Celebrating Queen’s Reign

LINCOLN —Courtney Bilderback won the 2014 Lincoln Riding Club rodeo queen contest and fulfilled her duties with poise in presiding over the 2015 Lincoln Rodeo.

The 25- year- old Tontitown cowgirl was very articulate introducing candidates for queen, junior queen, princess, little mister and little miss during competi- tions at the Hitching Post in Northwest Arkansas Mall on June 9 and at the Lincoln Community Center on the town square on June 10. She responded to a challenge and got involved in demonstrating her prowess at line dancing on stage with 2014 LRC princess Tabor Lewis, then took to the street dance kicking up her heels with the contestants and royalty alike.

As a young girl, Bilderback dreamed of the day when she could ride across the arena like the rodeo queens she admired, a dream which began to take shape four years ago when she joined drill teams and began performing at rodeos. Two years ago, she joined the Regulators, Lincoln Riding Club’s own drill team and last year competed and won the title of 2014 Miss Lincoln Riding Club rodeo queen. Once Bilderback was able to be a part of the events she realized she wanted nothing more than to make the crowd happy.

“The enjoyment I get out of being in the arena and heart pounding with excitement makes all the hard work and stressful moments worth it,” Bilderback said.

Her reign came to a conclusion on Saturday, final night of the rodeo, when Haylie West, of Prairie Grove, was named 2015 Miss Lincoln Riding Club.

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Lassoing the queen. Courtney Bilderback, 2014 Lincoln Riding Club rodeo queen, finds herself snared in the lasso of 2015 Little Mister, four-year-old Colton Workman.