wild cow milking and wild horse racing. The small-town rodeo offered purses equal to those found at larger rodeos such as Pendleton and Cheyenne, and thus earned the nickname “The Biggest Little Show in the World.” In addition to offering substantial purses, another tradition the Sisters Rodeo has continued for the last 75 years is producing the event entirely with volunteers (with the exception of announcers, stock suppliers and special performers) just as it was in the beginning. “All the volunteers put in hard work
Page 2 Sisters Magazine | 75th Sisters Rodeo | 2015
to create the best show we can put on,” said Miller. “And without the sponsors — many of whom have been with us for a long time — we really could not do it.” There are approximately 200 members of the Sisters Rodeo, all volunteers, who work throughout the year to organize and plan for the annual event as well as ensure that the grounds and facilities are upgraded and in excellent condition. Bonnie Malone has been ac-
Photo by Kevin Prieto
tive in the organization since 1982 and currently serves as the secretary. She says the group is like family. “It is really nice to be around people who work so doggone hard,” said Malone. “It is an all-volunteer effort and very hard work, and it is all done out of love for the Sisters Rodeo.” The positive spirit that infuses the planning and production of the event can be felt by the audience members, contestants and performers. Rodeo clown J.J. Harrison got his start at the Sisters Rodeo nearly a decade ago and has been a devoted fan and participant ever since. He travels all across the country performing approximately 140 shows each year, and when people ask him which rodeo is his favorite, the answer is always the same. “I just love the Sisters Rodeo,” said Harrison, who lives in Walla Walla, Wash. “The ‘X factor’ that the Sisters Rodeo has is a feeling in the air as you walk around that something special is about to happen.” At the Sisters Rodeo, professional cowboys rub shoulders with city folks wearing flannel shirts for the first time, and the mood is relaxed. “Everyone comes to let loose and
have fun,” said Harrison. “And everyone is just so accepting of everyone else. People come with their minds clear and their hearts open, and the energy there rivals any sports arena in the country.” While some things have been constant with the Sisters Rodeo since it began 75 years ago, the actual location of the annual event has seen many changes before finding its permanent home in 1979. “Purchasing that property back in 1979 gave us a home to build on,” said Miller. “It was a highlight in the history of the rodeo for me.” Other highlights cited by Miller include moving from an amateur to a professional rodeo sanctioned by the PRCA in 1988, installing the giant screen digital scoreboard with instant replay and all the major upgrades to the property — such as putting in plaza seating and rebuilding the clubhouse — over the years. “If you stay the same, you are backing up,” said Miller. “My thinking is that we’ve got to keep improving, make it bigger, make it better and keep building.” With an eye toward the future, Miller doesn’t take the 75-year history of the rodeo for granted. Recognizing that it is the volunteers and generous sponsors that keep the event viable, he’s focused on finding ways to keep supporters energized and forward thinking. But for now, he’s focused on producing a great show for the contestants and the community in June. While there are several surprises in store in honor of the 75th anniversary of
the rodeo, Miller said he wants to keep those up his sleeve for now. “But I can share that we have invited all the former rodeo queens to attend and quite a few will be there, in the parade and at Saturday’s performance in the arena,” said Miller. All of the past board presidents have also been invited to attend as guests of honor. This year the rodeo will feature announcers Curt Robinson and Wayne Brooks. Bullfighters Rowdy Barry and Danny Newman, along with rodeo clown J.J. Harrison will liven up the arena along with the crowd-pleasing specialty act, The One Arm Bandit and Company. Rodeo events kick off Tuesday, June 9 with the free Barrel Race Jackpot at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 10 is the PRCA Xtreme Bull Riding at 6:30 p.m. and Thursday, June 11 is the free “Slack” performances, with gates opening at 8 a.m. Then on Friday, June 12, Les Schwab Family Night kicks into gear, with children 12 and younger admitted free and rodeo performances at 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, June 13 highlights include the rodeo parade in downtown Sisters at 9:30 a.m., and rodeo performances at 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday, June 14 starts off with the Kiwanis Buckaroo Breakfast from 7-11 a.m., Cowboy Church Service at 9 a.m. and the final rodeo performance at 1 p.m. With all the events and fun to be had, it’s no wonder that the Sisters Rodeo has visitors, cowboys and performers returning year after year. It is, after all, “The Biggest Little Show in the World.”
