A very busy November has kept me a little tardy on this last post for 2009. A lot of hours were spent in the tractor for my friend MIke Kohlnhofer as I helped them harvest around 1900 of 2400 acres of corn before I had to leave town for Thanksgiving. 

I drove Nicky, my brother Mike, and myself to the Mile High City of Denver for Thanksgiving. My brother Ed (who is a Surgeon at Denver Health, has been a Colorado resident for over 20 years, 17 in Steamboat Springs and the last three in Denver), hosted us for Thanksgiving. My parents also reside in Denver having made the move last May, so a very special time as it had been many years since my whole family was able to get together for any Holiday for quite some time. We had a great time and attended the Christmas Light Ceremony in downtown Denver, dranks some gluwine at the Christmas Market and took in the sites all while enjoying beautiful weather the whole time we were there with near record temps in the mid to upper 60's.

I Drove us all back home in time to pack and head to the Airport the next morning to fly to Las Vegas to attend the PRCA National Convention, and the first few rounds of the Wrangler NFR!

Had a great time at the convention, spending time with committees and some of my colleagues. I attended many parties and receptions that included, the Badlands Circuit Finals, Calgary Stampede, Cheyenne Frontier Days but, I was so honored when I attended the W.P.R.A. reception to be announced  along with many of the elite announcer's of our industry, as a nominee for W.P.R.A. Announcer of the Year. Congrats to Alan Moorehead, and Tim Fuller who were co-announcers of the year.

Well, another year is about to pass on by and I am so blessed to be able to do what I do, and live life doing what I love to do, and that's being involved with the awesome people of the the greatest sport in the world, PRCA Pro Rodeo.

See you in 2010, until then, God bless, and keep safe out there!

Davie

Posted October 26, 2009.

The battles of October are always an entertaining part of the year. The Monday Night Football game on October 5th between the Packers and Vikings was one of the best I have ever seen and fortunately for me the right team came out on top! The Vikings!! The Twins made it interesting battling back to force a tie-breaker game with Detroit to decide the Champions of the American League Central. Nicky and I were lucky enough to score some tickets to go watch an amazing game that took twelve innings to decide. It was awesome to be part of the largest ever regular season crowd in Twins baseball HISTORY over 54,000 screaming homer hankie waving fans. A memorable season even though the Twins lost in the opening round of the Division playoffs to the Yankees.

The second week of October Nicky and I along with Val Lundquist & LeAnn Sanderson decided to make a quick trip up for the Saturday night performance in Minot for the Y's Men's Indoor Rodeo which is host to the Dodge Badlands Circuit Finals. This was our first time to see this event and a very well produced event it was. We were pleasantly surprised to see an award presented to Greg Gunderson (Gundy) flank man for the Sutton Rodeo Co. The award was in recognition of his dedication and service to the sport of professional rodeo.  Gundy was my High School wrestling coach and have known him for over 30 years. Bob Tallman was there announcing the event and enjoyed a very memorable and entertaining visit with him after the performance on Saturday night. We had a great time even though I had to put my winter driving skills to work in October! 

Our next stop was in Brookings, SD for the First Chance Bonanza at the Swiftel Center. We had two great performances, as always it was great to be working with the Sutton family and the crew from the Swiftel Center, the man in charge Tom Richter (Badlands Circuit President & High School Rodeo Buddy), and his right hand man Scott Smith. Jerry Wayne Olson provided the rodeo entertainment and Colin LaMont and Chris Aman (Hodge) fought bulls, Brian Latterner and Amy Means made the trip west. Brian to pick up with Brent Sutton and Amy helped carry flags and shag the cattle during the timed events along with Becca Stevens (SDSU Jackrabbit Stampede Ambassador) and Crystal Carlacio (Miss Rodeo Aberdeen).  We had a great time and really look forward to next year.

I will again be helping my best and life long friend Mike Kohlnhofer and his brothers on their farm in Goodhue county. As soon as it dries out enough I will be putting in plenty of hours at the farm for the corn harvest which is already about three weeks behind due to the weather. 

