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LGRA WEEKEND AT THE WOODS!
MAY 21 - 23, 2010
Members, friends and all those who love country western will
be heading to The Woods Campground. So grab your hat, dust off those bootsand
come join us for a blast in the country...
The first country weekend
of this year's season at The Woods campground will once again be hosted by the
LGRA. Weekend events will include:
- Poolside Tea Dance
- Beer Bust
- Specialty and Jello Shots
- Dance Lessons
- Live Entertainment
Many of have already
reserved cabins, trailers, and tent sites so make your reservation today via The Woods Campground website. We
can't wait for a weekend and away and looking forward to seeing y'all there!
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Letter from the President
As Spring approaches LGRA is looking to get back on track with its
membership. Over the past few months there have been many rumors about
the status of LGRA and its future in Philadelphia. I would like to lay some of
these rumors to rest so we can move onward and upward. First and foremost
this past years economic state was devastating on LGRA's finances. This
with added issues made for a very rough year.
The biggest contributor to this was the lack of attendance at the 2009 Stampede
and evening dances. The question we keep asking ourselves is where was the
support from our community/membership. The rodeo itself was well designed
by its volunteers and brought in a great line up of competitors from across the
country. The lack of interest or support was devastating for such a
costly event. This along with the financial status and lack of volunteers is
why LGRA will not be putting on a 2010 Stampede but are looking into future
years to rethink this.
The next issue we are dealing with now is the lack of new/renewal memberships.
The LGRA cannot exist without the membership and we are working hard on getting
back your support. This year we are attempting to focus more on events and
social gatherings to bring the membership together. Along with membership is
the need for volunteers. Over the past few years the same core group has giving
up much of their time and lives to run this association. Some of them needed to
step down to focus on their own lives, so now more than ever LGRA needs new
volunteers to help the association grow.
Your present board is confident that LGRA is here to stay and is
looking forward to a great year. Many events have already been put into the
works and there will be plenty more to come. If you would like to get more
involved with LGRA or have ideas/events you would like to see happen please
contact us.
Jeff Bolognese, President
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Spring in the Old West
It was finally spring in the old west and a
cowboy decided to get off the ranch so he decided to ride into town and stop at
the local saloon for a drink. Unfortunately, the locals always had a habit of
picking on newcomers. When he finished his beer, he found his horse had been
stolen. He went back into the bar, handily flips his gun into the air, catches
it above his head and without even looking he fires a shot into the ceiling.
"Who stole my horse?" he yelled with surprising forcefulness.
No one answered.
"I'm gonna have me another beer
and if my horse ain't back outside by the time I'm finished, I'm gonna do what
I dun back in Texas, and I don't want to have to do what I dun back in
Texas!"
Some of the locals shifted
restlessly.
He had another beer, walked outside, and his horse was back! He saddled
up and started to ride out of town. The bartender wandered out of the bar and
asked, "Say partner, what happened in Texas?" The cowboy turned back and said, "I had
to walk home!"
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 Trustee Report
Fellow members,
I hope that everyone has had a good winter, and but I'm sure
that like me, you're ready for the spring already! First I want to thank you for your support of our
organization, and hope to build on that as the year progresses. Last year was
tough, especially with the cancellation of one day of Liberty Stampede, but the
people I've spoken with throughout the IGRA world had a lot of good things to
say about Philly and our hospitality.
This coming year, LGRA plans for the moment do not include a
rodeo in Philadelphia, but that doesn't cut off the opportunities for our
members to get involved in rodeo and the country-western lifestyle. As a member
of the International Gay Rodeo Association, members are able to compete in any
of the other rodeos being held throughout the country and Canada, and this year
will bring back Michigan to the states holding a rodeo, as MIGRA holds their
Greater Motown International Rodeo on June 25-27. You can get more information
at Michigan Rodeo and even volunteer if you think you'd like to become more involved. They'd
sure be thankful.
Also, it's not to late to book a flight and a room for
Florida's Sunshine Stampede in Fort Lauderdale on April 16-18. It's a welcome
getaway from the bad weather we've had in the Northeast, and the Stampede has
become one of the most attended rodeos of IGRA's circuit. You can get more info
at FGRA.
Looking farther ahead, there are rodeos in Oklahoma City,
St. Louis, and Sacramento in the spring, and Calgary (another big destination
rodeo), Denver, Albuquerque, San Francisco, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, and
San Diego in the summer. The fall
right now has Tulsa on tap, and then the big event. This year IGRA World Gay
Rodeo Finals will be held at the Avi Resort in Laughlin, Nevada, which is about
an hour from Las Vegas. A
fully-equipped resort & casino with beachfront to the river and walking
distance to the rodeo grounds, this year's WGR Finals is planning on being an
event to remember. I recommend checking out the IGRA Finals site and book a room there for a great rodeo & dance getaway.
And finally, speaking of dance, I have been honored to chair
IGRA's Dance committee for the past two years. As many of us in Philadelphia
and the surrounding area got involved in the country-western life through
dancing, whether at Woody's, the Den, Nevermore, or elsewhere, I feel we have a
great community of people who enjoy twostepping and line dancing as much as
anyone from the rest of the country. Each year IGRA holds a dance competition
for couples, teams, and individual line dancers, and the last two years and
going forward we have been holding the event at IGRA University. Next year
IGRA-U will be in St. Louis, and I want to put the word out that Philly should
represent! Anybody who is a member can enter, and buckles and awards and
ribbons are given, so it's a great opportunity to show your stuff! If you would
like any more information, by all means please get in touch with me at ebowers@libertygra.org.
