Hey all you members. It’s that time of year again - time to elect our leaders for the upcoming year. If you’re already involved and want to keep it that way, or if you’ve got a hankering to serve more and be more involved, here’s your chance.

Elections of SMRA officers will be held at the monthly General Membership meeting on December 2, 2006. The offices include President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer. Nominations for officers will be accepted at the monthly General Membership meeting on October 7, 2006 and again at the November 4, 2006 meeting. Nominations may also be submitted to the Elections Chair at any time once the floor has been opened to nominiations at the October monthly meeting. After the November meeting, the floor will be closed to nominations and only write-in nominations will be accepted thereafter.

Nominated candidates must be in good standing and have been a member of SMRA for three months. Your vote may be cast via ground mail per ballots that will be sent to members or may be cast at the December monthly meeting.

For officer responsibilities and election regulations, refer to our By-Laws and Guidelines to By-Laws.

So saddle up, get involved, and help ensure our growing organization continues to move in the right direction.

Terry Sharp
Elections Chair

The countdown is on with less than 30 days until Convention. It's time to show IGRA and Nashville just what SMRA is made of. The work has been exhausting, frustrating and downright crappy at times, but when it all comes together in a few weeks, we are going to be the proud parents of an incredible Convention.

There is still plenty of work to do and if you have not gotten involved, it is not too late. Volunteers are needed from now until the end of Convention for various projects. Please be sure that you have contacted Grigsby W. to fill some of the open slots.

Our current focus is ticket sales for our events. If you cannot help out by volunteering, this is your chance to give back to the organization. Last week Justin issued a challenge to all members to sell just two tickets to each event. How are you doing? I am sure everyone has two family members, friends, co-workers and/or acquaintances that they can call or email. The more the better. With three great events planned, there is a little something for everyone. Performances by Steff Mahan, James Allen Clark and Donna Carter, are topped off with a four-bus Pub Crawl and the IGRA Dance Competition (details at www.smra.net). Ticket order forms can be downloaded by clicking on the appropriate link below:

SMRA / IGRA Members
General Public (Non-Members)

Come out to our next Convention Committee meeting / Cookout at Jack M.'s house on October 1st and be a part of something great. See ya there!

Bill Tedder
2006 IGRA Convention Chair

Howdy Smokys,

With only a few weeks left before Convention, I’d encourage everyone to take the opportunity to review the current proposals for the IGRA Bylaws, Standing Rules and Rodeo Rules. There are several major proposals regarding ongoing Finals Selection, as well as a proposed annual review and renewal of each association’s “geographic area”. The latter will most likely impact multi-state associations, such as SMRA, more than single state or region associations. It is important that we evaluate these proposals carefully. Your delegation will be looking to the membership for guidance and input. I believe these will be the two biggest talking points this year. For everyone’s convenience, the latest versions of the IGRA Bylaws, Standing Rules and Rodeo Rules proposals are posted on the SMRARodeo Yahoo! Group .

Your delegates this year are Jack Marshall, Tom Schlueter-White, Grigsby White, Justin Waldner and Tam Keltner. They are your voice into IGRA and Gay Rodeo, so, if you have something to say, these are the folks to contact. Again, they are looking for your input regarding the proposals. Feel free to contact any or all of them! Their contact info is available on the SMRA Web site on the contacts page.

We’re doing a great job pulling Convention together and should all take the time to acknowledge how much we’ve accomplished as a team. It’s a stepping stone to producing other events such as Rodeo. There have been some valuable lessons learned and they only serve to strengthen us as an Association.

I look forward to seeing y’all in a few weeks.

Respectfully,

Tam Keltner
Trustee, SMRA

For those of you who missed it, Mark R. was shirtless in a pair of board shorts for the Mr. Tennessee 2006 contest at the Chute Complex in Nashville, TN on Sunday, September 17th! “Now if that ain't hot, I don't know what is!” said SMRA’s President, Justin James. Mark represented SMRA with pride and a lot of masculinity! It was a tough competition with five competitors who were all handsome in there own way. There were four categories: Bar Wear, Swimsuit, Formal Wear and Question and Answer. The contest is only a local contest with the winner getting a trophy, a medal and $500 in cash. The 1st runner-up gets a trophy, a medal and $200 in cash and the 2nd runner-up gets a trophy, a medal and $100 in cash. There is also a small trophy for the winner of each of the 4 categories. It's a lot of fun and there were some great performers that entertained the audience while the contestants were getting ready for each category including Bianca Paige, Victoria Parker, Tim Toonen, and Abby McDowell to name a few.

Mark got a perfect 10 from one of the judges during the Question and Answer section and that’s not easy! Mark looked dapper in his cowboy tux and ultra-sexy-cool in his bar wear.

Be sure to thank Mark and pat him on the back for being our contestant. Mark didn't win the title, but in our hearts and minds he did and that, fellow Smokys, is all that matters! Thanks Mark! You rocked!

This year's Wild West Showdown was a big success! Many Middle-Tennessee Smoky Mountain Rodeo Association members enjoyed the outdoor evening of western-themed fun. There was some great live music, wonderful food, plenty of beverages and LOTS of cowboys and cowgirls to admire.

