KIM BURTON-SCHRAM
LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER
With long, golden rays of sun setting over the Williamstown Fairgrounds, the rodeo exploded into the ring in front of a sold-out audience. Cowboys and cowgirls thrilled the appreciative crowds with their incredible riding, roping, barrel racing and steer wrestling. The rodeo was presented by Black Creek Rodeo Co., a Canadian-owned group, established in 2019, that is part of the professional rodeo association in Eastern Canada, dedicated to promoting the sport of rodeo and preserving the spirit and skills of the cowboy.
The rodeo in Williamstown featured bareback bronc riding, bull riding, mutton busting, ladies team calf roping, steer wrestling and tie-down roping. Rodeo organizers are hoping this venue will become one of the stops on the annual pro rodeo circuit. Christie Small, one of the Williamstown Fair organizers, presented the idea of hosting a rodeo at the fairgrounds to the board of directors more than a year ago. It has been over 20 years since a rodeo took place in South Glengarry and making use of the beautiful, historic fairgrounds in Williamstown for this equine event seemed a perfect match. Once the directors were on board for hosting a rodeo, organizers just had to wait for an available date to fit into the Northern Rodeo Cowboy’s Association’s competition schedule.
Announcers Pat Mulligan and Mathieu Gervais explained the technical elements and scoring methods of the individual competitions to those attending the Williamstown Rodeo. Bronc riding is scored 50/50, half for the animal’s performance and half for the rider’s style as they attempt to stay on for the infamous 8 second ride. In the steer wrestling competition, team calf roping and tie-down roping, speed and accuracy are the name of the game. Steer wrestling has one rider, called the hazer, keeping the calf close enough for the other rider to leap from his blazing fast horse to grab the calf and bring it to the ground. Team roping and tie-down roping require riders to gallop after the speeding calf and throw their lassoes with perfect timing and accuracy to catch the steer. Each of the competition elements that are part of the rodeo are based on skills that every cowboy and cowgirl would need while on the trail, caring for their herd of animals and training new horses for their career as a cow pony.
In between events, Guildo the Rodeo Clown entertained the crowds with his dancing and antics. But he, along with the other rodeo clowns, played an important role as they dashed about the ring to divert the attention of the broncing bulls and horses, making sure the riders were able to exit the arena safely. It certainly was exciting to everyone in the ring run for the fence when a couple of the broncs weren’t quite finished their performance. Mutton busting requires kids under 55lbs in weight to ride a sheep from the chute into the ring and hang on for as long as they possibly can. It was fun to see how everyone is included in the performance, even the young children. Clearly this is a close-knit community, travelling to rodeos in different towns, sharing in eachother’s triumphs and tough rides.
Attendees were reminded the rodeo is run with the safety of riders and animals top of mind, but the audience did get to see that some of the animals are more exuberant in their job than anticipated. Every skill-testing event of the rodeo was exciting, and Black Creek certainly knows how to put on a great show for crowds that ranged between 1,400 on the first evening and just over 1,600 in attendance at the second day of the rodeo.
There were many hands involved in making sure the rodeo provided the excitement that fans were hoping to see. And thanks to support by companies such as: C.K. Blair Transport; Pistols Brewery; Little Farms Custom Farming, Trucking & Excavating; Kioti Tractor; Jack Pine Equipment; Willows Agricentre; the Williamstown Fair; the Township of South Glengarry; Rose Quarter Horses; Trillium Ridge Farm; Cornwall Aviation; Stinson Fuels; Langmuir Farm; Dave Vogel Excavation; and Levac Propane, everyone enjoyed the thrill of watching cowboys and cowgirls compete for the champion belt buckle and over $10,000 in prize money.
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