November will be plenty busy with farming, hunting, and getting ready for the PRCA convention in Las Vegas at The South Point Hotel & Casino. If you are planning on attending the Convention Trade Show... please stop by and say hello, I will  be located in booth #418.

Until next month, God Bless & keep safe out there!

Davie

Posted September 30, 2009.

We started out September at the 3rd Annual Pine City Championship Rodeo in Pine City, MN! The weather was absolutely beautiful for the third straight year! The Heidelberger's; Dale, Rachel, Becky, Dan, & Katie  sure know how to put together one great event!  Huge crowds, and some great entertainment after the rodeo with bands High Noon, and Big Twang who filled in for the Killer Hayseeds. The Killer Hayseeds who have had some bad luck this past summer have been in our prayers with one of it's members recovering from a brain injury sustained in a fall. Good friend and Barrelman Jerry Norton was there with his fire truck, as was Josh Rivinius and Jeff Crouch providing the cowboy protection.

Next we went to Northfield, MN for the Defeat of Jesse James Days. As always great to be working with the Sutton Rodeo crew. We ended up with a house full as we live only about 25 miles North of Northfield. Old bronc rider friends Mike Steiger and Karl Burkholder were in town judging the rodeo and stayed at the house along with Josh Rivinius, who with Colin Lamont fought bulls. Jerry Wayne Olson, and Duane Reichert were the specialty acts. 

Our next stop was to River Falls, WI for the 45th UWRF Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo. Having many friends that are alumnus and being there for many performances in the past, It was great to officially be part of this rich tradition of 45 years and the first college rodeo of the season in the Great Plains Region. Beautiful weather for all 3 performances. Good to see Justin Voght "JV" and Jeff Rector from the Rumford Rodeo crew, Marty & Westin Barnes, who sub contracted the livestock, and Will O'Connell and Lance McIlvain danced around the bulls. Lance also was miced up and did some walk and talk with me during the performances. What  great crowds we had at this event.  UWRF Rodeo Club Advisor Nathan O'Connor,  Head Rodeo Coach Todd Kirschbaum  and UWRF Rodeo Club V.P. Dana Kaye were great hosts.

We spent the final weekend of the month camping at St. Croix State Park near Hinckley, MN. One of Minnesota's largest State Parks at nearly 33,000 acres. The fall colors although not peaking just yet made for some great scenery during our stay. 

Things are starting to slow down for the year, only a few events left on the schedule for 2009. I am actively working on my schedule for 2010 and beyond.

Hunting season is now in full swing and I hope to get out for some time in the stand with my bow this fall before the harvest starts, and hope to be a field after the harvest with some South Dakota pheasant hunts later in the year. 

I will again be attending the PRCA National Convention in Las Vegas, the Trade Show starts on December 1 and runs through December 3rd. If you are planning on stopping in at the Trade Show at the South Point Hotel & Casino I will be in Booth #418 with friend and bullfighter Josh Rivinius. Be sure to stop by and say hello!

Until next time, stay safe out there and God Bless!

Davie

Posted August 31, 2009.

Well, the summer is cruising right along and we find ourselves staring fall, harvest, and the upcoming hunting season right in the face! We started August off with a camping trip to the Whitewater State Park area in S.E. Minnesota. A beautiful park with some moderate to difficult hikes, beautiful scenery from the top of the limestone bluffs and of course the Whitewater river one of Minnesota's great Trout streams. One of the most beautiful parks that we have visited in Minnesota.

Next we traveled to the Catfish Stampede in Onida, SD the Sutton Rodeo Companies home town event. The catfish feed is always something to look forward too, somehow Julie Sutton found out that my birthday was right around the corner and had a birthday cake brought in to celebrate! This event is also held during the Sully County Fair, "South Dakota's Largest Little Fair"! We always enjoy working with the Sutton family as well as Rollie Kemink and the Sully County Fair board  who always makes us feel right at home. Todd Overfield from Dodge Rodeo was on hand again and it is always good to see him and catch up on what's been happening. "Punkintown" Frankie Smith was in town to entertain, and it is always great working with him.

