It was very wet and muddy last weekend for the 2013 Boyle Rodeo at the Boyle Rodeo Arena.
Competitors came from as far away as New Zealand, and even though it rained, spirits were not dampened. The crowd was lively, hooting and hollering at contestants and cheering them on.
Boyle & District Agricultural Society president Keith Sereres said the event was well attended, and the crowd was just as happy as in other years.
“We have had over 500 paying adults through the gate on Saturday, and that is not counting all the kids,” Sereres said. A total of 700 people attended concerts by Prism and Honeymoon Suite in the evening.
Sereres said the event grows in attendance every year.
As for the weather, Sereres didn’t sweat it.
“Weather is going to be weather. It was promising us 29 and sunny, but we endured and overcame,” he said. “We had a lot of challenges and a lot of puddles to deal with.”
Saturday morning kicked off with a pancake breakfast at the Boyle & District Community Centre and the annual parade, featuring many rodeo contestants.
After cowboy church on Sunday, the rodeo carried on without a hitch.
Local barrel racer Val Frey put in a strong show, finishing sixth out of 29 ladies, while Leanne Frey finished fourth in junior barrel racing. Perryvale team ropers Peter Lowry and Brandon Duperron finished eighth.
Both Saturday and Sunday featured demolition derbies. At the Sunday finals, Terry Weekley won, and Shania Whitford from Boyle won $140 in the burnout competition.
Derby contestants finished early this year, clashing harder than expected.
“Despite the weather, we had a great time. We rocked out in Boyle,” said Sereres after only six hours’ sleep Saturday night carried him through the final day of the rodeo weekend.
