As entertainer Garth Brooks sang in his song, Rodeo: “… it’s the roar of a Sunday crowd, it’s the white in his knuckles, the gold in his buckle he’ll win the next go ‘round …”
Paying homage to those dedicated to the sport of rodeo, this year the Oakdale Cowboy Museum is celebrating the event that brings so many folks to Oakdale: the annual Oakdale PRCA – Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association – Rodeo. From the packed arenas to the horse trailers as far as the eye can see, the rodeo in The Cowboy Capital of the World has put Oakdale on the map and has continued to highlight the cowboy way of life.
The 27th annual Cowboy Museum Dinner Auction is set for Saturday, Oct. 11 and will honor the rodeo this year by showcasing three of its biggest stars: Ted Nuce, Bull Riding Champion; Bushwacker, a fierce bucking bull and competitor; and Wild Bill Lane, a popular rodeo clown that spent many years on the circuit. Nuce will be recognized at the dinner, with posthumous memorial recognition due for both Lane and Bushwacker.
“These dinners are so important to the museum and the community as they fund some of our most important projects such as scholarships, FFA and Junior Rodeo Programs,” noted Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Harvey-Mount, Cowboy Museum board member.
Tickets to the upcoming dinner are available for purchase at the Oakdale Cowboy Museum, 355 E. F St. Ticket prices range from $100 per person for museum members to $125 for non-members or tables can be purchased for $800 to $1,000. The dinner and program will be hosted at the Gene Bianchi Community Center, on South Second Avenue in Oakdale, from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Ted Nuce, PRCA Rookie Cowboy of the Year in 1980 when he was just 19, went on to become the World Bull Riding Champion in 1985. Nuce continued to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo for 14 years from 1982-1995 and went on to win two gold medallions in the 1988 Winter Olympic Command Performance Rodeo in Alberta, Canada.
Early on, Nuce met another local cowboy by the name of Alan Price, who knew the ins and outs of bull riding and started helping Nuce as he trained. Price, who had been cowboying since he was a kid in Escalon and the surrounding areas, was proud to lend his knowledge to young Nuce, who would go on to become a world champion just a decade later.
From bull riders to bulls, Bushwacker, a rust-colored bull that many referred to as “The Greatest of All Time,” is being honored at the dinner as well. Bushwacker inspired fear and awe in riders around the world and was a world champion in 2011, 2013 and 2014. During his active years Bushwacker had a near perfect record of buck-offs; only three men rode Bushwacker for the full eight seconds during his stellar career. In 2013, J.B. Mauney clinched his victory as the 2013 World Champion with his ride on Bushwacker, lasting exactly eight seconds and landing him a winning score of 95.25. Though Bushwacker passed peacefully last year, his legacy lives on in the rodeo world as one of the all-time greats.
One of the best things about the rodeo is watching those colorful rodeo clowns run around the arena, dodging those bucking bulls and spreading laughter as they make their way around the rodeo grounds. For many folks, one of the most memorable rodeo clowns was the late Wild Bill Lane and, to those that knew him, wild was an understatement.
Though Lane started out riding bulls, he found his calling when he became a rodeo clown. Known for his wild antics in and out of the arena, Lane was a crowd favorite on the rodeo circuit and a good friend to many. From his collection of animals from buffalo to chimpanzees to bulls, he was always willing to spread some good cheer while entertaining everyone from kids to cowboys.
For more information about the dinner or to purchase tickets, call the Cowboy Museum at 209-847-7049 or visit the website: https://thecowboymuseum.org/