And finally, to all the members who have renewed,
thank you for your support, it means a lot for us to continue our mission. If
your renewal is coming up, or if you're not sure, please contact a board member
because everything we do is based on the support we get. Thank you very much,
and let's rodeo!
Ernie Bowers, Trustee
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LGRA
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
April 11, 2010
Trail Ride At Sheeder Mills Farms New
Date!! The next trail ride will be held on Sunday, April 11,
2010.
April 16, 2010
Sunshine Stampede Florida Gay Rodeo Association will be holding
their 5th Annual Sunshine Stampede from April 16-18, 2010.
April 18, 2010
LGRA Board Meeting & Bar Night Join us at Woody's Bar for our monthly Bar Night
during Country/Western dancing. Meeting will begin at 5pm.
April 30, 2010
Hot Rodeo 2010 - Palm Springs The Greater Palm
Springs Rodeo Corporation will be holding their rodeo from April
30th - May 2nd, 2010 in Banning, CA.
For more information on these and other events please go to our website.
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Back in the days of cowboys and
cattle drives, the ranch cook and cattle team cook played an important role and
wielded enormous power. Because the cook determined whether a cowboy received a
decent meal after a hard day of wrangling cattle, cowboys were always on their
best behavior with the cook. Not even the lawmen of the day could get such good
behavior from cowboys.
In honor of the old Western ranch
cook, we chose an authentic cowboy recipe that you can fix next time you
want to harness your inner John Wayne. Enjoy.
Chuckwagon
Stew, circa 1870's
2 1/2 lb Beef, cubed
2 Tb Flour
1 Tb Paprika
1 tsp Chili powder
2 tsp Salt
3 Tb Lard or vegetable shortening
2 Sliced onions
1 Clove garlic - minced
28 oz Can of tomatoes
3 Tb Chili powder
1 Tb Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground cloves
1/2 tsp Dried & crushed red peppers
2 cup Chopped potatoes
2 cup Chopped carrots
Coat beef in a mixture of
flour, paprika,1 tsp. chili powder and salt. Brown the beef in hot lard
or shortening in a large Dutch oven.
Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add canned tomatoes, chili
powder, cinnamon, cloves and peppers.
Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Then, add the potatoes and carrots
and cook until vegetables are done (usually about 45 minutes).
Serves 6 hungry cowpokes.
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 Rodeo Events & Training
Yes, it's finally spring and the 2010 rodeo
season is well underway. I'm sure many of you, like me, are anxious to get out
and be part of the many rodeos that will be taking place through out the year.
I though it would be helpful if you knew the history behind some of the events
that you've been watching or maybe even plan to compete in. I'll be writing
about different events in upcoming newsletters so if you have questions or
comments that you'd like me to talk about or that you'd like me to include,
please let me know. This month's event - Bull
Riding.
Bull
Riding was requested because it
continues to be the most popular event in rodeo history. The basic idea is easy
- stay on the back of the bull longer than anyone else. Sounds simple enough,
right? Well, when a cowboy or cowgirl climbs onto a bull, this tends to turn these 1200 to 1500 pound bulls
into very angry, bucking animals, who's only thought is to get you off their backs.
Bull
riding origins can be traced back to the ‘Wild West' of the early 1800's.
Cowboys acquired the first rodeo skills when ranching was common. Cowboys had
to be able to rope livestock and ride half-tamed horses on the ranch. After the
Civil War, cowboys drove cattle miles through vast open land to various
marketing centers called stockyards.
Around that time, the rodeo was invented to
provide a way for the best of these rough and tough cowboys to display their
cattle handling skills. The most exciting of all these skill tests was and still is, of course,
bull riding.
The first formal rodeo was held in Cheyenne, Wyoming in
1872. However, the first rodeo to award monetary prizes was said to be in
Pecos, Texas in 1883. The first rodeo to charge admissions was in 1888 in
Prescott, Arizona, which isn't all that far from where the AGRA hosts their
Road Runner Regional Rodeo in Phoenix AZ.
How
do the judges score the rides?
Good question...
The
IGRA uses similar rules as the professional associations, with slight
variations. The basic system requires that
there are at least two judges who give 1-25 points for the cowboy's performance and 1-25 points for the animal's
performance. 100 points being the maximum, which is considered a perfect ride.
To
ride, bull riders use a bull rope and rosin. The bull rope is a thickly braided
rope with a cowbell attached. The cowbell acts as a weight, allowing the rope to safely fall off the bull when
the ride is over. The rosin is a sticky substance that increases the grip on their
ropes. Bull riders wrap their bull rope around the bull and use the remainder
to wrap around their hand tightly, trying to secure themselves to the bull. Cowboys
can spur for extra points, but just staying on the bull for 6 seconds is the main
priority. After the ride, bull riders are aided by bullfighters or rodeo clowns
who distract
the bull, allowing the cowboys to escape safely.
Next time you're watching a bull rider, watch where he's looking. Often a bull
rider will watch the bull's head or neck for clues as to which direction he's
going to turn.
The LGRA continues to post upcoming rodeo
events including links to rodeos through out the year, so please check the
website for more information: www.libertygra.org.
Jim Gallucci, Rodeo Events and Training
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LGRA, PO Box 103, Perkiomenville, PA
18074
Or Contact us at: www.libertygra.org
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