“Over the years, we’ve grown into a fairly large rodeo as far as rodeos are concerned. But we still have that hometown feel.”
RODEO PERFORMANCES
RODEO EVENTS & SPONSORS Rodeo Parade:
Saturday, June 13, 9:30 a.m., Downtown Sisters Sponsored by St. Charles Health System
Buckaroo Breakfast:
(All You Can Eat — Hosted by Sisters Kiwanis) Sunday, June 14, 7-11 a.m.; Sisters Rodeo Grounds Cost: Adults - $10 Younger than 12 - $5 Younger than 3 - Free
Tickets:
Friday General seats $14 (box seats $32) *Kids 12 and younger free Saturday $14, $17, $20 (box seats $32) *All seats reserved Sunday $12, $14, $17 (box seats $32) *Kids 12 and younger free
Ticket Hotline: 541-549-0121 or 800-827-7522
PRCA RODEO PERFORMANCES/SPONSORS Friday - 7 p.m. ....................................................... Les Schwab Family Night Saturday - 1 p.m. ...................................................................Ray’s Food Place Saturday - 7 p.m. ........................................................................ Identity Zone Sunday - 1 p.m. ....................Bend/Sisters Garden RV & Pepsi Day/TETWP
PRCA XTREME BULLS
Wednesday, June 10, 6:30 p.m. $20, box seats $32; children 12 and younger free Sponsor: Identity Zone
SPECIALTY ACT: THE ONE ARM BANDIT
Sponsor: EarthquakeStore.com The One Arm Bandit will also perform Wednesday, June 10! Sponsor: Wayne Cornick Announcers: Wayne Brooks & Curt Robinson, sponsored by Advanced Credit | Bullfighters: Dan Newman & Rowdy Barry | Clown: JJ Harrison, sponsored by WCP Solutions & Sisters Mainline Station/Chevron
Sisters Magazine | 75th Sisters Rodeo | 2015 Page 3
28 former Sisters Rodeo Queens will take part in the annual Rodeo Parade. Yvette Lewin 1972
All Hail the
Helen Filey 1945
QUEENS by John Cal, for The Bulletin Special Projects
It seems as if everyone is planning to show up to celebrate the Sisters Rodeo’s 75th anniversary at the annual parade. The Military Parents of Sisters, the VFW and American Legion are marching with more members than ever before. Both the Cascade Horizon Band — a group of 50+ musicians — and the Sisters Outlaw Marching Band, made up of Sisters schoolaged children, are returning this year. John Payne, better known as The
Rosalind Koops 1969
One Arm Bandit from Oklahoma, is also returning, along with Dan Fouts, the famed University of Oregon football player and commentator. R.L. Garrigus was chosen to be the Grand Marshal, a significant choice for sure, as the KSJJ radio newscaster has been announcing the parade for 35 years. He will lead off the parade with this year’s Rodeo Queen, Mikaela Koellermeier. But, she’s not the only queen to join the parade. Within the 100 entries and more than 1,000 parade participants, 28 former Sisters Rodeo Queens will take the spotlight as they return to celebrate the history of “The Biggest Little Show in the World.” “We sent out letters to every possible queen we could find,” said Jeri Buckman, Sisters Rodeo Parade coordinator. “We wanted to get as many to return as we could, and we were just delighted with the response.” Buckman’s daughter, Sara Marcus, who was crowned queen in 2012, will be on the specially designed float with the rest of the rodeo royalty. “I think it’s important to be inlaid in the history of the rodeo association,” said Marcus. “I’m excited to visit with the many queens I’ve never met before, see all the girls that inspired me, and to get to spend time with so many old friends.”
