“Where The Hill Country Begins” is the promotional phrase used by the Helotes Cornyval and Rodeo. As a girl that grew up in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, I was excited to be back in a familiar area that’s near and dear to my heart.
Not only was it a familiar area to me, the Helotes Rodeo was FILLED with many familiar faces that I was so happy to see! One in particular was Hayleigh Lansford. She is undoubtedly rodeo’s biggest fan and I have to say, I’m a big fan of this amazing lady myself. I have seen Hayleigh at rodeos across the country throughout my travels as Miss Rodeo Austin and Miss Rodeo Texas. It always brings me such joy to visit with her and her sweet family.
There were many other familiar faces at the Helotes Rodeo that I knew from working with at previous rodeos. Mike Mathis, who announces the whole rodeo from horseback and Ben Benavides, who provides all of the sound, put on a great show as usual. Stock contractor, Sammy Andrews, provided his award-winning stock and the pickup men let me borrow one of their horses to ride for the weekend. As if that’s not enough, I also got to visit again with the Cowgirl Chicks who are some of the sweetest and most talented young ladies. One of my favorite things about rodeo is that it’s such a closely intertwined community, I love getting to see some of the same people down the road!
During the rodeo, I got to ride in on a horse to be introduced, help with the mutton bustin’ and calf scramble, and sign autographs with the Cowgirl Chicks and rodeo contestants afterwards. One morning before the rodeo, I was honored to be a part of the Special Kids Rodeo. Many kids came to the rodeo grounds for a fun-filled day of riding horses, roping, face painting, and dancing. I just love getting to see them smile and have fun while enjoying our Western heritage. I couldn’t agree more when Winston Churchill said “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” Moments like these Special Kids Rodeos make that completely evident.
The next day, I rode in the Cornyval parade with the Helotes Rodeo Committee. They chose a “Redneck Yacht Club” theme for their float so I traded in my horse for a jet ski. That was a first! As we rode through town, it was great to see so many people lined up to watch the parade and support the Helotes Cornyval.
I would like to thank everyone at the Helotes Rodeo for such a great trip! The rodeo committee provided such amazing hospitality and I really appreciate it. Thank you also to the pickup men for providing a great horse for me to ride and all of the contract personnel for being such a pleasure to work with. Last but not least, a huge thank you to Kim and Brian Anderwald and their precious daughter, Kinslee, for all of their kindness and help during my stay.
God Bless,
Alex Ingram – Miss Rodeo Texas 2014