18th Annual Chuckwagon Races
August 29-31, 2003
Let me tell what I found going on up in Clinton, Arkansas. We followed the
signs off Highway 65 until we ran into a great big canyon, rolling hills,
beautiful mountains and five thousand campsites with Lord only knows how
many mules, horses and younguns. We were at
the 18th Annual National Chuckwagon Races! That smiling
couple in the second picture would be the founders of the big event, Dan and
Peggy Eoff.
Every year for the two weeks leading up to Labor Day weekend, cowboys and
their families from all over gather to camp in the bottomland. I realized
these folks were serious when we mounted up and headed back to Newt's
campsite, crossing the shallow part of the Snowy River with a parade of
horses, pickups, mules, Suburbans, and Lincolns going both ways. Obviously,
getting there was important; mode of transportation was not. Check out the
zebradonkeys, aren't they cute? Oh, and the last shot in this line is
Newt's Camp.
Thousands pay to come and sit on the great rock outcroppings and watch these
cowboys compete! That's Papa and Me beneath the shade of our cowboy hats and
Mama, Cyndie and Me standing on the bluff. The opening ceremonies are complete with a patriotic show
that warmed my little old heart. Especially when the master of ceremonies
mentioned PFC James Rushing Guenard--thanking him for his current role in
Iraq. (For those of you new to the porch, that's my nephew, Rusty. His mom
had emailed the founder telling him how that Rusty had emailed her from Iraq
saying he was going to miss the Chuckwagon races--but especially the patriotic
display. We didn't know they were going to recognize him. It was a fine moment
for his parents.)
Friday night was a lot of fun. T.G. Shepherd entertained the crowd. Cyndie
and I fit right in with the cowboy crowd!
Saturday morning Newt took me around the whole place to meet and greet. It
was fun! There were all sizes of cowboys there from the big ones to the small
ones. Oh--and earlier that week, Newt joined up with all the other cowboys
to take a picture for the Guiness Book of World Records for the largest
gathering of people on horseback. Here's Cyndie and Newt on Little Man and
me on Princess. In the next pic Newt is shown with a couple of Rusty's friends,
Stacey and Lacey. (I wanted Rusty to be able to see this picture from Iraq.)
The sweet boys in the last couple shots are just some trail friends I met.
They come in all sizes as you can see!
But, back to the competition! These cowboys gather around temporary
fencing that's holding a mad, buckin' bronco, and take turns climbing on
and trying to stay on, opening the gate onto hardpacked ground--not six or
eight inches of tilled arena soil. And no fencing, this horse is free to
buck and snort all over the bottomland. And then come the wagon races--straight
out of the Wild, Wild West. They race in three man teams, one in the back of
the wagon, one holding the reins and one serving as outrider. That's the lone
figure on horseback who has to put out the campfire at the starting gun, mount
his horse, catch up and cross the finish line ahead of his friends in the
wagon-- or they don't win. This all happens at breakneck speed as they head
towards hairpin curves where many a wagon rolls, sending bodies flying
everywhere. The folks that manage to stay upright, don't pay those folks no
nevermind 'til the race is done. *grin*
And then there's the snowy river race. Cowboys on horseback race their
mounts up the mountain and down the mountain and urge 'em into the stream,
where they swim to the other end, climb out and hightail it for the finish
line. Here's a shot of the beautiful Snowy River where it all happens. I just
wasn't Johnny on the spot with my camera for the big moment. Sorry...
All this and a line of vendors selling fried fish, onions blossoms
and kettle corn. I'm telling you, I'll be back there next year, for the
19th Annual National Chuckwagon Races. Heck, if I can talk Cyndie and Rhonda
into it, I might even be in one of those wagons with "Bull Run Road Gang" gang
painted on the canvas. Yeeee-haaaaaw!
Hugs,
Shellie