Page 4 Sisters Magazine | 75th Sisters Rodeo | 2015
Sara has been a member of the rodeo association since she and her parents moved to Sisters in 1999, a move that she says changed her life. “I’ve been everything from a weed puller to a trash picker-upper to a barrel painter,” she said. “It was the members of the rodeo association that raised me, that changed me. … I remember being the queen, up in the front of the parade with the grand marshal, and it was just one of the most spectacular moments of my life, surrounded by my community, friends and family, and how the Sisters Rodeo is always so well attended, seven people deep. I’m there every year. It’s like coming home.” Another queen who is at the parade every year is Helen (Filey) O’Brien, who as Rodeo Queen in 1945, is this year’s oldest returning queen. “Back then we didn’t decorate the back of our saddles,” said O’Brien. “We just wore western clothes and boots and a hat. We didn’t do all that fancy stuff they do now.” O’Brien continues to ride every year in the parade in her son Steven’s 1939 classic Cadillac limousine, but has fond memories of her first Sisters Rodeo Parade. “I rode a Bay, Trixie, my mother’s horse. My horse was foal you see. She was pretty fat, and I don’t think I could have put a saddle on her,” Helen added with a laugh.
Carole Campbell 1952
O’Brien is definitely part of Central Oregon’s equestrian history. Her father used to manage draft horses in an old barn down by the mill at what used to be Brooks Scanlon. “It’s amazing how everything has changed,” O’Brien said, “but we can’t stay the same. That’s not progress. Still, I love this little old mill town, and it’ll be fun to see everyone come back to visit.” “I think rodeo — staying connected with that history of working with horses and livestock, not just as a hobby, but as part of our history — is so important,”
BUCKAROO BREAKFAST Sunday, June 14 | 7-11 a.m.
SISTERS RODEO PARADE Saturday, June 13 | 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Starts at the corner of Cascade Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Sisters, and heads east on Cascade toward Larch Street said Dana (Salo) Hall, who was the Sisters Rodeo Queen in 2000. Returning from Eagle River, Alaska, Hall is the furthest returning queen to the parade. “It was a gorgeous Central Oregon day,” recalled Hall of her own parade as Rodeo Queen. “There were blue skies, and I had a huge bouquet of red roses behind my saddle. I was fully sponsored by Leavitt’s of Sisters, and so I was very dressed up — puffy shoulders, super shiny shirts and huge rodeo hair!” In 2002, Hall moved to Alaska to pursue her bachelor’s and then master’s in clinical psychology, all the while continuing to train horses. But being born in Tillamook, a former resident of Sisters, and a graduate of Bend High School, Oregon has always been home. “It was so great getting to travel all around the state and country representing Sisters,” Hall said. “People always knew where I was talking about, where I was from. ... It’s a great program, too. Being a queen definitely changed my life, and I’m excited to meet all of these women that are a part of that community of people.” “Everywhere I went, Oklahoma or Texas, everyone knew and respected the Sisters Rodeo,” echoed Marcus, who after
Amorita Patterson 1995
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 14. Anyone can come to the breakfast, but mostly the rodeo crowd attends, said officials of the 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 $10 for adults, $5 for children younger than 12. Kids ages 3 and younger eat free.
becoming Sisters Rodeo Queen went on to be Miss Rodeo Oregon in 2014. “But of all the parades I’ve ever been to, Sisters Rodeo Parade is just wonderfully short and sweet and people love it,” Marcus continued. “There are no bells and whistles. You don’t need that.” “It’s paradise,” added Hall. “That’s it. The people have strong connections there, and looking out into the audience, you know people care. The people involved are still the people involved. They’re committed. That’s what makes it so great.”
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Sisters Magazine | 75th Sisters Rodeo | 2015 Page 5
2015 Sisters Rodeo Queen
Mikaela Koellermeier
2015 Sisters Rodeo Poster Artist:
Boldness of History
Rodeo poster artist Dennis McGregor highlights the traditions of the first Sisters Rodeo in 1940.
Mikaela Koellermeier, 19, was queen for the La Pine Rodeo and Crooked River Roundup.