When we got home we greeted Rockin' Robbie Hodges who overnighted from Utah. I ran him to the airport in the morning so he could fly home for a few days and we dog sat Bullet his Pit/Boxer cross for the week. Our Terriers didn't know what to think of Bullet. He is a loveable puppy but, he did manage to eat one of my fishing poles! On Friday morning we picked Robbie back up at the airport and headed to our next event in Rice Lake, WI for a brand new PRCA event, The Barron County PRCA Rodeo. Old friends Jeff Retenmund ,Jarrod Berg and Bruce Crotteau joined forces to bring PRCA rodeo to Rice Lake, WI. We had very impressive crowds and a lot of local support for their first annual event. Rockin' Robbie Hodges provided the comedy and worked the barrel during the bull riding helping bullfighters Ben Meyer and Jeff Crouch.  Fred Boettcher and B.J. Schumacher were on hand and that always adds to the excitement for the loyal Wisconsin rodeo fans. We really look forward to their continued success in Rice Lake, WI.

The following Tuesday we were in Mitchell, SD to get ready for the Miller Lite Bull Bash on Wednesday night. This event is held during Dakota Fest, a  farm show that brings a lot of people from around the mid west into the Mitchell area. This event brings 34 of the top bull riders from the badlands area for a preliminary round with $3000 added and brings the top six back for a bonus round with an additional $2000 up for grabs. We had only 7 qualified rides in the preliminary round, and Jeff Assman of mission who split 2/3rd with an 85 in the preliminary round turned in a beautiful 93 pt effort to win the bonus round with the only qualified ride. Chris Aman "Hodge", Jerry "The Hitman" Norton danced around the bulls in fine fashion keeping the bull riders safe and "Rocket" Ryan Litwin entertained the crowd. 

We ended the month the same way we started it, with a camping trip this time to Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park. This is another park that I have heard so many great things about that we just had to go and see it for ourselves. A very nice park with some great history behind it too. The town of Forestville thrived from the 1850's through the early 1900's when the railroad decided to go around this town forcing many business to close down and eventually the town died. There are many of the old buildings that still remain onsite and the Minnesota Historical Society gives tours during the summer months on the weekends. This park also has probably the best horse camping facilities in the state. A short drive from the campground to Mystery Cave the longest known cave in the state. They have one and two hour tours available. We wanted to take the two hour but were only able to go on the one hour tour due to the traffic that day. Pretty interesting to view the formations and see the size of some of the openings in this cave. Along with those sights this park had lots of scenic hiking trails which gave us a chance to wear down those spunky Jack Russell Terriers!

With the last weekend in September open in our schedule Nicky and I hope to take in another camping trip before the hunting and harvest seasons kick into full swing!

Until next month, God Bless, and stay safe out there! 

Davie

Posted July 30, 2009.

Wow what a July! Nicky and I have been so blessed to have had the best July that we have ever had so far.  We started in Mobridge for the 64th Sitting Bull Stampede Rodeo, an event we have worked for the past six years. It was great getting to see everyone in Mobridge again! Especially Rod Moon, Ross Wientges, Bruce Brekke, Darrell Schlepp and Dean Tisdall.  "Rocket" Ryan Litwin from Montana worked the barrel and provided the comedy,  Alan Dessel and Lance McIlvain danced around the bulls in fine fashion! Rodney Hayes and (Maddi Perry) the Pony Express was the specialty act and the crowd loved them. We did get some rain on two of the three performances but really had a great show on Independence Day  along with an awesome fireworks display after the last performance to celebrate our Nations 233rd Birthday! 

The next morning we had to rush off, stop by home, do some laundry, pick up some equipment that was being repaired at the sound shop and get to Hamel, MN Wednesday afternoon for the Hamel Rodeo & Bull Ridin' Bonanza to get the sound set up. It was our first year to work this event although being very familiar with it as I have ridden there as a contestant many times since it started 29 years ago! Very Proud to finally get to work the Largest PRCA Rodeo in Minnesota! We had five awesome performances with record crowds, the weather was the best I can ever remember having in Minnesota in July! It was just perfect with temps in the mid to upper 70's with low humidity it was just awesome! The Kiesner Family was on hand for the entertainment they are truly an amazing act. Phillip and I have been friends for over 27 years having traveled together as contestants many years ago as well as former roommates. It is always great to see Phillip, Julie, Rider and Roper!

