After three back-to-back blizzards in the Black Hills, I was ecstatic to make my next trip to the Clark County Fair & Rodeo in Logandale, NV, which is also host to the Miss Rodeo Nevada Pageant. My first day in Nevada started in sunny Las Vegas where Miss Rodeo Wyoming, Miss Rodeo Montana, Miss Rodeo Nevada, Miss Teen Rodeo Nevada and I toured many different places. We started at Child Haven, where we had the opportunity to meet with children that are waiting to be placed into foster homes. Our next stop was Opportunity Village, where we toured the facilities and met with the various workers. Our day ended at Nellis Air Force Base where the visiting queens and I were given the VIP tour of the air force base. We toured the weapons training museum, the jet hangers, the helicopters, and we even walked out onto the runways! A special thank you to Christopher Smith at Nellis Air Force Base who educated us about the Air Force. To all of the Air Force men and women, I applaud them for their service to our country.
The next day we started the morning at the Mesquite Rotary Meeting, where each state queen spoke about her favorite experience so far as a rodeo queen. We then ventured to Mesquite’s Highland Manor Nursing Home to visit with the residents. I truly enjoyed meeting with all of the residents and learning about their pasts. We then ventured to the first performance of the Clark County Rodeo. Each night we were introduced during the grand entry. A very special thank you to Flint Hempstead for allowing me to borrow one of his pickup horses for each grand entry.
Friday morning, we headed back to Las Vegas for the orientation portion of the Miss Rodeo Nevada Pageant. It was so wonderful to meet all of the contestants, they each did an outstanding job competing for the title. After orientation we had a fabulous lunch in the healing gardens of St. Rose Dominican Hospital. We then toured the hospital and met with several patients.
Saturday morning brought a down pouring rain. The visiting queens and I warmed up the horses for the Miss Rodeo Nevada Horsemanship. After the horsemanship portion of the contest, Tom & Cathy Collins treated us to a tasty lunch at their ranch. After drying off, we modeled for the fashion show back at the fairgrounds. We were then treated to a barbeque dinner complete with our own impromptu country singer who sang about every rodeo queen present!
On Sunday morning, we spent some time soaking up the sun outside and packing for our travels home, but not before one more spectacular rodeo performance. During the performance on Easter Sunday, they crowned the new 2009 Miss Rodeo Nevada. Congratulations to Andrea Lynch, I look forward to representing our states together in 2009! A huge thank you to Anna Bavor, Miss Rodeo Nevada 2008, you did an amazing job this past year. I am so happy I got to spend a few months with you as a state queen, and to make a long lasting friend. Finally, thank you to the Miss Rodeo Nevada Association, especially Joanna Alvarado and Melanie Mooney, for hosting the visiting state queens, it was an unforgettable trip!
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