Keeping the Ranch in Rodeo

Join Joe Hickey and Emilene France, the minds behind the Bridger Valley Pioneer Days Rodeo, for a lively discussion. This annual event welcomes everyone from pre-teen cowboys and cowgirls to seasoned cowboys in their eighties, ensuring lasting memories for participants of all ages.

Transcript

 Authentic Wyoming

Bridger Valley Pioneer Days w/ Joe Hickey and Emilene France

Original Air Date: July 23, 2024

This transcript was generated automatically using speech-to-text technology. The accuracy may vary in spots.

 Hi, I'm Myra and I'm Tressa. We are fancy marketing people with Union, a Wyoming based telecommunications company. Yes, Wyoming really does exist. We proudly serve the Rocky Mountain region on this podcast. We will feature businesses, organizations, nonprofits, and influential people from Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Our mission is to highlight those who inspire their communities daily.

 We believe this makes us truly authentic because a journey of a thousand miles always begins with a single step.

 Hey. Good morning. Long time no see.

 Yeah, we just been, like, what, 100 and some hours together? Yeah. Did you have a good weekend?

 That's awesome. Yeah, we. I got back and celebrated a birthday, and then. Yeah, we. It was very low key. Nothing crazy. And, then we went to, like, my my mom's, and we did something there. And Nola just likes birthdays, so mostly it was for her. To make her happy. She really likes birthdays, so it was fun.

 Yeah, I know, yeah. it was weird, though, so, like, Tressa knows that my father has passed, and, this weekend I saw a guy, and he had, he was wearing a tie and have all the ties in the world. He was wearing a Three Stooges tie and the Three Stooges was, like, my dad's favorite. he loved the Three Stooges.

And my. We like the Three Stooges. So we always watch the Three Stooges and, I thought that was so crazy. But a tradition in my family is we sing the birthday song from the Three Stooges. and it was from an episode where they made a cake, and the cake blew up on the person. And so we'll sing Happy Birthday.

And then immediately after we sing Happy Birthday, we sing The Three Stooges. we baked you a birthday cake song. And so, I don't know, it was cute. It made me happy. I, you know, I saw this little signs. Signs everywhere. You know? So it was really cool. Yeah.

Oh my gosh. Well. We're weird. Yeah, we have some weird traditions and, like, one of. It's. It's like we baked you a birthday cake. If you get a tummy ache, any moan and groan and roll. Don't forget we told you so. And then in the episode, the cake blows up in the person's face and they're like, happy birthday, Mr. Johnson.

And I think they, like, pumped the cake full of air because the cake plated. And so yeah, we sing it at every birthday and everyone's memories did. And, you know, even people that have come in our lives and left and, or, you know, like our in different phases. Yeah. Friends, ex-wives, you know, all that and, yeah, baby mommas, daddy, mom, all of the things they call us and sing it, on our birthdays, too.

So. Yeah. Yeah. So we're weird. And then one of our other weird traditions, since we're on the topic of how weird we are, we go and sing Christmas carols at the cemetery, and we are very, you know, no birthdays. but the tradition started when my mom's dad passed away, and so, like, everybody's buried in the same vicinity, so we're very weird.

And we'll go sing Christmas carols to groups. it makes them happy. So we just keep it going, you know?

Yeah. Like. Yeah. Oh, mine sounds weirder and weirder, so I don't know if it's if it should even be called a tradition. It's not very traditional. It's very strange. Yeah.

Yeah. So. Yeah. So we we jammed out and then I saw the Three Stooges thing, and I'm like, oh. And like, my niece has been going through all the boxes and stuff at my mom's house and trying to help declutter and like, get rid of stuff and pack up stuff because my mom held on to every single thing that my brothers and I ever made or created, or we were on the honor roll, or if we were in the newspaper, or if we drew a picture one day.

And so we were boxing everything up and or my niece was and I went through my oldest brother's box, Jason, and he wrote a story about how my dad was his hero. And I have laughed so hard because he wrote my dad's routine. And it's like my dad wakes up. He takes a load of laundry downstairs to wash.

He brings up a load of laundry upstairs to fold, then he cooks breakfast. Then he already preps for the lunch all by 5:55 a.m. and I have laughed and I'm like, my dad did the same routine until he died. I mean, like, he just. Yeah, like the the morning he passed away, he did that same routine. And I'm like, Poor Greg.

I'm like this poor man's laundry, breakfast, lunch hour by 5:55 a.m., it's. A laundry, breakfast, lunch.

Well, Tressa, I'm excited for our guests. Today, we have two guests, which is super fun. I love when we have. The more, the merrier. I love it. yeah. So on today's podcast, we have Joe Hickey. Joe is the chairman of the Bridger Valley Rodeo, and we also have Emily France, and she is the super helper, queen extraordinaire of the Bridger Valley Rodeo.

She does all the things. That. Yeah. So do you want to start either Joe or Emmeline and just kind of talk about, what is the Bridger Valley Rodeo? And, if I'm correct, I know it's been around a little longer than that, but I think this is your 25th year of the rodeo.

Okay. That's for. Oh, Wow! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! What? Oh, okay. That's cute. Wow.

It's. Yeah. So I like what you said, Joe, about, you know, community. Can you talk a little bit about, like, the importance of the rodeo for the community and, like, what this means to bring the community together? Because this is something that is very unique. I feel like, one obviously, the ranch rodeo that you guys host is unique, but I feel like, growing up, I never really thought about this from a community perspective.

But as you've just mentioned, when people come and see it and how close it brings the community together, can you just talk about the community impact and what that means for the rodeo?

That's awesome. You know. Yeah. You know, I really love that. Yeah. Seriously. I mean, Joe, I know that you got emotional, but about it. And I think that's so beautiful because, that's something that I, I think that really captures the sentiment around the ranch rodeo. Around the rodeo, around rodeos in general, and how this really means for a community and for a group of people and for families and the traditions that, it's a lot larger than those eight seconds, you know, and I think that you really captured that.

And that was that was really beautiful. Joe, thanks for sharing that. It's. Wow. That's incredible. Oh. Joe's matchmaking over there. I. Know.

Yeah, I love that. I love talking about her. Let's talk. Oh. Okay. Yeah. Talking about the livestock. I think it's really important, with, you know, we look at other different rodeos and we see rodeos that are larger scale. And, it's just part of it, isn't it? The national sport or not? National. Sorry. It's the state sport of Wyoming is rodeo.

I'm pretty sure. And and so I think that's really neat. to to talk about it from the stock perspective to, and the love and the care of the animals and getting the animals there and then what it takes, because it's not just people, it's about the animals also. So I think, the I don't know, I like animals.

So that's, that's where my heart is. So I really like the, the point of that and how the community comes together to also help with the livestock transportation.

No. I think this was great, and I. I love what you guys shared and the perspective. it brought a different perspective for me for ranch rodeo. So I love the conversation. And I'm just so grateful that you guys decided to do the podcast today. And we can learn more and talk about the importance of the Bridger Valley Rodeo and what it means.

 That's awesome. Yeah. You should. The first time I rode a horse was with Emily. That's the first time I rode a horse. And the first time my daughter rode a horse was with Emily. So I was going to say Emily and look at you. You're. You are. You are paving the way.

 And so. Oh.

Awesome. 

Well, until next time.

Stay Authentic.