The next Tuesday we were in Mitchell, SD for the Corn Palace Stampede. Our third year working this great rodeo. We set up for the rodeo kickoff party The Rodeo Mixer at the Host Hotel the Ramada Inn. Set up the sound on Weds and had the first of four performances on Thurs night. The temps were unbelievably mild for South Dakota in July and many were grabbing jackets after the performances. I even had to run my furnace one night! The One Arm Bandit (John Payne) himself was the specialty Act, Dennis Halstead worked the comedy and the barrel, and Josh Rivinius and Kaleb Barrett handled the bullfighting duties. We always have a great time in Mitchell and especially with Jim Miskimons, Lance Carson, Dave Sietsema, Kathy Fraser, Jimmie Nicolaus, and the entire committee there!  What a great bunch to be around. I get to go back there again next month for the Miller Lite Bull Bash, so we will get to do it again soon!

The final stop in July was last Saturday at the Grant County Fair in Herman, MN.  We had a real good crowd, nice weather once again! Hippy Englekes was handling the comedy and the barrel, lots of laughs and a good time were had by all. Scott and Jill Berends were out of town watching their son compete at the National High School Finals in Farmington, NM, so Scott's nephew Chris Berends along with pick-up man Mark Gunderson were in charge of the production, and it went really smooth, and had a great rodeo.

Well, with the Buffalo County Fair Rodeo in Kearney, NE cancelled again this year, Nicky and I are going camping for one last leisurely weekend before we get back into full swing next month.

Until then God Bless, keep safe, and Happy Trails!

Davie

Posted June 24, 2009

We are really off and running now it's July 1st next Wednesday already! Well as far as June  we started in Russell, MN and other than the weather had a great time! Nicky was unable to make the trip so, LeAnn Sanderson who had been watching Nicky for a few rodeos ran the music for me and did a great job! Friday the weather was beautiful, and Saturday It was so cold and wet the only time I ever had numb hands from holding on to a microphone! Who would have thought to pack gloves in June? LeAnn was a real trooper hanging in there for one cold and soggy performance!

The Lincoln County Rodeo Days in Merrill, WI was our next stop. A very special place for Nicky and I, as it was our first PRCA event and we have so many great friends from over the years there and it is always great to see them all. The weather was great for the most part. Just a little rain during the perf on Sunday. The 2nd Annual Lincoln County Rodeo Days Golf Classic was a great time too. Wade Kreager and his staff again put together a fantastic event. My foursome made up of Jeremy Muntz, Texas Kid Rodney Hayes and PRCA Photographer Marty Welter made for a very entertaining morning! 11 year old Maddi Perry, of the Pony Express showed a few of us how to hit the ball straight!

The Minnesota High School Finals was our last stop. It was very special as an alumnus to work this finals and see so many sons and daughters of my fellow classmates from back when I was a member. A few sprinkles on Friday and Sunday during the perfs, otherwise a great weekend weather wise. The sky however opened up on us as we were packing the sound system into the trailer on Sunday after the show. On the way home from there we met Rockin' Robbie Hodges and his son Reed and stopped for dinner. They stayed with us for a few days on there way through town and so did bullfighter friend Josh Rivinius. We had a great time and checked out the Water Park of America next door from the Mall of America, we had a great time and a good relief from the heat this week!

Well, July is here and we are so blessed to have the best July scheduled that we have ever had. We will start out in Mobridge, SD for the 64th Sitting Bull Stampede, a great event that we have been privileged to be part of for the past six years, then we will come home to Minnesota for  the Hamel World Championship Rodeo & Bullridin' Bonanza, this will be our first year at Hamel and Nicky and I really look forward to working the Largest PRCA Rodeo In Minnesota, then it's back to South Dakota for the 3rd year to Mitchell's Corn Palace Stampede. We will round out the month with a stop at the Grant County Fair in Herman, MN on July 25.

