The heat did not prevent throngs of fans from attending Allen County Fair Rodeo.
With temperatures reaching into the high 90s, and the heat index even higher, attendees showed up in force to both nights of the competition, organized by the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association.
Heat may have played a factor in that no participant registered a qualifying time in the bareback and bull riding competitions. The cowboys and cowgirls who finished in the other competitions walked away with a share of the more $7,000 in prize money handed out.
Creek Rogers won first and second place in the saddle bronc competition with respective scores of 71 and 68.
In open calf roping, Houston Shipley’s 11.8-second finish was more than enough to take the top prize. However, only a fraction of a second separated second-place Travis Cramer and third-place Noah Gleue with Cramer clocking a 14.2-second finish and Gleue clocking in at 14.3.
Jason Arnt took the over-40 calf-roping prize with a 12-second finish, followed by Worm Shipley in 12.7 and Gregg Ash in 16.2.
In team roping, the tandem of Tyler Johnson and Derrick Peterson edged Kiser Waitrak and Mitch Murray in another photo finish. Johnson and Peterson finished in 7.5 seconds to Waitrak and Murray’s 7.6 seconds. Roc Engle and Tucker Madison took third in 8.5 seconds while Kolby Boos and Jace Steen Houk finished fourth in 9.1 seconds.
In breakaway calf roping, Kinley Taylor took the top prize after roping her calf in 3.6 seconds. Phoebe Bjork finished second with a 4.1-second rope and Karey Perry took third with a 12.8 second rope.
Tyler Mann won the steer wrestling competition after flipping his steer in 5.1 seconds. Dawson Fenix finished in second place in 5.1 seconds.
Taya Sonderegger took first in the barrel race after clearing the course in 16.7 seconds. Shelley Seibolt took second in 17.1 seconds. Sage Saving finished third in 17.2 seconds, which barely edged out fourth place Shiney Hughes’ 17.296 second finish.
