Cascade Celebrates Rodeo Week

The sleepy little town of Cascade came alive this weekend, bustling with activities as it hosted the 10th Annual Cascade Pro Rodeo. Festivities began Friday evening with the Farmers Market's "Rodeo Weekend". The Market saw more vendors and more people, due to nicer weather and the rodeo being in town. This week, the Market featured the C. M. Russell Museum as the Guest Gallery. Cascade-Romero was the featured "food truck" located inside the Wedsworth Hall, offering chicken and fajita plates, aguas frescas, quesadillas, frozen mangonadas and fresas con crema. (How's that for your Spanish lesson?) Great music was provided by Trent Brooks for everyone's enjoyment. This week's sponsor was the Missouri River Bar & Grill.

Saturday morning started out with the Cowboy Breakfast at the Cascade Senior/Community Center from 9:00 to 11:30 am. This delicious breakfast for a donation, consisting of biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage links, scrambled eggs and pancakes, promised to fuel you up for the rest of a very full day.

Lance "Woodrow" Dubois, local cowboy artist, poet, and author of his new book, "Woodrow's Western Wisdom - Looking Back", was at the C.M "Charlie" and Nancy Russell Honeymoon Cottage to read some of his poetry to the community and rodeo fans. His book was available for anyone wishing a signed copy.

Around noontime, the community came out to line First Street, in anticipation of the Rodeo Parade; after all, what's a rodeo celebration without a parade? Kids carried their bags, ready to gather the candies they associate with parades, everyone searching the north end of the street for any sign of a parade.

Then, with the blast of the siren, the parade begins! There were cowgirls on horseback, Rodeo Queens, vintage cars, old tractors, fire engines (anybody else get squirted with water?), the Cascade football teams, and the high school reunion classes of 1964 and '74. Nothing like a parade to remind some of us of the good old days and put a smile on our faces . Thank God for towns that still carry on this tradition!

Finally, after the rodeo of course, came the street dance. The block beween the Cascade Senior/Community Center was blocked off to traffic to facilitate the street dance. Live country music played to a large crowd, everyone having a good time. I was happy to see and talk with some former students. The Driftwood and the Angus were packed! I walked around trying to take some pictures, but unfortunately, the flash in my camera would not cooperate. I did take some, though. I didn't stay too long; old folks need their sleep you know. Still, I could hear the music from my house as I eventually dozed off into "la-la land". All in all, it was a great day.