We will once again be open on the last days of July and first of August, as the Buffalo County Fair in Kearney, NE has not rebuilt their Expo Center yet. Last year a tornado took down the Expo Center  a few weeks before the rodeo was scheduled, we wish them all the best and hope they will once again be hosts to a PRCA rodeo in the near future.

As always stay safe out there, and God Bless!

Davie

Posted May 31, 2009.

Where in the world did May go?? A whirlwind of activity has sped May right on by. The first half of the month I continued helping the Kohlnhofer's plant their corn by putting in long hours in the tractor doing field work,  I also helped put in some drain tile and picked a little rock too on their farm in Goodhue County!  

When the planting was over it was time to get home and get started on my "to do" list around the house before the summer run begins and also try to fit some quality time in for the spring turkey archery season. Spring is always a great time to be in the woods but the archery season here in Minnesota didn't start this year until May 15, which made it pretty tough getting the birds to cooperate. 

Also this past month my brother Ed flew in from Colorado and He, along with my other brother Mike, Nicky, and I, packed up my parents and Ed drove them down in a U-Haul Truck to the Mile High City of Denver Colorado to their new home and that just leaves my brother Mike, Nicky and I left here in Minnesota, as my son Kyle (who graduated from High School last year) is now going to school and living in Hollywood, CA at the Musician's Institute.

Well, next week the summer run begins as June takes us to Russell, MN for the Wagon Stampede, then off to Merrill, WI for the Lincoln County Rodeo Days, then back to Minnesota to Hugo, for the Minnesota State High School Finals Rodeo, as an alumnus I am really looking forward to the High School Finals especially with so many of the parents being alumni as well! Should be plenty of fun so be sure to stop back next month as I will update our travels from June and talk about the upcoming stops in July!

Until then stay safe out there, and God Bless!

Davie

Posted April 20, 2009.

April starts the upward crescendo of events that builds towards the summer run. We have been very fortunate to have been working one of the best regular season college rodeos in the country at South Dakota State for the last 7 years. A near capacity crowd on Saturday night set the stage for an exciting event! This year on Friday night as an added attraction we had the 2nd of 4 stops of the 2009 Saddle Bronc Riders Tour. The bucking horses were brought from Sutton Rodeo, and Mosbrucker Rodeo Companies. 20 Bronc Riders squared off for a very good preliminary round which found Inaugural Saddle Bronc Tour Champion Branden West of Philip, SD with the lead going into the Championship Round with an 84 pt. ride on an NFR saddle bronc horse named Rambo of Sutton Rodeo. When the dust settled in the Championship Round on Stop number 2.  Ty Kennedy of Philip, SD edged neighbor Branden West by 4 pts. with an 86 pt. effort on another NFR saddle bronc from the Suttons, named Ruby. Ty also will be receiving the James Sutton, Sr. Memorial Bronze for winning the Wrangler Bonus Round during the Black Hills Stock Show Rodeo this past February. The Bronze is a warded to the champion Saddle Bronc rider of the Black Hills Stock Show that is either born in South Dakota, or living in the state of South Dakota. The awards ceremony will take place during the 2010 Black Hills Stock Show. Past winners of the bronze include, Robert, Dan & Billy Etbauer 1992, Jesse Bail 2002, Jeff Willert 2003, Jake Costello 2005, JJ Elshere 2007. Ty will be joining a very elite group of bronc riders what a great accomplishment!

This April also provided the opportunity to return to the High Island Arena in Henderson, MN. Dave and Kathy Biron, along with Jodi Wilking and Bryan Ott have been putting on a great event there in April for the past 7 years. Nicky and I were there for the first two years, then scheduling conflicts with SDSU kept us from coming back until the events finally were held on seperate weekends again!  It was so good to see everyone again and really impressed on how much civic involvement there was from the surrounding community. That is a true testament to a very successful event! 

