|
Panola County
|
|
Panola County
|
|
|
Caravan Leaves Friday To Advertise County Rodeo
Parade Scheduled for 10 East Texas Towns; Call Issued for More Horses, Riders, Autos
The Panola County rodeo to be held here August 21, 22, and 23, will get a big plug all day Friday when a Good Will Caravan headed by SonWalker will tour the East Texas area. Plans call for the caravan to leave Carthage at 8 a.m. promptly. Those to make the trip are requested to be on hand not later than 7:30. The caravan will be assembled at the C.W. Reeves Motor Service on the Marshall highway.
Towns to be visited include Marshall, Longview, Kilgore, Henderson, Mt. Enterprise, Timpson, Gary, and Beckville. Other towns may be included in the itinery if time will permit.
Riders are requested to bring their horses to the assembly area early. Large cattle trucks will carry the animals. The riders will travel in passenger cars.
A call has been issued for anyone who wants to make the trip in their car...even if they do not wish to ride...to be present. Caravan Marshall Walker hopes to have a long string of cars in the caravan.
Mr. Walker has requested that drivers of cars please take a place in the line of cars and not try to pass anyone.
Final touches have been put to the new rodeo arena that has been built on the fair grounds. Portable bleachers have been rented from Baylor University and are now in process of being erected.
Bob Estes of Baird, Texas, who is recognized throughout the nation as a former champion cowboy and now rodeo producer, is in charge of the rodeo and of Panola County wild west rodeo. He promises spirited livestock and some of the toughest bucking stock in the nation. He guarantees thrills and spills.
A lot of local Panola County talent will also be seen in action. Several local cowboys are planning to enter some of the events.
Forest Roberts is president of the local rodeo association. He is assisted by C.T. Parker, Sam Walker, John Neal, Neal Powers, Don Martin, Frank Payne and many others.
August 28, 1952
Three Day Rodeo Proves Success; Big Attendance
Carthage and Panola County people were at their most cooperative best for the first annual Panola County rodeo which closed Saturday night after three rip roaring days of rodeo and the spirit of the old West prevailing. Large crowds attended the three night program and responded enthusiastically to a surprising efficiently produced and thrilled packed rodeo.
Bob Estes, well known rodeo performer, who provided the livestock and was in over all charge of the local rodeo, left no stone unturned in giving local customers their money's worth. The livestock was spirited, vicious and, if anything, above standard. Estes and his crew did a smooth, well oiled, highly professional job in putting on the first big western show for Panola County.
The rodeo had everything in the way of thrills, comedy, skill, beauty in animals and performances, and in real danger. The Gregg County Quadrille Saturday night climaxed the three day show with a pleasing an spectacular exhibition.
An escaped Brahma Bull that mingled with the East side grand stand crowd Friday night added and unscheduled thrill.
Final results for bareback bronco riding:
First Place: Joe Vinas, Spring, TX
Second Place: Bernis Johnson, Cleburne
Third: Clyde Martin, Port Arthur
Calf Roping Finals: (average on three trials)
First: Billy Lucas, Kilgore, 57.5
Second: Laverne Perry, Shreveport, 63 seconds.
Third: James Baldwin, Tenaha, 63.1
Fourth: Elgin Horton, Kilgore,
RCA-Approved Rodeo Opens Three-Night Show Thursday
Top Cowboys Are Due Here
A parade at 4 p.m. Thursday featuring several hundred horses and riders will officially launch the RCA-approved rodeo here.
First of three performances of the rodeo, produced by Jim Shoulders, will be at 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Other performances are scheduled for the same time on Friday and Saturday. Sponsored by the Panola County Cattlemen's Association, several thousands of dollars in prize money will be offered. A $1,500 purse has been put up by the association to be added to the cowboys' entry fees for the total prize money. Last year at the rodeo, with the same purse, 131 contestants competed for $400 [sic] in prize money. This was part of the $3.8 million won that year at 533 RCA-sanctioned rodeos.
E. L. Oates, parade marshal, said the parade would start at the Baker-Koonce schools. It will wind its way through the downtown business district of Carthage. Riding clubs from throughout the East Texas area will be entered. In addition, there will be several floats in the parade. Activity scheduled for the remainder of the week includes a ten-mile relay, a shoot out on the square, coronation of the rodeo queen, and a pet show for children.
The ten-mile relay race is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday. Riding clubs in the county will start from ten miles out and race towards the square in relays. The winning team will be awarded prizes. The old-fashioned shoot out on the square is set for 9 a.m. Friday.
The pet show is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday on the square. The show will be limited to small animals. Prizes will be awarded for the prettiest pet, the oddest pet, smallest pet, smartest pet, and ugliest pet. Also included in the activities of the week will be a tobacco spitting contest. This event will be in Anderson Park in downtown Carthage. A prize will be awarded to the individual who can spit the fartherest. Officials said there will be no prizes awarded to the individuals who become sick from chewing the tobacco.
