STRONG CITY
The Flint Hills Rodeo in Strong City has been a part of Gary Peterson’s life for more than 60 years.
Peterson of Bazaar has been coming to the rodeo year after year. He said he even won a registered quarter horse at the rodeo in 1981.
“Best darn horse I ever had,” he said, with a smile. He added that the horse is still going and is owned by a neighbor and was in the rodeo parade on Saturday afternoon.
Peterson said he keeps coming back to the rodeo for the people.
“It’s people I see once a year at the rodeo,” he said. “This is cowboy county and cowboys like to see good cowboys.”
This weekend marked the 70th year of the rodeo and the weekend was packed. Contestants competed for thousands of dollars in six rodeo events including bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, WPRA barrel racing, bull riding and team roping. This year’s announcer was Roger Mooney of Ellijay, Ga., who is emceeing the event from his horse, Rolex.
The Flint Hills Rodeo was started in a Chase County pasture in the 1930s by the Emmett Roberts family of Strong City. Many of the Roberts family won world championships in rodeo. The official birth year of the Flint Hills Rodeo is 1937. In 1938, Emmett Roberts, his son Ken Roberts and his son-in-law Eddie Boysen put on the first Chase County Rodeo. The rodeo was re-named the Flint Hills Rodeo the following year and has continued every year since.
On Sunday afternoon, the final day of the rodeo, fans flocked to the stands for one last look at 2007’s rodeo. The weather was partly cloudy and temperatures hovered in the upper 70s — a perfect setting for a rodeo. Dust and dirt flew as cowboys and cowgirls competed in the various events. Josh Noel’s family, from Ponca City, Okla., has been coming to the rodeo for five years as vendors that sell goods. Noel, 8, shared what his favorite part of the rodeo is.
“I like the bulls and the calf roping,” he said, smiling. “I like how good they are to rope them.”
Bruce Brock, a rodeo director from Chanute, has drawn the designs on the rodeo T-shirts for the past few years. He said a person at Kansas Graphics encouraged him to do the designs for the shirts. He did and has been doing it ever since.
Brock has worked the rodeo for six years. Brock said there are numerous reasons he likes the rodeo.
“I think being in the middle of the Flint Hills is a part of it, too,” he said.
As Sunday afternoon wore on, fans didn’t tire of the action. They got some comic relief following the steer wrestling competition when a rodeo clown, Ted Kimzey, of Strong City, Okla., performed a skit. After attempting to “rescue” someone who had “collapsed,” Kimzey’s ambulance caught fire. When he tried to put it out, fireworks ignited, sending sparks up in the air and at Kimzey.
“I’d like to talk to the idiots who put the pyrotechnics on top of my ambulance,” Kimzey said as the crowd laughed.
Kimzey tried to put the fire out with dirt and ended up with more than dirt on his hands.
“It’s not all dirt out here,” he said as he rubbed the substance on his lips.
Announcer Mooney asked him if it prevented chapped lips.
“No, but it’ll prevent you from licking them!” Kimzey said as the crowd again laughed.
New to the rodeo this year was a large instant replay screen. Many fans commented that they enjoyed the screen, which not only posted the score, but provided a live feed of the competition and instant replay.
A tradition of the rodeo is to honor those lost by having their horses walked through the arena without a rider. This year, Wally Evans, one of the fathers of the Flint Hills Rodeo, and Beulah Veatch, who owned the Western Shop in Emporia, were honored. Evans was one of the original board members of the rodeo and Veatch donated and sponsored youth activities.
“They had you, the rodeo fan in mind when they brought you the home-town rodeo,” Mooney said as the crowd fell silent and the horses walked into the arena.
The 2007 Flint Hills Rodeo concluded with a stampede of power as the bucking horses tore into the arena. Mooney said the bucking horses are the backbone of the rodeo.
“The good Lord gave us horses that buck and as long as he does, we’ll bring them to you,” he said.
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Posted by daveedailey (anonymous) on June 5, 2007 at 10:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What a good performance on Saturday night. Lots of entertainment for everyone. Good luck to all the cowboys involved. Of course, Strong City does an excellent job. Thank you Roberts Family. Too bad Emporia could not have a tradition last this long. My hats off to Chase County.
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