Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
Brandee Horn says her goal as 2006 Rodeo Queen is to get her peers into the stands for the three-day event, July 7-9.
Horn, 17, was crowned Sweet Home’s 2006 Rodeo Queen at a dinner at the VFW Hall Saturday night. She told the crowd at the event that she’s already realizing she is going to enjoy carrying out her responsibilities.
She told how she had spent the night in anxiety before the Salem rodeo a couple of weeks ago, her first after being named queen.
But, she said, when she rode into the arena and heard the crowd cheering, “based on that, I can tell this year is going to be a lot of fun.”
Horn was crowned by last year’s Rodeo Queen Holly Keesecker, who attended along with First Princess Amanda Hilburn and Second Princess Heather VanLeeuwen from the 2005 Rodeo Court. Former Sweet Home Rodeo Queen Teri Rush, who is now Clackamas County Rodeo Queen, was also present.
Rodeo Public Relations Director Kellie Kem gave the outgoing court members gag gifts and told amusing stories about the three.
She related how Keesecker, on a dare from Kem, donned last year’s rodeo baggy clown’s pants, which he’d left lying about, and hopped on a barrel to do a dance in front of the crowd. In recognition of that event, she presented Keesecker with a pair of personalized suspenders.
Hilburn got a miniature trash barrel after Kem told how she had backed her car over a barrel during last year’s rodeo, high-centering it. Rodeo Committee members painted that barrel with “Amanda’s Barrel” and placed it where she could see it as she drove onto the rodeo grounds.
VanLeeuwen, whom Kem described as “the best volunteer we’ve ever had to put up the arena – she was there from dawn to dusk,” received a pair of gloves and some hand lotion because, Kem said, “she refuses to wear gloves to protect her hands.”
Members of the VFW led a flag salute and Tanisha McDowell sang the national anthem at the event. Lacey Hightower, who competed into the fifth round of the Benton-Teen Idol Contest, performed a program of country music.
Horn said, following the coronation dinner, that her biggest challenge is to get attendance up at the rodeo, which suffered through some adverse weather last year.
“I’d love to bring in a lot more youths in the stands,” she said. “Kids like me.”
She said she has been spreading the word at Sweet Home High School. where she is a senior.
“Most teenagers haven’t ever been to a rodeo,” she said. “Everywhere I go I make it a point to invite at least 10 people.”
Horn said being rodeo queen hasn’t been a life-long dream “as it is for some girls.”
“I was kind of a city girl,” she said. She was introduced to rodeo by friends in Lebanon who taught her to ride and who had a daughter who was very involved in the sport.
“I realized that rodeo queens have a very important job,” Horn said. “I thought, ‘That’s something I could do well. It could be a ton of fun.’
“It’s been lots of fun so far.”