My week kicked off Monday night with the Guadalupe County Miss Round-Up and Little Miss Round-Up competition in Seguin, Texas. The Little Miss Round-Up is a huge tradition in Guadalupe County with its roots going back to 1954! I was joined by Linda Ebest, Miss Rodeo Texas Chaperone and former Guadalupe County Miss Round-Up. Before the pageant I had a chance to visit with the contestants and get a chance to know them. The young ladies modeled beautiful western pageant dresses and answered impromptu questions on stage. The Miss Round-Up contestants also gave a 3-5 minute speech on what it means to be a hero. I had a fabulous time watching the girls compete, and knew the judges were going to have a very hard decision on their hands.
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On Wednesday morning, I met Miss Rodeo Texas Committee member, Terry Chandler, at the Farmer’s Market in downtown San Antonio. Being that I am not from the San Antonio area, Mrs. Chandler was nice enough to take me on a historic tour of the city. We began our morning with a cup of coffee at the Mi Tierra restaurant and bakery. As a young girl, I loved taking family vacations to San Antonio and I remember eating at Mi Tierra with my family. Being there again brought back great memories of my childhood. After coffee we headed down to the Alamo. Mrs. Chandler and I both agreed that every tour of San Antonio should began with this sacred Texas landmark. We watched an informational video of the Alamo and looked at the historic artifacts. While at the Alamo we met many new Miss Rodeo Texas fans, taking pictures, and signed autographs. It was really interesting to visit with the tourist and find out where they were from. We met people from all over the United States and even a few from other countries. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas asked me to sign their special guest book that included signatures from senators, celebrities, and the Queen of England herself. I am very honored and proud to have been able to sign the guest book as the 2012 Miss Rodeo Texas! It will forever be down in history that we visited the Alamo that day.
After visiting the Alamo, we walked around downtown as Mrs. Chandler pointed out several statues and historic buildings in San Antonio. We had a delicious lunch at the historic Menger Hotel, and took a short tour through the hotel. The Victorian themed Menger Hotel is beautiful with a historic elegance. After my tour of San Antonio, Terry and I headed to the Parklane West Nursing Home. We were greeted by a room full of Parklane West residents and staff. I had the opportunity to tell the residents about the Miss Rodeo Texas pageant and share my personal story of how I became Miss Rodeo Texas. The residents and I had a great time visiting and sharing laughs.
The next morning began very bright and early with television interviews on Fox 29 in Seguin to promote the Guadalupe County Fair and Rodeo as well as Miss Rodeo Texas. I was greeted by Barbara and Bill Robertson, the rodeo committee, and the Wild Card Pro Rodeo Team. We had a blast demonstrating rodeo events on live television, doing contest ticket giveaways, and sharing with the audience what we are all about- Rodeo! Thursday night I attended the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo Sale for Kids Fundraising Event at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. It was a wonderful evening filled with great people, music, and food. The fundraiser was a huge success and an excellent example of how the San Antonio Rodeo community comes together to help provide educational opportunities for the youth of Texas.
On Friday morning my travels took me back to Seguin for the Guadalupe County Parade. Although the skies were trying to rain, it didn’t rain on our parade. It actually turned out to be a beautiful morning! During the parade, I rode with Wild Card Pro Rodeo, a PRCA stock contractor, and Ginger Duke, a PRCA trick rider. We had a grand time riding horseback through downtown Seguin, waving and greeting all the rodeo fans. That night was the second performance of the PRCA rodeo and I don’t think there was an empty seat in the house. At the beginning of the rodeo I made a presentation ride on Tom Reeves’ horses. During the rodeo I visited with people in the stands, took many pictures, and signed autographs. I happened to run into Seguin native and former Miss Rodeo Texas Teen, Katie Knippa-Beicker. It was fun to catch up with her and her wonderful family.
Later that night was the coronation ceremony of the Little Miss Round-Up pageant. As a special guest, I had the honor of helping crown the new queen. I was very excited when the announcer declared that Kyleigh Mulanax, a 2012 Miss Rodeo Texas Princess contestant, had won. Kyleigh was my princess when I was Miss Rodeo Jasper in 2011 and it was great to see this well deserving young lady achieve her dream of becoming Little Miss Round-Up.
The following day my travels took me to Smithville, Texas for the Texas Photo Festival. The Photo Festival includes a photography contest as well as photography seminars taught by professionals. I had the honor of being a guest model for talented western designer, Patricia Wolf. Upon arriving in Smithville, the roads were being shut down to set up the western photo sets. There were different scenes ranging from tractors, to wagons, to an old time saloon for the models to pose with. At first I felt a little shy posing, as I have never done this type of modeling before. However, after a few minutes, I felt right at home and was having a great time striking poses in front of the cameras. There were hundreds of photographers at this event taking pictures. I felt just like a celebrity with the paparazzi following me around taking pictures, while yelling, “Hey, Miss Rodeo Texas! Look over here!” It was so much fun; I do believe I would welcome a career as model! At the end of the day, we had a fashion show in the middle of downtown Smithville. Several other models and I showcased Patricia and Sam Wolf’s clothing line in a fun, upbeat fashion show. I have always enjoyed fashion shows and loved being able to get on stage to model.