Highlight of the rodeo performance Thursday night will be coronation of the rodeo queen. They are Sandra Nail, representing the 4-H Boots and Saddle Club; Liz Dupriest, representing the Carthage Riding Club; Diane Erwin, representing the Quarter Horse Association; and Pam Brazzell, representing the Sabine Riding Club. A panel of judges will select the winner and she will be crowned during the Thursday night performance of the rodeo.
Performances or the rodeo are set for 8:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Prize money will be awarded at the climax of the rodeo Saturday night.
All activities of Western Week are being sponsored by the Panola County Cattlemen's Association which is also sponsoring the rodeo.
Rodeo Action Climaxes Western Week Activities
Western Week activities were scheduled to wind-up Saturday evening with the final round of professional rodeo action sponsored by the Panola County Cattlemen's Association.
(Results of Thursday's competition in bull riding, barrel racing, saddle bronco riding, steer wrestling, calf roping and bareback riding are published in the sports section of this edition.)
Rodeo events started with a parade through the downtown Carthage area with scores of entries vying for cash prizes. Winner of the $75 first prize was a western-theme float entered by Harris Chapel with the $50 second prize was won by a stagecoach entered by Mr. and Mrs. John McClard.
Thursday's activities began with a two-team relay race to the Carthage square. The team of Squeaky Works, Wanda Works, Bodie Works, and Aaron Neely and Sanoma McClard won the $200 purse for the winning team. Riders on the competing team were Tammye Hudson, Carroll Kyle , Bruce Johnson, Chris Bell and Jeff Kyle.
The race was followed by a hamburger cookout and contest to entertain a large gathering at the square. Lindsey Reid won the prettiest cowgirl contest while Chuck Wright won the ugliest cowboy contest. The 12 and under division of the horse shoe pitching contest was won by Andy Fagen while Jerry Arnold won the 13 and over division. The Frisbee contest was won by Ty Langston in the 12 and under division and Joey Stanley won the 13 and over division. Leisa Gary took top honors in arm wrestling of the heavy weight women's division while Sanoma McClard was the winner in the middle weight women's division. Men's heavy weight division was won by Mike Massey while Larrah Wright was victorious in the middle weight division. Joe Green took top honors in the boys division.
Tammye Hudson's effort of 13 feet 7 inches captured the women division title in the tobacco spitting contest and Kirk Crawford scored 16 feet 9 inches to capture the men's title. Kelly Grant emerged the winner of the bubble gum blowing contest in the women's division while Joe Green captured the men's title. An added bonus Thursday was live coverage of the Western Week activities by radio station KWKH from Shreveport, LA.
The week-long festivities opened with a western dance at the American Legion Hall on Aug. 2, followed by a horse show and selection of the rodeo queen. Linda Stough, on Aug. 3. An open jackpot bull riding event was held on Aug. 4, along with two junior events, jackpot bull riding and calf roping, for contestants age 19 and under.
Pet parade at the Carthage square was staged Aug. 6, for youngsters age 10 and under. Danyel Moreland's hamster was judged as best dressed, Mindy Hooper entered the best cat and Jana Cole entered the best dog. The most unusual pet was a ferret entered by Tracey Stephens while the best trick award was shared by pets owned by Brian Murff and Shannon Cox. Also on Wednesday was a square dance at Buddie's parking lot.
Robbie Reminisces Of His Rodeo Days
Robbie LaGrone will participate in the 26th Annual Cattlemen's Association Rodeo only as a spectator, but time was when he would have dared the bucking broncs. "I was the very first man to ride in the rodeo arena built in 1950," reminisced LaGrone. In the first rodeo in 1950 LaGrone was the only local man to ride, the others being RCA riders. "Since I was the only local man they let me ride first", says LaGrone. The cowboys drew for horses and LaGrone drew a high spirited horse named Rumble Seat. "The qualifying time was 8 seconds, but I only stayed on for 6 seconds; but the next year I managed to stay on for the full time," says LaGrone.
In 1950 LaGrone the youthful 23-year-old-businessman, operated a grocery store at Riderville. "My family and I lived in rooms behind the store and were really tied down, so on weekends I would go out rodeoing in places like Gilmer, Marshall, Mansfield. I rodeoed for two or three years as well as drive hot rods at Hallsville," says LaGrone.
When asked if he wouldn't like to try his skill with a bucking horse again, LaGrone chuckled and said, "I don't think I could take the hard falls anymore. I'll leave that to the younger fellows and I will just watch."
Hats Off! to Ronnie LaGrone, Joy Hooker, and Miranda Broussand for this information.
Contact Webmaster
03/21/05