Mikaela Koellermeier, 19, is the deputy chief. Her mother, Leslie, owns a reigning queen of the 2015 Sisters dog kennel, where Koellermeier learned Rodeo. A former queen of La Pine the responsibilities of animal care from Rodeo and Crooked River Roundup, the time she could walk. Koellermeier rides her mare, Dutch, As a member of the Oregon High who is an image of speed and superb School Equestrian Team at Mountain View execution. High School, Mikaela was “Even though my part of a team that won the “This is my family has been attending Oregon State Team Penning Sisters Rodeo my whole opportunity to give Championship in 2013. life, I did not imagine Carol Stiles, the back to the becoming a rodeo queen executive director of The until 2011, when I served community while Center Foundation, for as a princess of Rimrock whom Koellermeier has I share my Riders,” she explained. been a family nanny and “That inspired me to try excitement about house sitter throughout her out for La Pine Rodeo in teen years, responded to the the tradition 2012 and Crooked River choice warmly. Roundup in 2013. Being a of Sisters Rodeo.” “I couldn’t be more princess opened my mind happy for Sisters Rodeo,” to a totally different world.” Stiles exclaimed. “The judges selected Koellermeier’s love for the setting of an outstanding person to serve as a Sisters Rodeo and the enthusiasm of its representative who will make the rodeo fans were the influences that fueled her and the community proud.” desire to become part of the tradition. “I am so honored to represent Sisters The year her dad caught a football Rodeo,” Koellermeier said in quiet from the celebrated barrelman/clown JJ amazement. “This is my opportunity Harrison during Sisters Rodeo enriched to give back to the community while I the attraction by making her feel a part of share my excitement about the tradition the excitement. of Sisters Rodeo.” — Courtesy of Bonnie Malone, Her father, Doug, is a 33-year member Sisters Rodeo of Bend Fire Department, who serves as Page 6 Sisters Magazine | 75th Sisters Rodeo | 2015
The 75th anniversary poster by Dennis McGregor depicts the era of the first Sisters Rodeo in 1940. The saddlebronc cowboy is reminiscent of mustached characters of the old West, dressed in a throwback loose-fitting shirt and baggy dungarees. “I talked to a lot of people about this painting,” McGregor said. “I wanted to give a true historical representation of Sisters Rodeo in 1940.” The painting clarifies why McGregor has become a premier poster artist in Central Oregon. The richness of stars in a blueblack sky above sundown colors over the Three Sisters sets off the boldness of the sorrel Paint horse and its rider. There is detailed accuracy in the gear — from the horse’s halter to the horsehair rope gripped by the cowboy. According to celebrated local hat maker Gene Baldwin, the cowboy hat McGregor chose is a Tom Horn hat, customized by the legendary cowboy detective with a crease down the middle that extended to the back of the hat, dented on the sides. “Most cowboys put some sort of identifying crease or tuck on their hats to individualize them,” said Baldwin. “This was Horn’s.” “Tom Horn rode with Roosevelt in Cuba, and became a Pinkerton detective,” Baldwin added. “He worked for the Wyoming Cattlemen’s Association controlling rustlers. On his big black horse with his distinctive hat, people were struck with fear when they saw him riding in.”
Even the saddlebronc depicts the 1940s. The big-jawed Paint horse has old scars and ragged unshod hooves in a nod to historical reality. Rough stock, as bucking stock is known, was exactly that, rough, even in appearance. Scar tissue and damaged hides were nonissues. As long as the animal wasn’t lame and could buck, cosmetics be damned. A horse’s feet got little attention through the 1940s, including having horseshoes. Rodeo horses wore their hooves down moving over rocky ground in the off-season. To this day, bucking horses are not shod, although they may get their hooves trimmed if they don’t get a natural leveling wear as they move across ranch lands. Dennis McGregor is proud to celebrate the 75th anniversary — Courtesy of Bonnie Malone, Sisters Rodeo
2015 SISTERS RODEO GRAND MARSHAL R.L. Garrigus has been the voice of the Sisters Rodeo Parade for 35 years. Now, he’s proud to take on a new role. For 35 years, R.L. Garrigus has stood on the sidelines announcing the Sisters Rodeo Parade. This year, the celebrated radio broadcaster is at the head of the parade as the rodeo’s Grand Marshal. “R.L. has done so many things for us, especially as our volunteer parade announcer for so many years,” said Tom Crowder, past director of the parade, who nominated Garrigus. “I was a Radio Ranger with Ralph McNulty at KICE beginning in 1979,” Garrigus explained, “and Ralph, who was the Sisters Rodeo Parade announcer, invited me along. McNulty finally said, ‘It’s all yours,’ and I’ve been there since. It’s fun.” The outdoorsman with a heart as big as Central Oregon finds fun