2009 Event Recaps

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Angel Heart Christmas Card

SMRA recieved a very nice and touching Christmas Card from Angel Heart Farm. Angel Heart Farm was one of SMRA's charity partners for 2009. Angel Heart Farm enriches the lives of children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses through its equine-assisted therapy for children and their families. Angel Heart Farm believes that communion with animals...can have a lasting healing on the heart, body and mind of all individuals.
View the Christmas Card

SMRA Membership Celebration Weekend

The first weekend of December SMRA had a bunch of busy elves scurrying all over the city for numerous weekend events. Friday night, December 4th, several SMRA members participated in a Pub Crawl to four of our local establishments: Blue Gene's, Trax, Stirrup and Tribe; Saturday was our Royalty competition at at OutCentral and Vibe followed our Christmas Wreath fundraiser at Tribe and monthly rodeo night at Blue Gene's; Sunday was a Holiday brunch at the Stirrup cooked by Big Gene Wow, what a weekend we had to kick off the holiday season!

Wow, what a weekend we had to kick off the holiday season! SMRA had a bunch of busy elves scurrying all over the city. Friday night, December 4th, several SMRA members participated in a Pub Crawl to four of our local establishments: Blue Gene's, Trax, Stirrup and Tribe. Joining us were three special guests: Dusty West and Lou Rushing from the Diamond State Rodeo Association ( Arkansas ) and Randy Edlin from the Texas Gay Rodeo Association (Austin). Our three guests were in town to judge the SMRA Royalty Competition being held on Saturday. A fun night was had by all.

Saturday afternoon, December 5th began with the first portion of our 2010 Royalty Competition at OutCentral. James Bowman-Harris, aka Uma Stephens, began her quest for the title of Miss SMRA 2010 by answering a series of rodeo related questions in front of our judges. For this portion of the competition, James was "out of face", meaning he was not in makeup and hair and he dressed in male western attire. The afternoon did not stop there. Next up was our SMRA Board and Membership meetings also held at OutCentral. The SMRA Membership voted to donate $1200 to each of our two Charity Partners: Alive Hospice and Angel Heart Farm.

Saturday night, the fun continued with the remaining portions of the Royalty Competition: Western Wear, Personal Interview and Performance held at Vibe. Uma did a fantastic job earning an overall score of 90%, and was crowned Miss SMRA 2010. This will allow her to compete for the title of Miss IGRA 2011 next year if she chooses. Congratulations Uma, we look forward to all that you will bring to SMRA.

During the Competition, Kitty Kinkaid, Miss SMRA 2008 officially passed the baton to Uma by performing her "step down" number. We cannot thank Kitty enough for her efforts benefitting SMRA and the entire Community. She was presented with a bouquet of red roses by the Membership. While the Competition was wrapping up, many of the SMRA elves scurried down to Tribe to set-up our Annual Christmas Wreath Silent auction. This year we had 7 wreaths decorated by the following:

It took several tries but we were successful in selling all seven and made $440! While the fundraiser was going on at Tribe, the remaining SMRA members were busy at Blue Gene's conducting our monthly Rodeo Night. They worked hard selling Jell-O shots and light bulbs for our Light up the Christmas Tree fundraiser. For this fundraiser particpants can buy a bulb for a $1 to insert into one of the empty sockets of the tree. The objective is to get the whole tree lit up before the end of the evening. This particular night the tree lights were sold out twice thanks to everyone's hard work.

Sunday, December 6th was the wrap up of our Membership weekend and culminated in a SMRA Holiday Brunch at the Stirrup cooked by Big Gene. Members feasted on Baked Chicken, Pork Tenderloin, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes and an incredibly delicious Peppermint Cake provided by Brett. The ambiance was festive with decorations and candles.

The Board would like to thank all the elves who worked tirelessly to make this weekend a huge success and look forward to seeing each of you in the coming new year!
See photos from the weekend

SMRA Member WINS Drag Survior

Patrick L., competing as Wynotta Dickson-Mann, was the winner for the Conductors Annual Drag Survivor contest. The event; held on Sunday, November 22nd at Play Dance Bar, has contestants competing in rounds of drag performance by drawing a random song to peform to for tips. The person with the lowest amount of tips in each round is then eliminated. Patrick made it though all rounds, helping to earn $510 for NashvilleCARES. Once crowned, Patrick performed one last time to, appropriately enough, "I Will Survive." Congratulations Patrick!