Next week Nicky and I will trade off helping out a friend and fellow colleague Kelly Kenney, by providing music production at the Minnesota Horse Expo Rodeo in St. Paul, MN. It will be great catching up with Kelly as we have not seen him since the convention in Las Vegas. With Turkey season right around the corner we will have plenty to talk about when he gets in town.

The spring planting season is upon us, and once again I will be helping out a dear friend, childhood neighbor, and fellow traveling partner, Mike Kohlnhofer, and his brothers on their farm in Goodhue County.  We have some drain tiling to do and around 2400 acres to plant corn on and about 800 acres of beans. Mike is the one that gets credit for introducing me to the sport of rodeo, he's a former High School All-Around Champion, CNFR qualifier in bull riding and former IFR qualifier in bareback riding.  Well he will  keep me busy on the farm for a while, unless an event comes up that I will have to leave and go work, so if your committee needs an announcer just because it's planting time doesn't mean I am unavailable! Please give me a call!

Stay safe out there, and God Bless!

Davie

Posted March 9, 2009.

We just returned from The North Dakota Winter Show in Valley City, ND. The weather can be brutal up there this time of year but, this year it was actually pretty nice. It was great to see all the committee members of the NDWS again, and is always a pleasure to see Jim Nelson and his crew from Miller Motors. Kavin Kingery was also on hand from Dodge Rodeo. Kavin and I always have great stories to retell about our bronc riding days together years ago.

After a meeting on Friday afternoon  we attended the Neal McCoy concert. I have seen Neal before and really enjoy his show, he is a real first class entertainer and can always learn something from watching someone like him.

The NDWS crew does an amazing job after the concert is over changing the arena over from a big time concert venue to a rodeo arena in time for the first performance at 2:00 p.m. the next afternoon.  Which is amazing from the fact that the F.F.A. cattle  judging takes place from 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and no one can be in the arena when they are.  The first of three performances was Saturday afternoon and had a sell out crowd to get things started! (For all the rodeo results go to www.prorodeo.com)

Bob Aber of Beach, ND has been the rodeo producer for most of the 46 years of rodeo in Valley City. The stock was brought in by two great stock contracting outfits. Sutton Rodeos of Onida, SD, Steve and his wife Kim along with son Bryce were there and it was a nice surprise to see Jim and Julie Sutton there also! Mosbrucker Rodeos out of Mandan, ND also brought livestock and Jim and Kelly Mosbrucker were on hand and is always nice to see them as well. Mike Greenleaf and  Jim Boy Hash from Kansas were there for the pick up duties, and Loyd Ketchum, Al Sandvold and Rocket Ryan Litwin all made the trip from Montana! The specialty act this year was Tommie Turvey! Tommie is an incredible horseman, he and his brother in-law Jamie were awesome to work with and enjoyed working his acts.

It was another great year at the North Dakota Winter Show and really look forward to next years event!

God bless, stay safe, and Happy Trails!

Davie

Posted February 14, 2009.

Well Nicky and I just returned from our first rodeo of the Year "The Black Hills Stock Show Rodeo".  This year the weather was spectacular with temps flirting near 65 degrees a couple of the days we were there! This year Fred Boettcher caught a ride out with us and we had a great time visiting with him on the way out and yes, I even got some driving out of him too! It is always great to see the Sutton family and crew and we are very lucky to get to work with them several times throughout the year. It was also a nice surprise to see Tara Trask working in the Sutton Rodeo Office this year. She did South Dakota so proud, during her reign as Miss Rodeo South Dakota!

The first weekend January 30th kicked off with the Black Hills Stock Show Press Social and the opening performance of The Xtreme Bulls Tour presented by B & W Trailer Hitches. Once again it was great to be working with the crew from Winnercomm, Sam Dunn, David Sharp, and Mike Oliver. Boy, can these guys put a great production together! Todd Richenbach and his Wife did an awesome job with the pyro! The pyro was the most spectacular that I can recall in the 4 years that Nicky and I have been going there. John Payne and Keith Isley were there and always great to be able to work with such great professionals, as well as Bullfighters, Loyd Ketchum, Chris "Hodgie" Aman, and close friend Josh Rivinius. Bronc Rumford and Mike Greenleaf were also on hand with Brent Sutton doing the pick-up chores.

