Queens of yesteryear ride in parade

Twenty-eight former rodeo queens and princesses will be special guests in the 75th anniversary Sisters Rodeo Parade on June 13 at 9:30 a.m. in Sisters.

In our local stable of former Sisters queens, Shelby Ross, Miss Rodeo Oregon 2012, Sara Marcus, Miss Rodeo Oregon 2014, and Kitty Sharp, Miss Rodeo Oregon 1992, will be among the participants.

Georgia Gallagher, Sisters Rodeo Queen 1944, and Helen Filey O'Brien, 1945, will be the grand dames of the former royalty. They are the only representatives of the first 17 years of Sisters Rodeo.

Gallagher, formerly Edgington, was raised two miles south of Sisters. Her father, Ellis, was one of the founders of Sisters Rodeo. She recalls a Sisters Fair that was the predecessor of the rodeo, in which local farm kids would bring their livestock to compete for ribbons.

"We rode horses when we needed to go to town," Gallagher reminisced, "including to ride in the rodeo parade every year. It was fun to be the queen, and people were so nice."

Gallagher was honored as the Grand Marshal of the rodeo parade in 2006.

Helen Filey O'Brien has very different memories.

"We moved to Seattle for 30 years, and I didn't plan to ever return to this dirty little sawmill town [Bend]," said O'Brien, who was literally raised on mill property, now the site of the Old Mill parking lot.

That attitude changed quickly after her 1985 return. In 1993 her son, Steven, talked her into riding in the parade in his 1939 Cadillac limousine. She has rarely missed a parade or rodeo since.

"I even got to dance with JJ the clown last year on Saturday during the rodeo," she said.

"We didn't have fancy outfits back then. We wore gabardine pants and nice shirts, but there were no banners or flowers.

"I feel quite honored to be part of this special occasion, and happy to still be alive for it," Helen said.

She will have many family members in attendance, including her grandson, Ryan Phillips, who played in Super Bowl XXXV for the New York Giants.

"I have been trying to get him to bring his family to the rodeo for so many years, and this year they're finally coming," she said. "I am so happy."

Active members of the rodeo association will also be present as former queens. Amorita (Patterson) Anstett, 1998, is the chairperson of this queen committee. She presented the plan to the rodeo board of directors in 2014 for this anniversary year. Yvette Moore, the rodeo's bookkeeper, was the 1972 queen and is part of the committee.

The committee of five was able to contact 56 former queens and princess. Fourteen of them currently live in Central Oregon. With an affirmative response of 50 percent, the queen committee feels more successful than they expected to be.

"Out of 121 past royalty in the Sisters Rodeo legacy, it has been fun being able to locate and connect with so many of them. I know that they are very excited to be remembered during this 75th celebration for their individual years of service," said Anstett. "I am very thankful for all of the help so many people and members of the association have provided in this adventure."

After the parade, the queens will be honored in the Grand Entry before the Saturday afternoon rodeo performance along with visiting queens and current Queen Mikaela Koellermeier. They will then be guests of the rodeo for that performance, where they were once active as cowgirl/queens, herding steers and calves out of the arena during timed events.

Sisters Rodeo will begin June 10 with Xtreme Bulls, followed by four rodeo performances June 12-14. For tickets and information, call the ticket hotline at 541-549-0121 or 1-800-827-7522, or visit the ticket office at 220 W. Cascade Ave. in Sisters. For information visit www.sistersrodeo.com.