I worked at the Oakley Fourth of July rodeo cooking dinner on slack night before the rodeo begins, and also breakfast the next morning. Slack night is for the cowboys who couldn’t make it into the main rodeo days. We served ham, eggs, hash browns, pancakes, coffee, and juice.
The Oakley Rodeo is a favorite among the competitors because of the absolutely beautiful setting and tradition having started way back in 1930. The entire rodeo is put on by volunteers of the community.
All I heard from the cowboys was “thank you,” “appreciate it,” “yes sir” — nothing but respect, even though I still have to adjust to being called “sir.”
What I really witnessed above all was the feeling of pride for the American flag, the show of respect and patriotism for all the audience, all the competitors and most of all, our country. The rodeo is a sold-out event, and competitors and the visitors come from near and far.
What I didn’t witness was any thing negative, any fights, any strong words, any bullies, anybody putting anyone down, any sign of hate.
If you really want to see a real slice of what our country is about, book tickets to the next Oakley rodeo. This is the real America and if you want to be and live like a real American, listen to your heart and gut and don’t allow anyone to tell you any different.
Real Americans don’t put people down. They build people up, they help their neighbor, their community, their country, they lend a hand. It doesn’t matter where the individual came from or what language they speak or what they believe in.
We are all cowboys at heart. We work hard, we play hard, and we dream the America Dream. We have a lot of pride and we stand tall together.
Gary Goog Beroset
Oakley