in many acts of assistance. In 2004, Deschutes County Commissioners and Bend City Council declared Jan. 22 to be R.L. Garrigus Day. That same year, he was admitted to the Oregon Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. His studio is full of professional and volunteer awards and banners, including a Klondike Kate trophy from Bend Fire Department. As an expression of thanks for his volunteer efforts, Sisters Rodeo awarded Garrigus a commemorative buckle during the 70th annual Sisters Rodeo Parade. Garrigus is part of Bend Radio Group, where he serves as news director and public affairs director at KSJJ, ESPN, KNGX and Power 94. His voice has been part of the Central Oregon radio scene since 1974. He has the most recognized voice in the territory, and one of the most familiar faces. The enthusiastic volunteer announces three other rodeo parades: Crooked River Roundup, Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo and Pioneer Frontier Days in La Pine. He is the voice of the Bend and La Pine Christmas Parades and the Redmond Starlight Parade. Garrigus has served as master of ceremonies at the annual Bend Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation dinner for 28 years and in John Day for 22 years. He calls the Great Drake Park Duck Race and has voluntarily recorded public service
Photo by Gary N. Miller / Sisters Country Photography
information releases for the Ronald McDonald House of Bend. The fifth generation Oregonian was raised in Hillsboro. His great-great grandfather guided settlers through the plains on the Oregon Trail and homesteaded in Buxton. “He kept journals of those years, but they were lost when my grandmother sold the land,” he said wistfully. “All we have left is the conch shell that was blown to call those pioneers in for dinner on the trail.” With his family, Garrigus fished the Tualatin River and hunted in Sweet Home and John Day. He and his brother, Tom, became accomplished Trap Shooters, the competitive sport that energized him. His brother won a Silver Medal in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. “I competed in International Trap Shooting for the Air Force and in the Pan Am Games, but I was never as skilled as my brother,” Garrigus said. However, Garrigus did win the Oregon Junior State Championships in 1969 and 1970. Garrigus used his G.I. Bill funds to get a degree in broadcasting. A year later, he moved to Bend. “The Bend population was about the same as Hillsboro’s was when I left for the Air Force, at around 16,000 residents,” he said.
Garrigus is married to an artist, Kathie. Their daughter, Lacey, her husband, Tim, and three grandchildren live in Medford.
The family hiked the Pacific Northwest, from the Desolation Unit east of Bend to the Mount Rainier wilderness. When they have free time, this is still the preferred lifestyle of the radio wizard and the artist. Tumalo and Paulina creeks are favorite local treks. “When I die, however, my ashes are going to Desolation, where the wildflowers are beyond compare.” Having a conversation with Garrigus is as natural as sitting next to a friend by a creek with a fishing pole. His brilliant blue eyes are offset by a mane of whitegray hair and that burly mustache. His gentle persona and interesting stories draw people into telling tales of their own. Garrigus is a platinum professional in the world of broadcasting, with the bonus of being a truly soft-spoken humanitarian. — Courtesy Bonnie Malone, Sisters Rodeo
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541-549-6221 Sisters Magazine | 75th Sisters Rodeo | 2015 Page 7
SISTERS RODEO: The Talent
The Best of the Best rodeos for more than 30 years. He Wayne Brooks, Announcer — Wayne Brooks has a smooth brings a mastery of statistics and voice that resonates in the stands history to the sport that is greatly as he announces from horseback. appreciated by cowboys and cowBrooks was PRCA Announcer of girls, whose stats and personal stothe Year in 2005, 2010, 2013 and ries are shared with a rodeo crowd. 2014. He has a knack for making Fans also appreciate learning more, the fans in the stands part of the and Curt never lets them down. rodeo by taking time to talk with He is a standard in the Columthem and get their opinions (which bia River Circuit and many other sometimes conflict with the rodeo circuits in the judges’ opinions). west, southwest and Wayne Brooks It’s all done in Texas. the spirit of a JJ Harrison, Rodeo good time. Clown — JJ Harrison As a former celebrated the honor of contestant, Brooks being the bullfighter/ has a great sense clown at Wrangler NaNa of how competitors tional Finals Rodeo in feel and is able to 2012. When he learned share that with his he was hired, one of audience. He is also his first calls was to quick to support Sisters Rodeo PresPres judges in their ident Glenn Miller. scores, demonstrating Sisters Rodeo was JJ’s competitor errors on first contract in the PRCA, and he instant replay. wanted to express his gratitude. He has worked the Calgary “In an arena, there is no lagStampede, Wrangler National Finals time, no downtime, with JJ there,” Rodeo and even the Copenhagen said Sisters Arena Director John Cup Tour Finale. Leavitt. “That’s a big part of his Curt Robinson, Announcer — job, and nobody does it better.” Curt Robinson has been announcA former school teacher himing at Sisters Rodeo for 23 years. self, Harrison has learned that you He is part of our rodeo family. He can accomplish much with wit, is appreciated as both a professionhumor and antics. His rodeo act is al and friend. a high-energy family routine that’s Robinson has been announcing fun for all ages, and he keeps the
