Western Wednesday :: An Introduction

I have been crazy busy here trying to get settled back into "life" after our 2 week journey out west and back home again. It was great fun and I am wanting to share all kinds of fun pictures! I have been going through pictures and have discovered that no one is going to want to see ALL those pictures all on one day! So, I have been trying to figure out the best way to share and not "bore" the folks who don't want to see rodeo for the next 3 weeks!! ;)

So, I will work on sharing our experience over time, allowing me to continue sharing my current goings on as well! If you enjoy learning about the rodeo and seeing pictures of the western fun, stop by on Wednesdays!!

OK - so, first things first...

• What rodeo did the Treehouse Family attend? 
• The Pendleton Round-Up
• Where is Pendleton? 
• Pendleton is located in Northeast Oregon in Umatilla County in one of my favorite places in America (I have a few, so far...).
• What exactly is The Round-Up? 
• It is a week-long celebration of western heritage complete with concerts, parades, pageantry, rodeo performances, and plenty more to thrill anyone taking the time to visit.
• Why should I care? 
• The Pendleton Round-Up has been named #1 Top Cowboy Vacation Destination by Western Horseman Magazine, Best Professional Rodeo by True West Magazine, One of the Rodeos Worth Driving To by Cowboys and Indians Magazine and to top it off, the Round-Up played an important role in the naming of Pendleton as #1 on the list of Top Ten Western Towns in America by True West Magazine!! (source; Pendleton Chamber of Commerce)
• How is The Pendleton Round-Up any different from any other rodeo celebration? 
• Let's start by discussing the arena. It is a football field surround by a dirt track. A lot of the events are completed on grass - which can have horses slipping and falling with riders atop, bull doggers can tear up their knees when trying to wrestle their steer to a stop, the bucking area for broncs is... as large as the football field and track, a temporary fence is set up for bull riding, the barrel pattern is so much larger that it typically is finished in 28 seconds as compared to the regular 16 or 17, and the cowboy's timed events have the calves or steers being chased down an alleyway that begins outside or underneath the grandstand and running down a ramp into the arena full speed ahead instead of from a stopped position in a small chute. Let's just say - it is DIFFERENT!!
• Anything else of significance? 
• There is a lot of focus on the Native American influence of the area. There is a relay race on horseback for various tribes to compete against each other, there is a display of the traditional dance in the arena during an intermission including a parade of chiefs and princesses around the track. Outside of the arena grounds, an encampment is set up with 300+ traditional tepees where the Native Americans set up for the week to live and be a part of the celebration. 

I think that it might be best - if you have the time (and interest) - to watch this production by Oregon Public Broadcasting, Pendleton Round-Up: The Wild West Way, before we continue next week with Western Wednesday!! It is a well done production highlighting the history of The Round-Up!

Let 'er Buck!!