International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA Convention)

Our delegates had full days of committee meetings on Friday and being on the Convention floor on Saturday and Sunday. Heck, we didn't get done with Convention until around 7:00pm on Sunday night! I think I can safely say all of us learned a lot again. We made new friends and caught up with others. The people of Toronto are just so friendly. They aren't used to seeing all these cowboy/cowgirl hats everywhere so they often asked us who we are and why we were there. They welcomed us with open arms.

From the dance parties that Central Canada Gay Rodeo Association (CCGRA) organized to the on-our-own tours of the city some of us did. I'm certain Toronto got a taste of some southern manners and kindness in return for their hospitality.

The 2010 IGRA Royalty Contest went off without a hitch! There was some stiff competition but after it was all said and done the best people won. Roger Courtemanche as Mr. IGRA 2010 and Iona Doublewide as Miss IGRA 2010

Steve B. also came along for the ride and ended up volunteering at the IGRA inventory booth while others were participating in Convention. Steve also helped me during nominations this year. Thank you Steve!

CCGRA put on one heck of a convention! They really raised the bar on how smoothly run a convention can be run. Reno and others that follow really have their work cut out for them. Congratulations CCGRA on a job well done!
See photos from IGRA Convention

World Gay Rodeo Finals Recap

The New Mexico State Fairgrounds was the venue for World Gay Rodeo Finals, in Laughlin, NV this past October 21-24. The indoor heated arena which made it comfortable for everyone with vendors in . an adjacent building. The weather cooperated all weekend – nice sunny days and cool evenings.

Finals contestants are the best of the best – the highest scorers from throughout the year, and they did not disappoint during the rodeo performance, with a good number of thrills in the rough stock events and a lot of laughs in the camp events.

SMRA member Chad (aka Smurf) did us proud and it was great to hear the rodeo announcer call up "Smurf from the Smoky Mountain Rodeo Association". Chad was able to place 3rd in sunday's rodeo in the Steer Riding event. SMRA was also mentioned several times as sponsoring the buckle for Women's Bareback Bronc Riding, won by Vanessa. A group of camp cheerleaders provided fun entertainment between events.

The Smokies were well-represented outside the contestants as well. Singer James Allen Clark performed on Friday and Saturday nights. The Saturday night drag show at the hotel, called Demented Divas – Totally Plowed, was a riot. The Demented Divas are a camp drag group that kept us laughing, there was a talented dance team from Arizona called Desert Heat, and an amazing Dolly Parton impersonator named Sandy Vee Anderson that you'd have sworn was the real McCoy. James Allen Clark led Saturday evening off with a set of songs that got the crowd pumped up.

Homorodeo had a presence at the rodeo and offered their usual fun meet and greet on Friday night. Sidewinders was the name of the local host bar for the rodeo weekend and was packed beyond capacity Friday and Saturday nights – it was clear these people had come to Albuquerque to party.

All told, a great weekend of rodeo, friends, and fun.

Louisville AIDS Walk

About 15 members took to the streets of Louisville Kentucky in September for the Louisville AIDS Walk; an event that helps to raise money to address the needs of of those in the Louisville community with HIV/AIDS. 100% of the Walks proceeds being distributed to Louisville AIDS organizations. It was a terrific day for the walk with perfect weather. SMRA's team were gold sponsors of the Aids Walk raising $2000. Click on the photos below to see the team.

   

   

SMRA Member Does Well in San Diego

Smoky Chad "Smurf" competed in Steer Riding at the San Diego Rodeo September 11-13th. He placed 6th on Saturday and 3rd on Sunday. Let's hope those numbers in conjunction with the other rodeos he's competed in this year will be enough to get Chad invited to finals.

Smokys at Paducah Pride

SMRA members attended the first ever Paducah Pride Event. More than 300 people turned out for "Pride on the River" at the Cherry Civic Center. SMRA was there hosting an information and membership table. Miss Kitty managed a photo op with singer Justin Ryan (click on photo at right) and SMRA member Justin J. was highlighted in a photo on WPSD's Local 6 website.

SMRA Member Volunteers for HIV Vaccine Study

Justin J., SMRA Trustee was recently interviewed by Out & About about volunteering for the HIV Vaccine Program at Vanderbilt University. The HIV Vaccine Program tests preventative vaccines against HIV. It evaluates the vaccines for their safety and their capacity for producing a desired effect on the immune system. To read Justin's interview see page 5 in the August issues of Out & About. To learn more about the HIV vaccine trial, visit Vanderbilt's Web Site.

