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| awkward rodeo pose... |
Since Owen's from Lehi, I decided that we needed to experience one of his hometown's longest-standing traditions - the Lehi Rodeo! I've never been to a rodeo before (they aren't exactly popular on the West Coast), and was excited to see why everyone in Utah seemed to love them so much. It was definitely an interesting experience. We had front row seats, which was fun because we were super close to the action, but everyone kept walking in front of us to get hamburgers and such, the smell of which thankfully helped mask the aroma of manure. It was all very
very stereotypical Republican - cheers all around for guns and America and cowboys. And I was shocked at how sexist it was too -- especially the rodeo clown (I think that's what they are called) Liesel, and how hilarious everyone thought all of the totally sexist jokes were. I guess I fall into a stereotype too - the overly politically correct, peace-lovin' Washingtonian that I am, but it was just interesting for me to see that there are still lots of people who are way into the whole cowboy thing. One thing we found really hilarious was how the announcer kept tacking on the phrase "here on a Saturday night" to everything he said: "We've got a sold out crowd here
on a Saturday night!" "Check out those Texas Longhorns, here
on a Saturday night!" "There's no wilder place to be than
here on a Saturday night!" "I'm eating a hot dog here
on a Saturday night!" "I love NASCAR and guns and Rush Limbaugh and God and the Pledge of Allegiance and
AMERICA HERE ON A SATURDAY NIGHT!!!" (okay that one was a bit of an exaggeration...but he
did passionately mention at least 5 of those 6 things) I really think he believed we would forget what day of the week it was if he wasn't reminding us every 3 minutes. Also, I've never seen so many short shorts with cowboy boots combos in my whole life. Nonetheless, it was still a fun cultural experience and I was glad to share it with Owen as I learned more about the life of the Mountain West!