The second BHSS Annual Saddle Bronc Match was held on Saturday afternoon January 31st and we ended up with 36 bronc riders with broncs from the Burch, Burns, Mosbrucker, Southwick's Rocky Mountain Rodeo, and Sutton Rodeo Companies. The top 8 from the long round came back for the Championship round that was held between the 2nd go and the short go of the Xtreme Bull Finals Saturday night. For the 2nd straight year Branden West of Philip, SD was the Champion Saddle Bronc Rider! Saturday night the Winnercomm crew was all set up and the TV cameras were in place for the Xtreme Bulls Tour Finals. Bobby Welsh started the year off on the right foot by winning the event! It was a great show and will be televised on ESPN2 Sunday March 1st @ 11:00 a.m. central time. (Check local listings for changes)

On Sunday afternoon it was time for one of my favorite events of the Black Hills Stock Show the 7th Annual South Dakota High School 20X Extreme Showcase Rodeo. This rodeo takes the top 3 contestants from the 3 regions of the South Dakota High School Rodeo Association and gives them an opportunity to not only compete in a special setting for some great prizes but also a chance to compete in front of the watchful eyes of many top recruiting college rodeo programs throughout the country. A college rodeo fair is also part of the mornings festivities and continues to grow in size each and every year.

After the weekend it was time for Nicky and I to recharge our batteries as we ventured into the Black Hills State Forest Area on Monday for some exercise fresh air and a chance to try to wear down our 2 very energetic Jack Russell Terriers (Dixie & LuLu). We hiked along the Flume Trail which is part of the Historic Centennial Trail system. The scenery was beautiful and was much closer to town then Custer State Park where we have been going in the past few years. 

On Tuesday Nicky and I walked around the trade show at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center and saw many neat things that I will hopefully remember later for Christmas! After the trade show we went to the airport to pick up Wayne Brooks and get to work on the second weeks events the 1st stop on "The Wrangler Million Dollar Silver Tour" The Black Hills Stock Show Rodeo! Wayne has been great to work with and I have enjoyed his friendship and have learned a lot working next to him the past few years in Rapid City.

Wednesday we took in a little of the KBHB Bucking Horse and Bull Sale, then back off to The Black Hills for another adventurous hike with the Dogs before it gets too busy, and then back to Rapid City for the Bucky Covington, Sawyer Brown Concert. Steve and Kim Sutton invited us all up to a suite to enjoy some fellowship and a great concert before the busy weeks festivities began. A great time was had by all especially the crew who sat down below really whooped it up during a great concert.

Thursday brought us the 1st of 6 rodeo performances each with a different opening theme Thursday was, TEWP Night! Friday afternoon was the Mane hold bareback riding, Friday night celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Company Cowboys. After the rodeo Wayne, Nicky and I went to the Radisson on Friday night to hang out and visit with (one of my rodeo Idols) Monty "Hawkeye" Henson and his sidekick Pat York who were entertaining in the bar downstairs. On Saturday afternoon we highlighted 3x World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider and Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer, Monty "Hawkeye" Henson. Saturday Night it was all about dreams, kids, the future of rodeo, highlighted with an inspirational speech by 6x All-Around World Champion Trevor Brazile. Sunday was all about something different with some pyro and a motorcycle.

I've always said that once it starts it's over with in a hurry, and this year seemed no different. The quickest 11 days you'll ever experience! A great event and so nice to be back were we are treated so nice, and made feel at home each year! The staff at the Country Inn & Suites treats us like Family and we always look forward in seeing them every year! So if you need a place to stay when you're in Rapid City stop in the County Inn & Suites and tell them I sent you!

Well this is a long enough story for my first one, I could have put more into it but that's long enough!

Until next time, stay safe and Happy Trails!

Davie & Nicky Kimm