<I>Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain</I><BR>Eric Steen puts in a classic ride.

The all-volunteer Joseph Chamber of Commerce committee that put together the first ever Ranch Rodeo in Joseph’s Harley Tucker Memorial Arena June 28 pulled together a heck of a show in just two months.

“We have had nothing but positive response to the rodeo,” said Co-organizer Darlene Turner. “Everybody enjoyed it. I think more ranchers will be involved next year. There were a lot of ranchers who wished they’d been part of it this year and want to be part of it next year.”

In fact, out-of-towners want in on the action. “We’ve had lots of complaints that it’s not open to more than just Wallowa County,” said another co-organizer, Robin Lewis. “People like to compete for fun. The guys do like the competition – on a low key basis.”

It didn’t look all that low key out in the dust of the Joseph Rodeo Grounds on Saturday. Ten teams of cowboys (and one cowgirl, Jill McClaran) from 18 to nearly 70 years of age were putting their best effort into the event.

The team penning money ($150) went to the J & A Training team of Jimmy VanBelle, Tyson McLaughlin and Ross Gruenwald. Teams humiliated themselves a bit in the Team Roping event with many going for that third loop and still coming up empty. But nobody could fault the “can do” attitude of every team. Cody and Randy Baremore put such oomph in the chase that Cody’s horse lost his footing and fell on him. Trapped beneath a stunned mount, Cody did what any cowboy would have done – applied a little spur on the sunny-side-up and rode his mount back up for another try at the calf. In the end, however, it was the “old guys” of Team Temple that proved that so long as the elbow grease was well applied fella’s over 40 could still trounce the youngsters. Brian Temple, Barry Qually, and Steve Zollman won the event. Team Branding was a crowd-pleaser, too, with lots of thrills and spills – including Barry Qually’s sprint for the branding bucket and mix-up with a calf-rope. Qually got up from the dirt on that one to turn in a time for his team, but the money went to McClaran Ranch with Scott McClaran, Tyler Smith and Jill McClaran showing them how branding gets was done fast with a girl on the brand-team.

With the regular ranch work out of the way the winning of the top award came down to the extra points of the bronc-ride and Erik Steen, Jimmy VanBelle, Ethan Lowe, Mark Dawson, Tyler Smith, Randy Baremore, Corey Miller and Lane Bailey went for the points and the glory.

Erik Steen took the top score and put in the prettiest ride, fanning his mount with that big desert hat in real old-fashioned style. Randy Baremore won the tough-guy award after riding his mount through a crash that broke Randy’s foot.

Mark Dawson won the veteran’s award as the . . . well, cowboy who has held at 29-years-old for the longest and still gets on a bronc.

“It’s what you do when you’re tied for first,” Dawson said as he settled down on one of his own broncs for the 8-second ride.

“I was so excited watching the ride, I can’t even remember what horse he rode or where we placed,” said teammate Eric Smith of Imnaha. “It was a lot of fun. Local rodeos like that are just a kick in the pants.”

The horses, some of which were ranch horses that could still work a cow for their day-job, did fine in their moonlight job once the flank-strap was pulled.

In the end Mark’s ride was enough to put the Dawson team over the top for the first place Average Winnings award, a $400 paycheck and new boots all around gratis Jim Probert, Robert Dawson and Jimmie VanBelle.

The Baremore boys, father and sons, may have been the bad-luck boys when it came to horse crashes, but they turned in an overall score good enough for second place, $300 and a good breakfast at the Cheyenne Café.

Third place and lunch at Mad Mary’s was shared by two great competitors, Team Temple and the Marr Flatt Cattle Company and Rocking J. Ranch combo. Both teams did well enough in the ranch work to take the tie for third without a bronc ride. Marr Flatt’s boys, Todd Nash, Colin Cunningham and Ethan Lowe put a man up on a bronc, Ethan, but he got bucked off before the buzzer. Team Temple didn’t field a bronc rider.

The Chief Joseph court girls acted as clowns for the mutton-busting and got a look at the upcoming competition of Chief Joseph Days Queen when Haley Miller, great-granddaughter of the first Queen of Chief Joseph Days, Icel Edgeman Miller, showed them the Millers are still in contention for the top female honors – Haley won the mutton busting championship.

The fun didn’t stop when Don Kiser and Mark Dawson loaded the broncs and Six Ranch loaded the cattle for the trip home.

Everyone adjourned to the Thunder Room for some vittles, door prizes, award announcements, and two little fashion plates won the cutest cowboy/cowgirl kids awards; Mason McDowell and Bailey Vernam took home some good stick horses, anyone could ride, thanks to Nancy Waters.

Then Mark Stratton of Union started singing George Strait tunes for the dance.

The rodeo successfully raised money toward $500 scholarships given to high school seniors at Joseph, Wallowa and Enterprise high schools – how much as not known at press time.

“We had a budget of nothing and worked on a shoestring,” said Turner. “And everybody wants to do it for next year.”

Doesn’t get any better than that.

Contact reporter Kathleen Ellyn at 426-4567, or by e-mail at kellyn@wallowa.com.