Fair bucking for a new crowd favorite

o What: Clark County Fair.

o Hours today: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

o Where: 17402 N.E. Delfel Road, Ridgefield.

o Admission: Adults, $10; seniors 62 and older, $8; kids 7-12, free for one child with a paying adult until 2 p.m. — $7 after 2 p.m.; kids 6 and younger, free; parking, $6; C-Tran shuttle, $2 per person round trip from area park-and-ride lots.

o Carnival: Noon to 10 p.m.; unlimited rides, $25.

o Grandstands: Northwest Pro Rodeo, Mutton Bustin’, 2 p.m. (registration at 1 p.m., limited to 20 kids weighing less than 50 pounds); Bull Riding Championships, 6:30 p.m., free with fair admission.

o Other highlights: Sierra Spruill as Hannah Montana, noon; Hula Hoop Contest, 4 p.m.

o Pets: Not permitted, except for personal service animals or those on exhibition or in competition.

o More information: http://www.clarkcofair.com or 360-397-6180.

Let’s say it’s been a while since you’ve seen a pro rodeo, and you’re sitting in the aluminum grandstands at the Clark County Fair, feeling the thumps as the crowd stomps their feet, hearing the yells as the announcer pumps up the crowd.

He’s standing down in the fenced arena, with his big hat on and his cowboy boots planted in the soft dirt — and you’re hearing maybe one out of three of his words through those flaring, echoing outdoor speakers.

Did he say that the more stomping and yelling we thousand or more folks in the audience put out, “the harder the cowboys will try and the prettier the girls will be?”

Could be.

It was a nice show Monday evening, a big American flag waving on the left, and the Wheel of Fire and Giant Wheel rides circling, and the rolling wooded or grassy hills of the fairgrounds area out to the right.

A cowboy walked out to the announcer on crutches, with one foot in cast.

“When that leg heals, he’ll be back,” the announcer said.

And then a gate opens and a bareback rider busts out on his bronc, a beast so strong and fast and crazy that the rider, holding onto a mere rope, is instantly forced onto his back, but he’s holding on and stuck like glue. The cowboy gets shaken like a rag doll in the mouth of a big dog, but he somehow stays on for a while.

There are plenty of merciless flops to the dirt, too. Probably the reason rodeo works is because the rider doesn’t always win.

And a rescue rig from Fire District 6 and an AMR Northwest ambulance are parked close by, just in case.

You might feel admiration for the rider on this bareback stuff, but when the women compete in the barrel race, the beauty and power of the horse is on display.

The rippling of those huge muscles is amazing as the beast charges into the figure-eight and lunges for the farther barrel, all fluid grace, then surges for the nearby finish line.

“The bucking horses are pretty fun,” said visitor Jonathan Meyer. “They seem to move around more than the bulls. And it’s nice to see the kids come out, too.”

Welcome to rodeo

The fair’s embrace of rodeo this year owes both to necessity and long-range design, said John Morrison, in his second year as fair manager following 17 years of service on its board of directors.

Last year, the fair shifted some of its popular evening concerts to the adjacent Sleep Country Amphitheater. This year, all three concerts will be held there — leaving the fair grandstands open for additional family friendly entertainment, Morrison said.

Besides the return of the Knights of the Realm jousting show, fair officials weighed new options and put out feelers. When the Oregon-based Wild West firm proposed a two-day Northwest Pro Rodeo stop, it was a natural fit, Morrison said.

The annual Fort Vancouver Rodeo over the July 4th weekend has been a hit, he said. Clark County retains keen interest in horses and equestrian skills. The blend of tradition and excitement in a rodeo display nicely matched the fair’s long-range strategic plan, he said.

“My No. 1 priority here is to make sure this fair remains focused on the agricultural angle of this county. The second thing I need to do is keep this fair relevant,” Morrison said.

Hence, new daily gaming contests for visitors (including Guitar Hero), a Hannah Montana tribute and this year’s special Alien Encounter exhibit.

What it boils down to: “Is this a carnival, or a county fair?” Morrison said. “Well, it’s a county fair that has a carnival, is the way I think of it.

“Some (visitors) think food, some think rides, some think animals. My goal is, when you go home, you’ve seen it all.”

Rugged, but fun

Enter the rodeo series run by ‘Wild West’ Wayne White, based in Creswell, Ore., near Eugene.

His events run at least 43 weekends a year, stretching from Monroe in Snohomish County to Coos Bay on the southern Oregon coast, he said. His stable of cowboys (and competitive women barrel racers) ranges from 17-18 years to 30 years old, he said.

Rather than a cash purse for each event, competitors earn awards at the series end, White said.

A colorful figure, he easily explains the contemporary lure of rodeo in spectators’ eyes.

“Our motto is, ‘If it’s rodeo, you’ve got to be tough just to watch,’” he said.

Plenty of folks watch NASCAR auto racing with an eye for a dramatic crash or two, he said. In bronco or bull riding, “they see a wreck every eight seconds.”

Clark County fairgoers this week will see bareback horse riding, youngsters barrel racing with stick horses (always a hoot, White said), saddle bronc riding and the hard-charging professional barrel racers. There also will be miniature bulls and “mutton busting” (sheep) to give more youngsters a shot at glory.

Tonight, comes the real deal: “The bulls, they’re really electric. They can jump 6 feet high, and spin so fast, they make a cowboy look like a frog in a blender,” White quipped.

Among the bull riders should be a crowd favorite, local product Jake Suratt, 17, of Vancouver.

New calling card?

Significantly, White’s “rough stock” rodeo doesn’t include any roping — no dragging or throwing down young calves, action that could make young families or animal rights activists squeamish, Morrison said.

“I understand that,” the fair manager said. “We can certainly put on a great rodeo here without that.”

Morrison fully expects the rodeo to quickly become a fair staple.

Much as the large, “monster” truck events have evolved into “almost like our signature event” for the fair’s closing weekend, Morrison envisions rodeo taking over the first weekend. On short notice this year, organizers had to settle for a Monday-Tuesday schedule but see no problem in sliding into the weekend slot going forward.

“It doesn’t appear to have a lot of direct competition,” although there are other rodeos on any given weekend, Morrison said. Competitors who pick events by purse size, crowd size and traveling distance will find Clark County attractive, he predicted. “We’ve obviously got a great location, right here on I-5.”

There’s no use comparing the fair’s fledgling event to big-time professional rodeo contests that draw huge, Rose Garden arena-sized crowds. But close observers say the spectacle of cattle, horses and riders matching muscle and wits has held up well into the 21st century. Attendance has lately picked up at many events, said one.

“With the recession and all that’s going on, people see it as a viable option. It’s more affordable, it’s family friendly,” said Marvin Olberding, staff writer for ProRodeo Sports News, website and the bi-weekly publication for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

“It’s a good sign, and we’re hoping that leads to new places offering rodeo,” he said.