Rodeo represents a return to normalcy

Historians are already compiling the early drafts of their version of “2020: A Year In Crisis,” when a killer pandemic swept across the globe and shut down or altered for months our daily activities.

But each new day brings us closer to normalcy and the way things used to be. That was apparent during four days in Springdale, where a rodeo that began in 1944 returned to Parsons Stadium after a one-year hiatus because of covid-19.

Cheers from the large crowds at the Rodeo of the Ozarks suggested how much we needed this. I needed this and nothing was going to spoil my fun, even when a horse raised his tail near me and made a fresh deposit that overwhelmed the smell of the foot long hot dog I held in my right hand.

I continued eating anyway, without hesitation.

Hundreds of fans strolled through the gates to witness the competition and enjoy a night of music, fun, and patriotism that should make us all proud to be an American. And where else but a rodeo can you hear a prayer over the public address system for the athletes, both the two-legged and four-legged kind? Nowhere that I’m aware.

But just as important as what we saw is what we didn’t see.

I didn’t see folks arguing over wearing masks.

I didn’t see folks haggling over social distancing.

And I didn’t see anyone kneeling in protest before the flag of the United States of America. That’s for sure.

I stood initially on the west side of Parsons Stadium near where four Amish girls with tiny white bonnets atop their heads sat together. They were quiet and reserved until the grand entry and I was pleased to see the smiles appear on their faces when I passed by minutes later.

I fell in love with the rodeo years ago when I traveled with friends to an event in Sikeston, Mo., and met Lecile Harris, king of the rodeo clowns, for the first time. I got to know Lecile even more when he performed at a rodeo in my home town of Caraway on the July 4th holiday weekend. So I was saddened, like thousands of other rodeo fans, when Lecile died after performing last year at a rodeo in Jackson, Miss. He was 83.

Rodeo clowns are a huge part of the entertainment and Keith Isley did an excellent job of keeping fans engaged, especially during slack time between events. I’ve heard about every joke in the arena but I still laughed when Isley said his wife asked if he was related to some ugly people the couple had just met.

“Yes,” he said. “They’re my in-laws.”

Or, “Look at the bull,” Isley began after a 2,000-pound animal tossed a rider easily off his back. “That’s a nice bull. That’s a cute bull. That’s the kind of bull you want to take. ….. to your neighbor’s house.”

A lady sitting behind me laughed loudly at every joke, and there were plenty. But the cowboys and cowgirls, they’re always the main attraction that keeps fans coming back.

I’ve covered a lot of sporting events where fans cheer for one side or the other and they all dislike the referees. But rodeo fans are in unison for their support for folks brave enough to get out there and compete. We gasp, especially during the bull riding events when one wrong move by a cowboy after being thrown can result in serious injury or even death. But there were no serious injuries during the nights I was at Parsons Stadium, thank goodness.

The rodeo is a generational event and I’ve interviewed cowboys in their 40s and 50s and cowgirls in their teens and 20s. It was fitting to see as I walked out kids approach the Rodeo Rounders, who entertain us with their routines on horseback, for autographs at the end of the night.

And I have a message for the horse that tried to ruin my supper: Globs of mustard on a piece of meat can mask a lot of smells, even the one you pointed my way.

See you next year.