Chief Joseph Days

JOSEPH - The countdown to Chief Joseph Days is nearly complete, bringing the 2008 Wallowa County summer celebration ever closer.

A full schedule of events is slated beginning Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. with the Bucking Horse Stampede down Main Street Joseph. Spectators will get their first glimpse of the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo bucking stock as the horses are herded down Main Street en route to holding pens at the Harley Tucker rodeo arena.

On Wednesday the PRCA rodeo begins at 7 p.m. with a family dance to follow at 9 in the  Thunder Room at the rodeo grounds. Tickets for the Wednesday night family show are $10, younger than 6 are free.

Rodeo action continues on Thursday, July 24 with slack time at 9 a.m. and PRCA rodeo at 7 p.m. The entertainment continues with live music and dancing at the Thunder Room  at 9 p.m. Be tough and wear pink to the festivities to support breast cancer research. 

All tickets are $10 for this performance.

On Friday, July 25, the American Legion starts serving breakfast on Main Street in Joseph bright and early at 5:30 a.m. Sign up to play in the golf tournament at the Alpine Meadows Golf Course in Enterprise at 8 a.m., but be sure to finish in time to attend the Chief Joseph Junior Parade on Main Street at 10 a.m. The rodeo reconvenes at 7 p.m. with live music by the McKenzie River Band at the Thunder Room at

9 p.m. Tickets for covered seating are $15, and general admission tickets are $13.

The Shriners serve breakfast at the rodeo grounds early Saturday morning and the Chief Joseph Days Grand Parade begins at 10 a.m. on Main Street. The Native American Friendship Feast starts at the Encampment Pavilion at noon with traditional Indian Dance contests at 3 p.m.

The PRCA rodeo concludes with the final performance at 7 p.m. All seats are reserved for this performance with covered seating at $18 and open seating at $15. A teen dance is scheduled at the Community Center in Joseph at 9 p.m., as well as an adult dance with music by the McKenzie River Band at the Thunder Room. Cowboy Breakfast begins at 11 p.m. at the rodeo grounds and continues into Sunday morning. 

The Fellowship of Christian Cowboys will sponsor a church service in the Harley Tucker Memorial Arena at 9 a.m. Sunday.

Rodeo events for 2008 include saddle bronc and bareback riding, team, calf and steer roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, and, of course, bull riding. A bonus feature has been added to the saddle bronc riding event. The “Wildest Ride” contest has been established by the Bothum family in memory of bronze artist J. Shirly Bothum, who won the saddle bronc championship at Chief Joseph Days in 1964. The winner will receive a cash prize and trophy award.

Contestants await the granting of the Harley Tucker Memorial Award as the pot continues to build. This award, recognized at the Saturday performance, goes to the cowboy scoring the most points in a combination of the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show in Union, the St. Paul Rodeo in St. Paul, the Elgin Stampede in Elgin and Chief Joseph Days in Joseph.

If the award is earned three times, the contestant receives an accumulating purse.

Each year since its inception the award fund has received $350 from each of the four rodeos, totaling $1,400 per year. An extra $1,500 will go into the award fund compliments of sponsor, Mountain West Moving and Storage.

The fund for the next three-time winner will continue to build with $1,000 contributed yearly and is currently up to almost $9,000. The award was last won by Rocky Steagall of Irrigon in 1990.

Professional rodeo announcer Bob Tallman returns to Chief Joseph Days again this year. His resonant voice and knowledge of the sport of rodeo will take spectators through the thrills and excitement of CJD Rodeo at its best.

Comedy rodeo style comes to Chief Joseph Days with Gizmo, the World’s Greatest Inventor. Gizmo McCracken, has been doing rodeos for 27 years, traveling the country from Canada to Texas. He started his act as a bullfighting clown and moved into stand-up comedy on a show in Branson, Mo. Gizmos and gadgets that go sour are part of his routine.

“Nobody knows what I’m going to do next. There’s all different kinds of things that could happen. I like to keep people looking for me and wondering what I’m going to do,” Gizmo says.

His act is characterized by a high-energy, clean, family oriented feel. Rodeo crowds might meet any one of his alter egos. Maybe Ozzy Osborne, a wild Jerry Lewis, Dr. Giz, or even Elvis might show up, according to the comedian’s website.

“I love people. I love working the crowd. I hope I can help them forget their problems for a while and have a good time, some family fun. If I can pull that off, I’ve had a good night.”

Cory Wall, a 38-year-old bullfighter from Burlington, Colo., will be on duty as bullfighter for the rodeo this year. He has been fighting bulls for over 18 years and joined the PRCA in 1997.

He has performed in more than 35 states, and in Mexico and Canada. Cory can brag of 200 consecutive performances at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in Fort Worth, Texas, and made ESPN’s “Top Ten Plays of the Day” in 2006 for being thrown over the bucking chutes there.

He says he enjoys the whole aspect of being a professional bullfighter and enjoys the opportunity to share with young people what he has found to be successful. He has suffered a broken leg and collarbone, cracked skull and broken eardrum and still finished the performance.

“Bullfighting is about keeping the cowboy safe and making the crowd happy. You have to have a passion for it, and you have to play hurt. 

People have no idea how physical it is. Your job is to make it look easy.”

Chief Joseph Days crowds will get the chance to see how easy it is at the 2008 PRCA rodeo performances.

The crowds at Chief Joseph Days will witness the teamwork of Cory Wall and the professional former champion bullfighter, Lance Brittan. Lance is 34 years old and hails from western Kansas. He gained professional status in 1995 and became eligible for the Wrangler Bullfight Tour in 1997.

He won the World Championship title in 1999.

Bullfighters may look goofy with their crazy costumes and face paint, but they take the job of keeping bull riders out of harm’s way very seriously.

“It’s all about developing a name for yourself and becoming respected as a cowboy saver,” Brittan says.

Brittan and Wall were called in to replace Joe Baumgartner, who had to cancel coming to this year’s Chief Joseph Days Rodeo due to injury. Fans are not likely to be disappointed though. These two bullfighters have worked hundreds of major rodeos in their careers, and are highly sought after by both cowboys and other rodeo professionals.