Rowdy Barry Photo by Kevin Prieto
fans entertained with no break in his action. Rowdy Barry, Bullfighter — Rowdy Barry is a cowboy with many faces and many careers. Sisters has enjoyed his professional work for 21 years. The Washington rancher is also a painter and sculptor, whose works are now among the most collectible in Western art. He has been the artist behind two Sisters Rodeo posters. Barry began bullfighting when he was 14. “I enjoy what I do, and I take it to heart,” he said, always ready to go to work. You always know Barry in the rodeo arena because he has a fetish for red-striped socks to dress up his white shirt.
Danny Newman, Bullfighter — This year, bullfighter “Dangerous” Danny Newman is making his ninth 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. From 1993 to 2000, Newman was a top-10 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.
Xtreme Bulls!
Photo by Kevin Prieto
Page 8 Sisters Magazine | 75th Sisters Rodeo | 2015
Xtreme Bulls, a bullriding-only event, leads the week at Sisters Rodeo on Wednesday evenings each year. The PRCA event blasts into action from 6:30 to around 9 p.m. Great bulls and bull riders, including world champion contenders, stir the excitement for the rodeo, which begins two days later. Bullriding has become the most popular event for fans of rodeo. PRCA rodeos across the nation participate in this competition including Fort Worth and San
Antonio, Oklahoma City and Ellensburg. Money earned in Xtreme Bulls counts toward Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Standings, which determines the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers. The total national purse for this event is more than half a million dollars, with Sisters awarding $10,000 in purse monies. AND, for the first time during the bull-riding evening, specialty act the One Arm Bandit will perform! Don’t miss out on this action-packed evening!
SISTERS RODEO: SPECIALTY ACT
The One Arm
BANDIT
Award-winning act by John Payne returns to steal the show once again.
The most popular act in Sisters Rodeo history is back to celebrate the rodeo’s 75th anniversary. The One Arm Bandit is bringing his Black Mouth Cur Hounds, horse or mule, and buffalo to town. John Payne, the One Arm Bandit, has won the national Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association Specialty Act of the Year 12 times. There is just nothing else like this performance, an unbelievable display of communication between a man and his animals. Wherever he performs, he steals the show. Whip in hand, dogs at his bidding, he herds buffalo from horseback onto the back of a truck and even on the roof of a stock trailer. He will also take his act to the Sisters Rodeo Parade, sometimes in a breathtaking performance with his horse on the roof of a moving stock trailer. Payne was born on an Oklahoma ranch. The cowboy has spent his entire life on a horse with dogs at his side. He partners with his dad and four brothers as ranchers in his home state, but his showmanship keeps him on the road most of the year. When hired to herd some intractable bulls, Payne and his Cur dogs earned the respect of the ranch owner. The bulls were penned in a short while, and the result was the beginning of Payne’s
Photo courtesy www.theonear mbandit.net
career in the rodeo arena. Many years ago, Payne made the one-time mistake of trying to be an electrician on a power pole where he grabbed a line, believing the power was off. He sustained 7,200 volts for 10 seconds. While the voltage was destroying his leg, he was unable to let go, held to a wire 25 feet high by sheer electrical power. When his hand was burned loose, he fell to sure death. He was revived with CPR, licked his wounds for two months and went back to ranching. Through this shocking experience, Payne became “The One Arm Bandit.” The One Arm Bandit and Company has now taken their legendary act throughout the U.S., Canada and even Dubai. This act has been seen at some of the top horse shows and rodeos in the nation, always stunning an appreciative crowd. His son and daughter are now carrying on the tradition. Payne believes anything can be accomplished through sheer nerve, determination and the drive to excel in one’s field. — Courtesy of Bonnie Malone, Sisters Rodeo Sisters Magazine | 75th Sisters Rodeo | 2015 Page 9
Are you Tough Enough
to Wear Pink?