SMRA members worked hard selling "cowboy kisses" for donations and raised quite a bit of money for the cause and brought a "cowboy excitement" to the party grounds.

Special thanks to all the kissers and to everyone that volunteered to help make the event a success.

On Sunday evening, September 24, 2006, the final competition in the 2007 Mr. Bud Light Nashville competition took place at Play Dance Bar. It was an exciting evening with contestants representing clubs from all over Nashville.

As in the preliminary competitions, the evening was hosted by Angelica DeVil of DeVil' s Jungle and the contestants competed in four categores (creativity, fastasy western wear, "show us your clydesdale", and audience support (tips). Each contestant in the finals put his best foot forward to try to win the title.

Once the judges scores were tallied it was determined that the winner was Chris Whitmire, Mr. Bud Light Play 2007. Chris won the $1,000 cash prize and other items donated by the event's sponsor, Bud Light. First Runner-Up was Mr. Bud Light Tribe 2007, Allen James, who was presented with a western jacket and other items from Bud Light. Chris will reign as Mr. Bud Light 2007 from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007.

Special thanks to Play Dance Bar, it's amazing staff, our distinguished panel of judges, Rob Sikorski-Mr. Bud Light Nashville 2006, Miss Kitty Kincaid, Shanita Botox and all the contestants for making the night exciting. Additional thanks to Grigsby W. and Justin J. for their work throughout the competition to make Mr. Bud Light Nashville an exciting event throughout the year. Be watching for details about the Mr. Bud Light 2008 competition as it draws near.

On Saturday, September 30, 2006, Smoky Mountain Rodeo Association joined hundreds of walkers at Nashville CARES annual AidsWalk. The walk took place at Bicentennial Mall in Nashville. It was a beautiful fall day!

The SMRA Team raised $1,400+ for the cause! Participants in this year's walk raised more than $160,000 for NashvilleCARES .

Nashville CARES is the oldest and largest private non- profit AIDS organization in Tennessee, and is also Middle Tennessee’s leading provider of HIV prevention and care services. Currently, CARES is providing support to more than 1,500 men, women, and children living with HIV disease. Nashville CARES will also provide more than 40,000 youth and adults this year will the information and skills to guard against HIV infection.

CARES services are free to clients and include case management, mental health therapy, emergency financial aid, transportation assistance, help finding housing, monthly food bags, CARE-a-Van home meal delivery, careteams, CARES Free (volunteers helping out with household chores), and a PAWS pet program. Nashville CARES also has free HIV education and testing available to the community.

In addition to the annual AIDS Walk, CARES has other events throughout the year. Artrageous in the fall, Dining Out for Life in the spring, and Night in White in the summer also allow the community to participate in events that benefit CARES.

Thanks to the people in Middle Tennessee and its corporate sponsors and grants programs, CARES is able to continue to provide the vital services needed in our community.

Smoky Mountain Rodeo Association is proud to participate in this event. Special thanks to Jack M., Community Service Chair, for organizing and motivating our walkers!

Don't miss this Convention Event! The concert begins at 9:00 p.m. at Play Dance Bar. Tickets are $8.00 in advance and $10.00 at the door

Featuring Club Blu, Chute Complex, PLAY Dance Bar and Tribe! Four buses, four bars and a whole lot of fun! Tickets: $35.00 (must be purchased in advance). Includes:

• Free cover charge into all bars
• Prize give-aways
• Possible Bud Light Drink Specials
• Transportation for the whole night
• Mini tour of Nashville

Featuring Donna Carter at the Music Valley Event Center followed by a Dance Party at the Chute Complex. Tickets: $20.00 (must be purchased in advance).

Contact president@smra.ne t for more information.

Please remember to save some time to help out during Convention. The dates are October 19- 22, 2006 and EVERYONE'S HELP is necessary to make this event a success!

Additionally, if you know of any groups or organizations that might be willing to volunteer, please send and email to record@smra.net and let us know who needs to be contacted.

More details will be provided as the convention date draws near but, for now, please save these dates!

ARTICLE IV - FISCAL YEAR
A. The fiscal year shall begin on the first (1st) day of January of each year and end at midnight on the thirty-first (31st) day of December of each calendar year.

CLICK HERE if you would like to print a copy of SMRA's current Bylaws. Questions or comments concerning SMRA Bylaws and Guidelines can be directed to the Bylaws Chair at bylaws@smra.net.

This event is designed to give even the novice a chance to compete in rough stock events. The steer and the contestant both start in the bucking chute and face a 60-second time limit. When the chute gate opens, the contestant must bring the steer out to a 10-foot line in front of the chute, and then attempt to wrestle, or "dog" the steer to the ground. The contestant will turn the steer's head up and toward the steer's shoulder, hoping the steer will fall over on it's other shoulder, causing all four feet to point in the same direction as the head was turned. If the steer is contrary and falls the other way, it is termed a "dog fall" and the contestant can either attempt to turn the head the same direction or let the steer up and start over. In this event either the contestant "dogs" or gets "dogged."