Sitting inside the sponsors tent after the conclusion of the Bonnyville Pro Rodeo, organizer Russ Griffith chuckled as the rain came down hard.
“We just bucked the last bull and now the skies opened up,” Griffith said and then jokingly remarked that seeing the rain come down from under the tent was his best memory from this year's rodeo.
Mother Nature may not have co-operated this past weekend but according to Griffith, the weekend succeeded despite the lousy weather.
Conditions were overcast and chilly for Friday, followed by snow and rain on Saturday and yet more precipitation for the event's final day of competition on Sunday.
“With all of this horrible weather, I figured there wouldn't be more than 10 people showing up,” Griffith said. “But this community is full of diehard rodeo fans and this weekend proved that.”
According to Griffith, the hard work of the ground crews and the volunteers shined through on this weekend.
“To pull off this kind of rodeo in such adverse conditions really speaks volumes about all of the unsung heroes involved with our rodeo,” he said. “I've had numerous comments and pats on the back from judges, officials and performers but it's not possible without our volunteers.”
The crowning of the rodeo queen kicked everything off on Friday and Griffith felt it came off very well.
“The whole concept of the rodeo queen being crowned was received well by the crowd and the community,” he said. “It was well organized and a fantastic competition. We had four strong competitors and none of them have anything to be ashamed of, it was really close.”
He added that he hopes that the crowning of the rodeo queen will become an annual event for the rodeo.
Griffith also pointed out that for next year the rodeo may look at adding another performance. He said the reason why Friday ran for so long is that so many competitors want to take part in the rodeo and the way it's set up now, there isn't enough time to allow everyone a chance to compete.
Griffith also praised the work of Corey Styva, the vice-president of the rodeo organizing committee. He pointed out that putting on a rodeo is truly a team effort and while he may be the “face” of the rodeo, Styva contributed a great deal to the weekend.
Even with crummy weather, Griffith considered the rodeo a success. For next year, here's hoping there's some sun in the forecast.
