European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 12, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 the stars and stripes tuesday september 12, 1978  oooo oooo his Star in t for Sale of xxx oooooooooo0o�oooo�oqo0ooc Ujj i mix pc c is a  % of  ?pt5 7b. .lfifw?11?"v \ xxi -1 a i a. I " so k " to would be Cowboy rides his bucking mount at Small time Rodeo near Stroud okla. By sue Blakely associated press t s a Small Rodeo the kind Many people have Long since forgotten on a hot and Dusty Oklahoma saturday afternoon. The old fashioned wooden bleachers at the Sac and Fox inter tribal Rodeo grounds Are less than half filled. A few spectators lean against the Fence. Others sprawl on car hoods to watch in Comfort drinking cola and eating Fry bread from the Concession stand. Almost everyone knows everyone else. And the faces Indian Black White Are almost All teen age. Along the Hack Fence the Young cowboys Check their gear. The Stock behind the chutes Are quiet moving leisurely to shift their weight or swat an occasional Fly. Friendly voices Drift Back and Forth through the Small crowd. Want to buy a Chance on a Case of Beer How about a Chance on an Indian Blanket have you heard who Drew Frankenstein this in t a typical Rodeo explains Elmer Anderson Circle a Rodeo ranch and co., Guthrie okla. It s just to sort of help them raise a Little Money you know and i had an open  Elmer and his wife Charlene package rodeos for High schools Roundup clubs Pioneer Days founder festivals whatever excuse midwesterner can think up for getting together. All summer they make the rounds. Elmer and his Crew work the Stock and the Arena. Charlene keeps the entry books and helps the announcer. We provide whatever they need speakers conces Sion stands animals the works Elmer says every thing that is except the  Many of the rodeos Are sanctioned. Others such As this one outside Stroud Are not. $ but they know Elmer and Charlene Here. It s a repeat performance for them and for Frankenstein. Frankenstein s my Best Bull Elmer says with Pride. He s Only been Ridden once in Over 375  that one time he got Rode Well it was t his fault the Cowboy had All the advantages. He d been on him five times before. And then they had that Bull in a tiny Chute and he weighs 2,200 pounds. He hooked his Horn in the Gate when he came out and Down he went on his Knees. That Bull was still bucking on his Knees for five seconds he s Down there bucking. He finally got Loose but the Cowboy Only had to ride him three seconds out there in the Arena. That s the Only time he s been  if Elmer is proud it s excusable. Rodeo contracting is a hard business. There Aren t Many contractors. And Elmer is believed to be the Only Black contractor in the Midwest it s a real Frontier Elmer says and it s highly competitive. Each year Little Guys try to make it As a contractor and each year most of them fold. But this is my childhood dream and i intend to keep working at  both Elmer and Charlene have been interested in live Stock and ranching As Long As they can remember. Shortly after they married they began buying Small parcels of land leasing old farms where the scrub Oak and grass land mix in the Oklahoma Hills around Guthrie just North of Oklahoma City. I did t have much Stock of any kind then Elmer says but i knew what i wanted to do and i knew i did t have the funds to do it All at once. I was going to have to do it Little by  As a Start the Andersons opened a Small typically sparse country store Complete with doors of dog food neat s foot Oil used saddles and All purpose medicinal. Two years later they added a feed Mill and Scales but these were Only Steps toward the real goal. Elmer dons his Bright Blue Satin shirt and mounts his horse for the grand entry. There is a delay when someone discovers the Oklahoma Flag which is to be carried in the Parade has been mounted upside Down on its pole. The horses shift restlessly while the Flag is corrected. Then the recorded music starts and the Arena disappears in a fog of dust that engulfs animals and spectators alike. I knew if we were going to make it As contractors we d have to have something to offer that would make people Call us again Elmer says. We were determined we d give everyone a Quality performance they d re  it paid off. The first year the Andersons had Totake whatever rodeos they could get usually the ones other contractors had turned Down. But in this their third year they were booked up before the season started. They have set up for More than 40 rodeos one to three a week almost one a Day in mid summer. On some weekends they have three shows scheduled. It s his Stock that Elmer is proudest of and most concerned about. I started trading livestock when i was 18," he says. You know buying one or two animals and trading them off for one better. Finally two years ago i traded in a Large number of cattle for a Start on the Rodeo  some of the Stock comes from special Rodeo auctions. Frankenstein was bought from another Rodeo company when they sold out Elmer says. He d been raised in South Texas and bucked As a calf. He went to the Ira finals that  some of the Stock comes from people who have bought a hard to handle animal. You la find a Mav Erick in almost any Strain Elmer says. Som horses Are just hardheaded and stubborn. When someone brings us one Well try it out. If it shows Promise we put it in the  Elmer looks on his animals As athletes. The More an Anir rial Bucks the More he enjoys it he says. That bucking s bred in them it s hereditary. An animal s judged in the Arena for his athletic ability How he turns and spins How High he jumps and How often How High he kicks. That Means you be got to keep him in shape keep him Well cared for. He has to be Grain fed heavily with extra feed during the Peak of the season because of the constant travel and strenuous  Elmer is very particular about the animals. We won t Buck a horse or a Bull but once a Day because we want our animals to stay in Good shape to be healthy and vigor Ous he says. Circle a Stock enjoys a Good reputation for showman ship and Elmer Hopes to enlarge his business to sell Stock to other Rodeo contractors next year. Prices for such Stock Aren t cheap. There s not a Bull out there right now i d sell for under a thousand dollars he says. I be turned Down two thousand for some and Frankenstein Well he Ain t for  in the pen behind the chutes Frankenstein s Slick blonde Brahma head with its heavy horns and sleep eyes towers above the others. He really lays Down the Law in the Arena Elmer says but he s just a big baby to handle outside no trouble at All. Of course you have to like him and have respect for him  now in their mid-30s, the Andersons who have two children Are beginning to feel a Little closer to their goal. We be done without a lot to get where we Are Elmer says but we re beginning to feel More  the three pronged operation is now a Small Corpora Tion. Elmer still hires Only one or two regular hands but on weekends with More than one Rodeo hell hire six to eight men for each Rodeo. The Andersons live in a modest ranch Home that Elmer built himself last year after their old Home was destroyed by fire. Last Winter s extra three weeks of Snow caught them Short of Hay for their animals but this year they veal ready found a Way to Winter the off season and perhaps come out ahead. We be contracted to hold indoor rodeos in Harrah about 30 Miles from Guthrie says Charlene. That should help us pay the Winter feed Bill and keep the animals in shape As  this saturday s Rodeo has All the airs of a Community Outing. There Are bucking broncs calf roping and steer wrestling with spectators urging on the participants by name. The bulls Are last. Everybody s been waiting for them. Frankenstein huge Broad shouldered stuffed into a narrow Chute Springs out like a Jack in the Box. The Young Cowboy Riding him lands on his face almost in stantly. Frankenstein Bounds away unconcerned. Elmer grins and pushes his hat Back on his forehead. Score one More Cowboy for Frankenstein. And one More Rodeo for Elmer