Rodeo fundraiser has raised more than $25,000 for breast cancer research over the last 4 years. Sisters Rodeo Association is once again partnering with Tough Enough to Wear Pink, a national rodeo campaign to fight breast cancer and support women both during and after cancer treatment. The four-year partnership between the Sisters Rodeo and Tough Enough to Wear Pink has netted more than $25,000 in donations from the rodeo and its fans. Tough Enough to Wear Pink is an eight-year-old program begun by volunteers at rodeos across the United States and Canada. Nearly
$6 million has been raised to benefit local breast cancer charities and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Spectators will be invited to donate money during the Sunday, June 14 rodeo performance. Everyone is encouraged to wear pink that day to honor breast cancer survivors. Funds will be donated to Sara’s Project, a charity that supports Central and Eastern Oregon women in education, support, volunteer advocacy and funding for diagnostics through the St. Charles Foundation. — Courtesy of Bonnie Malone
RODEO SPONSORS Team Bronc Riding Event Sponsors - Central Electric Coop., Lutton’s Ace Hardware Award Sponsors - Pepsi, KSJJ 102.9FM, Earl Brawner and Dale Martin
Steer Wrestling Event Sponsor - Kevin Spencer Masonry Buckle Sponsors - Press Pros Printing Co.
Tie-down Roping Event Sponsor - High Country Disposal Buckle Sponsors - Bob & Laurie VanderBeek
Bareback Riding (WPRCA) Event Sponsors - Sweeney Excavation, Inc., G.J. Miller Construction, Inc. Buckle Sponsors - The James Gang
Saddle Bronc Riding Event Sponsors - Wagner Mall Liquor Store of Bend Buckle Sponsors - May Trucking
Team Roping Event Sponsor - McDonalds of Sisters Buckle Sponsors - Anchor Insurance & Surety, Inc., Brian Witt, Farley, Wada and Witt, Attorneys
Barrel Racing Event Sponsor - R&B Ranch, LLC Buckle Sponsors - Indian Head Casino
Bull Riding Event Sponsor - Dr. Bonnie Malone, DC Buckle Sponsors - The Bulletin, Sisters Rental
Xtreme Bulls Buckle Sponsor - Advanced Credit
National Sponsors
RAM/Smolich, Crown Royal, Coors/Columbia Distributors, Wrangler
All-Around Trophy Saddle: U.S. Bank All-Around Champion Buckle: FivePine Lodge, Shibui Spa
Beacham’s Clock Co. Sales & Service of the World’s Finest Clocks & Watches
Exclusive manufacturer of award-winning clocks
300 West Hood • NW corner of Hood & Oak • Sisters, OR 541-549-9971 • www.beachamsclockco.com Open 9:30am - 5:00pm • Closed Sunday & Wednesday Page 10 Sisters Magazine | 75th Sisters Rodeo | 2015
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:
Fine Dining for the Cowboy
Latigo in downtown Sisters takes an inventive twist on ranch-style cooking using locally sourced food. by John Cal, The Bulletin Special Projects photos by Kevin Prieto Any skilled cowboy knows what a latigo is, the leather strap on the saddle tree used to tighten and secure the cinch. It’s seemingly such a small thing to consider with all that rests on the mind of a cattle rancher during the day. But like all good cowboys know, the details are vital, and so when naming and looking for inspiration for his new restaurant, Executive Chef Tim Christman looked no further. Christman, who co-owns Latigo with his wife Sucy, the restaurant’s general manager, moved to the area with his family in 2011, and had been researching opening the restaurant of their dreams ever since. As a former member of the PRCA, Christman was a steer wrestler and calf roper till he retired from rodeo in 2008, and Sucy still competes in barrel racing. So when looking for the perfect place to open Latigo, the comfort of Sisters Country not only fit the vision of what they were looking for but also their own personal lifestyle. “We looked into opening in Bend and Redmond, Sunriver even, but the venue kept being the missing element.” Christman said. “Sisters had what we were looking