Reno Rodeo Parade and Kids Day

June 18, 2011

One of the longstanding traditions in Reno is the annual Reno Rodeo. In the four years I’ve lived here, I have never been, so when BBBS called and asked L and I to walk in the parade (and we were both available that day), we decided to do it. We met the BBBS van and all of the other Bigs and Littles at the staging area downtown and waited for the parade's 10:00 am start. We waited and waited and waited, and it got warmer and warmer and warmer (we all were wearing our matching BBBS t-shirts...BLACK t-shirts), and L got fidgety, and bored, and hot. But then, suddenly the parade was moving and we were marching in it! The kids had candy to pass out along the route (I think L's was gone within the first block), and we all followed behind the van while carefully stepping around and over all of the horse poop. The kids high-fived people along the route and had a blast.

Following the BBBS van on the route.

Bigs and Littles

Getting ready to walk under the arch.

After we were done marching in the parade, we sat and watched the remainder of the parade -- the Shriner's, cheerleaders, fire department, etc -- then made our way back towards the car. On the way to the car we saw L’s favorite cheerleading troupe and she wanted to take a picture with them.  A few of them obliged and she thought it was so cool to pose with “real” cheerleaders.

I had packed a picnic, so between the parade and Rodeo Kids Day we went to Idlewild Park for lunch, a little playing in the playground, and some badminton (with the $5.99 pink and purple badminton rackets I got at Walgreens), which turned into baseball/badminton – swinging the rackets like bats and seeing how far the birdie would fly.

After the park we headed to the Livestock Events Center for Kids Day. Kids Day is free and has indoor and outdoor activities. Outside was the typical carnival type stuff, rides, pony rides, junk food, midway games, etc.

Fun Slide!

The exact same Funhouse John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
danced in in Grease (okay, maybe not the exact same, but one JUST like it)!

Inside there were many exhibits and activities for the kids (the Nevada Highway Patrol “Convincer,” volunteer firefighters fire safety house, roping, karaoke, crafts, etc.). We made it through the arena and checked everything out:

Practicing her roping.

Bucket racing with a stick pony.

NHP's The Convincer - simulates a car crash and  "convinces"
 you how important it is to wear your seat belt.

After the indoor stuff, we headed back outside to see if we missed anything. We stumbled upon the entrance to the main rodeo arena and there were some people inside watching an event, but I wasn’t sure what. L made her way to the tippy top of the grandstands to sit and then I realized the event was calf roping. Ugh! I don’t understand the point of rodeo to begin with, and then you watch calf roping and it all just seems so cruel. I can see having to rope a calf in real life so it doesn’t run away (is that why cowboys rope calves?), but for fun and for sport???? I don’t get it. Anyway, I told L I didn’t want to watch the roping (she agreed it was sad), so we headed out. She begged, begged, begged for Yogurt Beach before I took her home (on top of the popcorn and lemonade she had at the carnival), and after telling her no a couple of times, I caved. After a little frozen yogurt (her, not me), I dropped her at home. Whew!!  What a long, tiring, exhausting, but FUN day!

Until our next adventure . . .