4 minute read
Gone Wild in the Rolling Hills
Gone Wild in the Rolling Hills
Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser
The weather was absolutely perfect for the annual Hairy Hill Rodeo on July 5 and 6. Announcer Miles Wowk remarked, “It’s some of the nicest weather we’ve had all summer.”
He singled out a couple of ladies from Switzerland who came to see the Wild Horse Race, and said he was “taking names and numbers” to see where they were visiting from. France and Ukraine were a couple of other places mentioned. “We’re like the UN. We welcome one and all.”
Shelby Bianic and Bruce Thompson from Camrose decided to come out to the rodeo after learning Hairy Hill wasn’t all that far from Vegreville where they were going to take in some of the Pysanka Festival. Bruce recalled the time when some of his buddies convinced him to try bull riding at an amateur rodeo in Coronation. Bruce said the bull walked out of the chute, but did not buck, so he got off the bull and never tried that sort of thig again.
Wowk frequently gave shout outs to familiar faces in the crowd, including Hank Holowaychuk who has been involved with the Smoky Lake Stampede for several decades. He also acknowledged the support of volunteers and sponsors as well as Violet Sawchuk aka Rodeo Queen for 34 straight years. It was Violet’s late husband Peter who founded the Hairy Hill Rodeo and served as President of the Hairy Hill Rodeo Association.
While times have changed since its inception, the rodeo stays true to its roots. Wowk said there aren’t that many rodeos around that still feature Wild Horse Races, Wild Pony Races and Wild Cow Milking. Adults, 18 years of age and over also participated in the fun-filled Whiskey Race at the end of each rodeo performance.
Christy Cannan, Secretary-Treasurer of the Hairy Hill Rodeo Association, said, total attendance for the two day event was around 1,800 people with approximately 100 volunteers helping out.
The rodeo also featured a Heavy Horse Pull that had around 14 teams.
Jason Loken team from Alsask, Saskatchewan was crowned Wild Horse Race Champions. Rounding out his team were his two sons Cody and Cory.
There were a total of 309 rodeo contestants. Unofficial Winners were:
Saddle Bronc – Lonnie Dunn
Bareback Riding – Riley Borris
Tie Down Roping – Aaron Mosicki
Steer Wrestling – Travis Reay
Ladies Barrels – Crystal Loughran
Team Roping – David Schmidt and Cole Schmidt
Junior Steers – Levi Robbins
Junior Bull Riding – Keagan Miller
Novice Horse – Quaide Skjonsberg
Junior Barrels – Emily Flatknowski
Pee Wee Barrels – Taydee Bezjack
Christy Cannan, Secretary-Treasurer of the Hairy Hill Rodeo Association, stated, “On behalf of the Hairy Hill Rodeo Association, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for coming out to our rodeo and help us make memories that will last a lifetime. We hope to see everyone next year for our 35th annual rodeo on July 4 and 5.”