for. It was important to us from the beginning that the place feel right. We made innate decisions based on how it felt to sit down in the space, what the surroundings were while you were enjoying your meal.” What resulted was a clean yet inviting space. Sharp white table cloths are mixed with the tones of warmer upholstered chairs and traditional Western artwork. “We wanted to create a sustainable restaurant with both ranch and urban influences,” said Christman in his dining room beneath the organic, yet crisp lines of reclaimed weathered beams and ironwork gussets. “The floors are authentic reclaimed lumber as well,” continued Christman. “We had to get it from a lot of different
Sucy and Tim Christman, pictured below, opened Latigo in summer 2014.
places, but we wanted to create the place from scratch, really make it our own.” Diners are offered such tastes as slow roasted Wagyu beef with a coffee and cocoa crust; local duck breast with a juniper berry gastrique; and smoked salmon with caraway infused toast, made from bread baked in house. With a completely seasonal menu, Latigo aims not just to talk about organic, sustainable food, but to deliver in all aspects of socially conscious cuisine. “We got a lot of flack in the beginning for not having enough poultry on the menu, but I just can’t find a farm that has practices that I’m satisfied with,” said Christman. The Christmans have a measurably tangible goal of supplying the restaurant from within a 200-mile radius and says that they’re 90 percent there. Still, Christman knows that there is more to delicious food than it simply being local and organic. “Local and organic don’t mean restaurant quality,” said Christman. “Still, if we were gonna say ‘sustainable’ and ‘local-organic,’ we really wanted to walk the walk, while still making delicious food.” Christman garnered much of his love for southwest flavors while owning a steakhouse in Dallas, Texas,
but picked up his love for farm-to-table cuisine while working in Hawaii for famed chef Roy Yamaguchi at Roy’s Waikaloa. This translates to Christman using more obscure cuts of meat such as oxtail and short rib that takes three days to cook from start to finish, while creating layers of flavor with local produce and spices. “The first thing a chef has to do is procure. It all starts with quality ingredients,” said Christman. “And why wouldn’t I want to use local products with all the great growers and producers in the area. Heirloom vegetables, great meat — it’s exciting to be a part of that. We want to showcase the best of what the area has to offer in an elevated setting.” It’s a small restaurant, just under 50 seats inside, with just a two-person kitchen, but the impact of what Christman is trying to do is already being felt in the community with events such as a Rombauer wine tasting planned for later this fall. It’s fine dining, yes, but it’s also sustainable. It’s comfort and ranch-style cooking, yes, but it’s also accessible and inventive. “Elevated food doesn’t have to be stuffy,” continued Christman. “We want people to feel welcome and comfortable, and most of all, we want the food to taste good. We want the service to be inviting. … We didn’t invent this style of food or dining, but we’re really proud to be a part of it, and we’re really excited to bring it to Central Oregon.” Sisters Magazine | 75th Sisters Rodeo | 2015 Page 11
OUTLAWS PHOTOGRAPHY
Experience the hospitality of the Old West. While you are here for the 75th Annual Sisters Rodeo, let us help you re-discover Sisters Country! We invite you to shop and dine our many owner-operated local businesses throughout our 1880s-themed town.
Shop Local. Shop Sisters. Visit us at www.SistersCountry.com for more information about local shops and restaurants.
Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce www.SistersCountry.com 866.549.0252 541.549.0251