People talking bull in town and everyone’s fine with it

boy riding sheep — An experienced rider hanging on the best he could.

toy rodeo riders — Rodeo riding toys to inspire at the local feed store.

girl on bull — A young lady in chaps having a chat.

child bull riding — Running along for the little one's ride.

child and bull — Sometimes gravity gets the best of us.

boy next to bull — After an unintended dismount, getting up and away quickly is key.

kids game at rodeo — One rodeo game had kids in socks lining up to race back to a large pile of mixed up boots and sneakers. The announcer told the parents that they could skip trying to wash socks after being in the arena.

wrangled bull — Catching a bull while on horseback is a certain skill set.

bull and rancher — This bull thought he was getting away.

dragging a roped bull — Who is more determined, the cowboy or the bull?

A bull is encouraged to leave the arena.

The signs and the hype for the Tri-County Fair were all over. This little town drew thousands from neighboring counties. Children from near and far worked hard all year to be able to show their animals to be judged. They showed cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, rabbits and poultry in many categories.

I grew up in a town with a sprawling fair, so this one was small in comparison. I’m no longer excited about fair rides and cotton candy, although it was nice to see so many excited kids. But better than the fair is the rodeo at the fair.

I saw a sea of parked trailers for cattle and horses as I approached the fairgrounds. The thrill of the unknown drew so many to the rodeo. From babies to parents in cowboy hats and all manner of siblings in between, this must have been the top family event in town, outside of the families who attend church. It’s a community reunion for farming families, happy to take a break.

Helmeted, little kids get loaded unto sheep for the mutton bustin’ competition. The announcer gives brief (what else could it be?) bios of their name, age, hometown and experience. The chute opens and off they go.

The smaller the child, the closer the pickup men stand at the ready to grab them off the sheep or miniature bull. Sometimes lightening quick chases happened to halt animal and rider. Supportive siblings, parents and friends cheered from the stands after the time hanging on/riding was announced. No matter how short the ride, the announcer encouraged applause for all.

Rodeo parents must be made of something that I am not. I spoke with a friend whose child rode rodeo in the past. She said her son sustained some scrapes on his face when a sheep rode him into a wall, he came out fine, but that was the end of his short rodeo career.

The event switched to miniature bull riding for the slightly older children as the sun set and the heat turned to cooler breezes. I admired the way the young man on horseback wrangled the bulls after each ride was over. Sometimes they went peacefully and others required a lasso and a bit of dragging.

When the bulls were opposed to going back, even the guys on the ground tried to help. When it became dicey, and the bulls were interested in the rodeo guys, the men hopped the high, metal fences pretty quickly, just as one teenaged rider did after a dismount. I was happy to be way up in the stands.

I reached my peak of thrills, turning my head and praying, and looking back. Thankfully I did not see any serious injuries. Although a bit stressful to watch at times, I really enjoyed the rodeo and seeing the whole farming community come together to support one another.