Is there anyone who doesn’t like the annual Saddle Horse Show
and Rodeo or the parade and block party that precede it?
Is there anyone who doesn’t like the annual Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo or the parade and block party that precede it?
It’s possible, but by far the majority of the county looks forward to it for months before being held at Bolado Park.
Following the Saddle Horse Show Parade on Thursday night, most locals are caught up in it for the rest of the weekend. Cowboys practice the three R’s of riding, racing and roping, cowgirls demonstrate their skills on horseback, and even pre-schoolers get caught up in it.
This weekend marks its 70th staging – World War II interrupted it for four years during the 1940s – and although the crowds have grown over the years, the community spirit that dominated the first one when a group of early residents decided in 1929 to put on a day or two of fun for the hard-working ranchers, cowboys and farmers and their families is still evident.
This spirit has carried from generation to generation and is evident today in men and women like Ed Stephenson, president of the Saddle Horse Association Board of Directors; Reb Monaco, first vice president; Charlie Tobias, second vice president; Fulton Picetti, secretary-treasurer, Dave Brigantino, Randal Brooks, Don Marcus, Vern Scattini, all directors, and Kelly Ferreira, manager, and Ann Strickland, just a few of the people on a list too long to mention who all help carry on a tradition unique to our community.
This weekend is more than animals bucking and cowboys hitting the dust, more than the cheering or rising applause when a contestant bulldogs a steer in record time or throws a perfect Figure-8 in the roping events.
To us the rodeo represents an age when life was more straightforward, of being able to depend on a friend’s word, or when neighbors helped each other out when the going got tough.
The rodeo grew from riders showing their skills at the end of spring round-up. Ours is one of the best small ones left and it is uniquely ours. We are proud of it and hope to keep it for years.
It gives us the opportunity to do what we like best, to mingle with friends we often do not see the rest of the year, and to participate in or watch the contests.
It is ours – and we love it. We’ll see you at the parade in downtown Hollister on Thursday and again this weekend at Bolado Park, and get a warm feeling at knowing you will be somewhere in the crowd.
