Rodeo Roundup

The RoadRunner Regional Rodeo hopes to bounce back after bad weather caused low attendance last year.

By Laura Latzko

Chuck Browning in the bull riding competition in 2008.

Rodeo Roundup

RoadRunner Regional Rodeo hopes to bounce back from rain-soaked 2011 event

Up to 125 cowboys and cowgirls are expected to compete when the 27th annual RoadRunner Regional Rodeo is staged Feb. 17-19 at Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler.

The gay rodeo will feature traditional rodeo events, including barrel and flag racing, individual and team calf roping, chute dogging, bull riding, steer decorating and goat dressing.

George Immerso said he doesn't plan to make big changes to the rodeo this year because its format has worked during his three-year stint as director.

"You know the saying, ‘If it ain't broke, don't fix it,'" Immerso said. "If it hadn't been for the rain last year, we would have had a banner year."

In 2011, cowboys and cowgirls competed despite high winds, heavy rain and dust storms, but attendance — which has ranged to more than 10,000 people at past events — was down significantly because of the weather.

That caused financial difficulties for event's organizer, the Arizona Gay Rodeo Association (AGRA), which hopes to rebound with this year's event.

Immerso said with the help of establishments like Charlie's and Apollo's Lounge, AGRA held fundraisers for three months to pay for a deficit of more than $14,400, incurred by costs such as generators and the entertainment stage.

Immerso said the Arizona rodeo is the first of the year on the gay rodeo circuit and is the largest in terms of contestants.

Chuck Browning, a former AGRA president, said contestants often try to begin the year with strong performances at the Arizona rodeo.

"People try to get in and get their points in and get a good start to the year," Browning said.

The Arizona rodeo is one of 15 rodeos planned around the country in 2012. Cowboys in the circuit who qualify in the top 20 in each event advance to the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) finals, which will be held Oct. 19-21 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Browning, who is a member of the IGRA Hall of Fame, qualified for the finals in 2000 in all 13 events and has won 13 international championship buckles and more than 200 event buckles.

Browning said contestants often stay involved for years because the gay rodeo circuit features a strong community, which includes people throughout the country.

"We have developed this family, known as a rodeo family. You may only see them when you do the rodeo," Browning said. "There's that comfort level in competing with people like me or people that accept me for me."

Immerso said that gay rodeos often attract a wide range of contestants and attendees because they are community-oriented and open and accepting. "It's not just a gay event. We don't discriminate," Immerso said.

Chuck Browning in the barrel racing competition in 2008

Event details:

Grand marshal: Kevin McSweeny, who performs as drag queen Pussy LeHoot, will serve as grand marshal of the event. LeHoot served as Miss International Gay Rodeo Association in 2005.

Entertainment: Rawhide will be set up with bars, an entertainment stage and dance spaces. The entertainment pavilion will have music from DJs and dance teams. AGRA is introducing a Latin hour with drag performers and Latin music.

Food: Rawhide will have barbecued foods for sale. On Feb. 17, guests can purchase food and drinks inside the Cantina in the Branding Iron room.

Shuttle service: Free shuttles to the rodeo will run between Charlie's, Apollo's Lounge, the Radisson Hotel Phoenix-Chandler, the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino and the rodeo grounds. Hotel shuttles will also transport competitors and attendees to and from the rodeo grounds.

Lodging: Host hotels include Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino and the Radisson Hotel Phoenix-Chandler. AGRA also offers nightly and multiple-day tent and RV packages.

Charity funds: This year, AGRA will be raising money for charities it was not able to give money to last year because of the deficit. Beneficiaries are the Community Church of Hope, Joshua Tree Feeding Program, the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network, Crops of Luv and the Phoenix chapter of Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

Pre and post rodeo events:

AGRA will host its monthly meeting on Feb. 12 at Charlie's and award Pussy LeHoot, the 2002 Miss AGRA, with a 10-year crown.
The annual mini rodeo will take place Feb. 15, at Charlie's and include events such as a wild drag race, human goat dressing and a Miss Mini Rodeo competition.
Models from Homorodeo.com's 2012 calendar will sign calendars and posters during a pre-rodeo meet and greet starting at 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at Bar 1. The bar will feature country music and videos and a country western motif. Julie Craig, Empress II of the Imperial Sovereign Empire of Arizona, will host the event.
Charlie's Phoenix will hold a survivor's brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 20 at Charlie's, with a post-rodeo show hosted by Pussy LeHoot starting at 1 p.m.

Echo Magazine is among the sponsors of the RoadRunner Regional Rodeo. -E

VITAL STATISTICS

RoadRunner Regional Rodeo
Contestant registration will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 17. Rodeo events begin at 8 a.m. Feb. 18 and 19.
Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass
5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler
Tickets: $15; two day passes $25
www.agra-phx.com

Rodeo's Country Idol will crown new karaoke champ

By Alexis Getscher

Winners of 10 qualifying rounds held at local LGBT bars will face off at the finals of Country Idol as part of the RoadRunner Regional Rodeo.

The karaoke competition will be Feb. 17 at Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler.

In front of a crowd expected to exceed 200 people, contestants will perform two songs — either a country song or a mainstream song with a country twist — and will be judged on talent, voice and showmanship.

The winner will perform the following day at the rodeo, and have the opportunity to perform at Phoenix Pride in April.

Helena Grayson, Sway's artistic director, said that at the preliminaries she's seen an even showing of men and women, with contestants predominately singing music from country artists Rascal Flatts and Sugarland.

Finalists range from individuals who have competed in previous Country Idol competitions, including Roxy Mengel, representing Rainbow Cactus, to Pete James, who heard about the competition after just two weeks after moving to Phoenix from Dallas.

"I was actually at karaoke at some random bar and someone was like, ‘Wow, you sound really good, you should try out,' and they told me where it was, and I ended up doing Plazma," James said.

James said he plays the guitar and loves singing and competing, but he said his main goal is to have a good time. "In all honesty I'm just doing it for fun," he said. "If I win that's awesome, but it's what I love to do so, I'm happy with that."

Unintentionally, James and Mengel recently ran into each other at Bar 1 and discovered they are both in the finale.

"We kind of had a little sing-off ... just playing around," said Mengel, who will be competing in Country Idol for the third year.

"It's kind of cool that we do have people who tried before, who maybe didn't get as far as they would have liked, are stepping up their game and making it this time around," Grayson said.

Returning this year are the judges from previous years — Micheal Weakley and Stacey Jay Cavaliere, both from 1n10, and Trisha Monell, a host at Cash Inn Country. Cavaliere writes music reviews for Echo Magazine and Weakley worked at a country music radio station in the south. -E

VITAL STATISTICS

Country Idol finals
8 p.m. Feb. 17
Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass
5700 W. North Loop Road, Chandler
Tickets: $5
swayevents.com/countryidol