News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Bonnie Knox and Bayou are ready to rodeo.
The all-volunteer crew that stages the Sisters Rodeo each year goes to great lengths to make sure that the arena looks its best when the second weekend in June rolls around.
One of the major chores is painting. Each year, one of the color-coded sections of the Sisters Rodeo arena gets a fresh coat of paint in red, gold or blue. That means each section is painted every three years, so the colors never look faded or dingy.
For the past few years, the most prolific paint-slinger has been Bonnie Knox.
"Sharon Bagley runs the paint crew and I'm her foreman," Knox said.
Lots of folks can't stand painting, but Knox isn't one of them.
"Oh, I love it," she said. "I just volunteered for it."
She cheerfully acknowledges that her colleagues constantly poke fun at her Jackson Pollock work boots and the jeans that can stand up on their own.
The painter is happy to finally have the opportunity to support an organization and an event she loves.
"I finally had time," she said. "I'd been doing horses for years and years and I'm not anymore - I mean I'm not boarding and breeding them - so I had time and I'd always loved the rodeo."
She loves the camaraderie of the hardworking crew.
"Nobody argues and nobody complains; they just get it done," she said. "It's really nice out there. And, of course, we're fed to the hilt..."
Knox's efforts don't end when the paint dries. She also rides in the parade with the Sisters Saddlebags and serves as an usher for all four rodeo performances.
She says she likes the bull riding best, but she's especially anticipating a non-competition event this year.
"I have to say the favorite thing this year is going to be the entertainment," she said.
John Payne, the One Arm Bandit, is returning to Sisters with his trick riding, bullwhip action and buffalo-herding.
Knox loves the act and has a special connection with Payne. A couple of years ago he showed up with four of the black-mouthed cur hound pups he breeds. Knox was tasked with playing with the pups, and it's no hard guess as to what happened. She ended up with one of the pups - "it's lucky I didn't end up with all four!" - and she's eager for Payne to see Bayou now that she's all grown up.
Knox is proud of the Sisters Rodeo and all the work they do.
"It's a great organization," she said, "and you get so much satisfaction from coming just before the rodeo and seeing all the work that's been done that year."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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