Joyce Beauchamp
Special to the Tribune
The second annual Verner RAM Rodeo was held September 5 to 7 on the Northern Range Ranch on Millrand Road in Verner, leaving good memories to wipe out the bad from last year’s deluge, which had hampered the inaugural event. While the attendance count was not yet available on September 15, Caroline Marx, who hosted the rodeo with her husband Serge Lafreniere, said “I’d say we are up 20% over last year.”
Success isn’t always counted by the size of the crowd or the profit it brings. It’s counted by many smaller things that bring smiles, satisfaction and enjoyment. Here are some of those things.
First, as Marx stressed repeatedly, it was a coordinated effort of friends and family. The couple took on the large responsibility of hosting an event as part of the RAM Rodeo Tour, but they had help. Serge’s father, Dan Lafrieniere, said, “Just like last year, we had the help of many of our friends and family. They put in countless hours preparing for it and doing set-up. My brother, for example, planted flowers for the entrance driveway. It added a nice touch. More friends helped with parking vehicles. The list goes on and on. We couldn’t have asked for more or better support.”
As an example, he told the story of Thursday’s set-up of the large red-and-white-striped marquis tents. “It was very windy, you see. There were gale-force winds, even a tornado warning. But we had to set them up. We spread out the tent, poles and ropes on the grass, but when we raised it, the wind blew it straight up like a balloon, with us just hanging on for dear life. ‘Quick, get some pickup trucks and tractors over here,’ someone suggested, and we ratchet-strapped the tents to the trucks and tractors. When the wind calmed down a bit more, we pinned the tents to the ground,” recounted the senior Lafreniere.
By late Friday afternoon, with the marquis tents pinned down, the Coors Saloon could be set up and Community Living West Nipissing opened its fundraising barbecue. The set-up crew and campers enjoyed good food at reasonable prices, while Community Living was able to raise money and awareness for its work in supporting local individuals with developmental disabilities. Chantal Vezina was happy to be working under the marquis tent, serving hot dogs, hamburgers and even farm-grown corn-on-the-cob and a pint of beer. “This rodeo is such a good idea for our community. It really brings people together,” she beamed.
Nearby, a lone line dancer, Jenn Jodouin, pressed “play” on her playlist and the speakers sprang to life with foot-stomping country classics. She began to dance and was soon joined by several more dancers. As the tunes kept coming, she led the participants through the steps as the crowd thickened.
Meanwhile, trailer after trailer of horses and bulls trundled along Highway 64 South, turned onto Millrand Road and then came through the gate. Camper after camper full of rodeo enthusiasts did the same, assembling in their respective parking areas and disembarking. The process of walking the horses began, up and down the aisles of parked trailers. Many animal owners, dressed in their best horse-handling gear, were familiar with one another as regular followers and competitors on the RAM Rodeo circuit. Most compete in as many of the RAM venues as they can, chasing the prize money, enjoying the camaraderie and seeking the thrill of competition.
By Saturday morning, the food trucks and many vendors were all set up. Sturgeon Falls Home Hardware handed out yellow pails to hold purchases, and by noon the grounds were dotted with hundreds of yellow pails carried by rodeo enthusiasts.
Saturday’s first event was the horse pull. Immensely large draft horses were harnessed, in pairs, to a heavy metal bar and ring. When it was the team’s turn to pull, the handlers, sometimes three of them, carried the heavy metal bar and ring to a sled and hooked the ring on. The sled was made of steel skis and a platform. On this platform were placed several 400-pound rectangular concrete bars. If the team could pull the steel sled 15 feet, they could continue to the next round, where another two 400-pound bars were added to the challenge. New Liskeard’s Josh Holiday won the Light Class event with his impressive Belgians pulling 6,600 pounds. “I work my horses every day by walking them six miles just so they can handle this event,” said Josh. With a larger team of horses, Jean-Guy Descoteux won the Heavy Class event, with his team of Rex and Leroy pulling 8,200 pounds. Another contestant, when he saw that his horses were straining, stopped the pull before they could hurt themselves. The event is like pulling the equivalent of two heavy duty pickup trucks sideways through the sand – no small feat.
By the time the horse pull was completed, the Lafreniere’s herd of beef cattle had figured out how to escape their temporary enclosure. They were found mingling with guests in the camper section of the rodeo grounds. Quickly the volunteers rounded them up and herded them back to their place. Caroline Marx reported that “They managed to do that three more times. They’re very smart. They figured out that the electric fence wasn’t fully electrified, and then they just pushed against it until it went down.”
After noon, the crowd migrated to the main arena, filled the stands and waited for the rodeo to begin. Those who attended the 2024 Verner RAM Rodeo will remember that the cold, rainy weather had turned the riding arena into sand soup. Dan Lafreniere, leaning over the arena fence with satisfaction, said, “This time, we really worked the ground to prevent that kind of situation. And it wasn’t just me. First, we removed last year’s sand and leveled the ground. Second, we tiled the land by digging and installing weeping tile 600 feet back to the creek. Mitch Bazinet of Bazinet Excavating supplied the crushed rock for the weeping tile. Third, we covered it all with filter cloth. Hubbel & Sons of North Bay supplied that, donating one roll and discounting the others. Fourth, we put on a good layer of Class A gravel, supplied by Ed Seguin & Sons. Fifth, we put down a layer of crusher dust and, sixth, Mitch Bazinet supplied the thick layer of sand. It turned out really well.”
Locals get in the ring
West Nipissing’s new MP, Jim Belanger, arrived at the rodeo in early afternoon, eager to view the riding events. “I grew up being a horseman,” he confided, and that experience came in handy. The MP was invited to participate in a crowd entertainment event where contestants rode a large bouncy ball through the arena, into which a bull was set loose. The bull set his sights on Belanger and there was contact, but the politician shook the dust off himself and walked away unhurt. It was perhaps a bout of sparring less aggressive than Parliament, some observers joked.
Barrel racing is a skill-testing event and, at this rodeo, it was the domain of the ladies. Caroline Marx competed and, as many were surprised to see, so did her daughter, Gabby. Gabby is 13 and competed against racers much more experienced, but she held her own and made everybody proud.
There were many events requiring skilled riding, but none as scary as bull riding. Ross Millar, owner of the RAM Rodeo Tour, announced from his tall horse that local favourite Aiden Brear would be participating in the senior division instead of the junior division. His mother, Karla Evans, explained the difference: “the bull is bigger so that he fills the whole chute, meaning the rider has to hover over the bull and drop onto his back the moment the chute opens.” Well, the bull was very big, very rough, and threw Aiden well before 8 seconds could elapse. Aiden was disappointed but, as they say, “it wasn’t his first rodeo.” Last year’s junior champion continues to ride bulls against the best experienced riders.