ABATE OF WYOMING'S BIG-TIME RODEO

MORE PHOTOS POSTED IN THE GALLERIES SECTION

By Sammi

If a hot summer day, your motorcycle, your best gal, and a sack full of water balloons sound like all the ingredients you need for a really good time, then you should have been at A.B.A.T.E. of Northeastern Wyoming’s annual rodeo on July 26th.

After a weather disaster last year, the annual event moved this year to what is expected to be it’s permanent location in the Wrangler Arena at Cam-Plex, Gillette’s multi-event facility.

This Rodeo has always been dubbed by A.B.A.T.E. as an all-organization event, and anyone is welcome. There has never been any admission fee, and the cost to participate in the rodeo has always been and continues to be $5 per event. To top it off, if you are enthusiastic enough to try your skill at all six events, you get entered in the sixth one free! By any standard, this makes for some pretty damn cheap entertainment.

There were the usual events this year, including the slow race, first-gear drags, the obstacle course, the weenie bite, and Honey I’m Home. New to the rodeo this year was an event called the Balloon Toss-Out, which was more than a just little amusing and was quickly hailed as a favorite by the participants.

Each passenger was given a sack filled with 10 water balloons. Riders positioned themselves throughout the arena. When the signal was given a water balloon fight commenced. According to the rules (of which there were few), if a water balloon hits and breaks on you, your passenger, or your bike, you are out and must stop immediately. Should someone still “in” run out of balloons they can stop and steal yours. The last dry bike wins. While this event was kinda hard to officiate … it was great fun to watch.

In most events 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes were awarded with a 90% payout, but it was really all about fun.

“Nobody’s gonna get rich off of this rodeo,” said A.B.A.T.E. Secretary Emmy Sargent, “We’re just here to have fun.”

The remaining 10% of the entry fees, the proceeds of the 50/50 drawing and money raised from the great $5 lunch, was presented to the Wyoming Bikers Association at the Steel Stallion Ball later the same evening for the Toy Store.

Here’s hoping that the move to a more public location will encourage more participation and a larger audience next year. After all, Wyoming and rodeos go together “like peas and carrots.”