Small town 4th of July celebrations are a mixture of sweat, hard labor, and community spirit. All in an effort to create something special on Independence Day. In
Rodeo NM this means parades, dinners, a cake auction, and an evening of dancing.
As 6 PM approached everyone lining
the parade route tuned into AM 1590 (Rodeo Radio), the lead horse
riders with the American and New Mexico flags could be seen at the
south end of town starting their procession up Highway 80. As with
any small town parade the floats are all made locally by families and
groups in the area to show their civic pride in Rodeo, the San Simon
Valley, and the Boot Heel of New Mexico. This was the 37th
year of the Rodeo 4th of July parade and the event is
always sponsored and coordinated by the Rodeo Community Association.
The best of show this year went to the Chiricahua Peloncillo
Historical Society for its' C. S. Fly photography float and its
recreation of Geronimo's surrender that ended the Indian wars in the
southwest. While the model of Rodeo from the 1950's took best float.
After a long line of floats through town, everyone got back to
socializing and visiting. I saw people who I have not spoken with in
a year so it was a good opportunity to catch up with neighbors and
meet folks from the area I did not know.
The post parade events were held at the
Rodeo Community Center where the traditional pulled beef brisket
dinner was served. A full community center is always a good sign and
following dinner the parade prizes were handed out to the winning
entries. This was followed by the annual cake auction which raises
funds for the Rodeo community scholarship fund which provides funds
for local students seeking higher education. Rounding out the
evening was the annual dance at the community center which I had to
miss. With guests arriving for another family reunion at the Painted
Pony Resort I had to get back to work.
It was a great break from the normal
routine and another special day for me in Rodeo.
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| The start of the parade in Rodeo NM |
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| Chiricahua Peloncillo Historical Society |
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| C. S. Fly and Geronimo's surrender |
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| The mini mule |
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| 1950's in Rodeo |
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| The Southwest Research station |
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| Dinner at the Rodeo Community Center |
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I think the Catholic Church float for their 60th anniversary won best float and Craig McEwan [C.S.Fly] spearheaded THAT float also. He was exhausted! I bet it was 2 days [more with painting signs] of work to get just the Geronimo float ready. Craig says he has 3 float ideas for next year and then he added "just kidding"
ReplyDeleteOops, my mistake, didn't Junior also win something for his float?
ReplyDeleteHe may have but not for a "float" to my knowledge. Bill announced Best Float as the Catholic Church and told us NOT to confuse this prize with Best Overall.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, there have been prizes for 2nd place float which I would have given to SWRS. [new offering this year] Junior's display is a good one but an old one he recycles occasionally [ I think ] [when I ran the parade years ago, Jr had his display and also played his guitar and harmonica for a musical entry, too]
Clearly my mind is going, it was nice while it lasted.
ReplyDeleteMy mind is pretty well gone, too but I happened to be in the RCC when Bill announced the Best Float and said not to mix it up with the Best Overall
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to take some time off from the estate and enjoy some fellowship with folks I had not seen in awhile. I also thought your costume was great. I put the photograph of the group on my facebook page.
ReplyDelete