NORWICH – After a week of carnival rides, games and fried food, the Chenango County Fair has packed up and moved out for another year, but this summer fairgoers got an extra treat, as a group of cowboys and girls came to town.
Friday night, the grandstand was filled with onlookers, eager for the sights and sounds of rodeo. Riders from Fabius, Plattsburgh and as far as California came to participate in the events. The first had contestants riding bare-back on bucking horses. The spectators watched as numerous cowboys were unseated, and nearly trampled by the excited animals.
In between events, a stunt rider performed dangerous tricks for the crowd, culminating as she stood on top of a galloping horse, carrying the U.S. flag as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In the USA” blasted from the speakers.
The bull riding was next, and the spectators were equally enthralled as rider after rider attempted the difficult feat. It may have come as a surprise to some people, that this competition is no longer just for boys. Amanda Martin held her own, as the rodeos only lady bull rider. Martin, a young teen from Hobart, has been riding bulls for two years and says that she loves the excitement of the crowd. This summer, she traveled to many local fairs to participate in their rodeos, but her first bull riding experience took place in her own backyard.
“One day my cousin and I were in the field behind my house,” she said. “I saw my sister’s bull, and I said, ‘You hold it and I’ll jump on it.’” She has been riding bulls ever since. Martin was accompanied by friends who had come from Westchester and Walton to watch her compete.
Martin’s friends were not the only out of towners to come to the event. Whitney Cole and Alex Kinter came from Conklin to watch.
“My favorite part is watching the riders waiting to go,” Whitney said.
Of course no rodeo is complete without a clown, and this was no exception. In between the riding cowboys, the crowd was entertained by the comical actions of the rodeo clown. Jerod Cole, also of Conklin, was thoroughly entertained by the clown who was spraying baby powder on people’s backs as they passed by.
“It’s just fun to come to,” he said.
The cowboys were not the only people who had a chance to compete. There was also a kid’s rodeo, which involved small children from the crowd. Five children who had been signed up before the rodeo began came out of the stands and had the chance to ride a goat around the arena for the chance to win a new bike.