August Canoe trip was a "blast"

Our first Canoe trip was held 8/8/09. It was a BLAST! Wore us out but everyone seemed to have a GREAT time. There was a total of 12 people that went in 6 canoes. There are a few recognitions that should be made. First is to John B. for being the person in the water the most. John ended up in the water 3 times. Next was John B./Rick P. team who get recognition for being the team in the water the most. (Capsized twice). 3rd Place was a tie going to the Kevin J./Jon B. team and the Bill O./Ron Y. Team. Bill and Ron got our first capsize of the way within the 1st 20 seconds of being in the water but Kevin and Jon waited till near the end of our 14 mile trip for theirs. It was beautiful going down the Blue River and lots of Rapids kept us on our toes. It was a Great day with excellent weather, and high warm water. After the canoe trip we went to the Blue River Cafe for Dinner. Everyone also seemed to enjoy dinner. Good food and good variety. Next time we hope more can join us. We had an underwater camera and it may still be taking pictures underwater for all we know. Unfortunately, it didnt float. LOL

Philly Gay Rodeo A Good Time

The first weekend of August was hot and wet for the the Liberty Gay Rodeo Association's Liberty Stampede in Philadelphia, PA. Saturday the sun blazed down on the crowd and rodeo participants as well as they competed through the roping and riding events. Sunday was a different story as rain poured down on the area after the first couple of events; changing the dirt arena in to mud pit. Unfortunately, the rest of the rodeo was canceled for Sunday, but the good folks of Liberty weren't to let folks just spend an afternoon watching the drops fall. They pulled together and improvised a tea dance back at the hotel for the crowd. Even though the crowd had two nights of some amazing dancing, their boots were ready to scoot some more and everyone made good use of the music and floor.

Three SMRA members attended Justin J., James Allan Clark and Patrick H. aka CowboyRam all had a rip, roaring good time in the city of brotherly love. James had a chance to show off his vocal prowess as he sang for the crowd Friday night and Saturday, performing both the US and Canadian National Anthems. Even the cows corralled at the rodeo venue moooooed their approval of James when he sang. And James wasn't the only SMRA member to have an animal encounter; either. Poor Justin J. got his shirt a little messy when a horse unexpectedly snorted on him (click on photo at right). Patrick H. aka CowboyRam spent his time at the rodeo with the trash — volunteer-wise that is as he helped to keep the rodeo grounds litter-free.
See photos from Liberty Stampede courtesy of CowboyFrank's website.

Stirrup Cookout Raises $135

August 1st had a decent turnout for the BBQ at Stirrup. Through our $5.00 for all you can eat plate we made $135.00 for our SMRA and our charity partners. We had hamburgers, hot dogs (meat was donated by Kroger), potato salad (donated by Phil and Dan), baked beans (donated by Bill Tedder), rolls (donated by Brett Withers), condiments and fixings (donated by Michael Fierro) and plates, napkins and plastic ware donated by Justin J.

SMRA Has a Great First Half of 2009

In an open letter to members, the SMRA Board of Directors give their greatful thanks to members and others for their help toward SMRA's fundraising efforts. $9,875 have been raised as of June 30th and their is still half the year to go with many other fundraisers planned.
Read the appreciation letter

SMRA Car Wash and Yard Sale Raises $400

What a gorgeous day for a car wash and yardsale. The weather could not have been more perfect as we set up our wares and wash in Lipstick Lounge's parking lot! The good weather certainly helped in making the roughly $400 from the car wash and yard sale! Yahoo! Any remaining items left over from the yard sale were donated to Good Will!

The day wasn't all work, though, we had a chance to hang out and socialize at Mad Donna's restaurant What an incredible lunch they have over there! It was awesome! Thank you Mad Donnas!

Thanks, also, to a great group of volunteers who included Bill Tedder, Jason Bush, Taylor Spangler, Daniel Kirby, Phil Chandler, Barry Roberts, Brett Withers, Lucian Nicholson, Ken Slayton and Mark Benton! Also, a big thanks to Lipstick Lounge for their support and the use of their lot.

Pride was Hot, But Fun

Saturday, June 20th, 2009, from the Smoky cowboys hot, hot, hot &ndash and not just because of their looks. The weather was a scorcher! Not even the new venue of the Riverfront in Nashville could help to keep them cool. But the crowd didn't seem to mind the sweat glistened fellas, especially when a couple of the Smokies went sans shirts to cool down a bit. Luckly, during the later half of the afternoon the sun moved behind the building and the booths were in shade. Just in time before Bill T. became a puddle! The Smoky guys spent the afternoon chatting up the crowd about SMRA our events like trail rides, the country dancing the first Friday of the month at Play and gay rodeo in general. SMRA had one of the more unique items for sale in their booth; owboy hats in a rainbow of colors. Helping the crowd to really show off their country pride.
See Photos from Nasvhille Pride 2009

Summer Trail Ride was Great Fun

On Saturday, June 6th, 2009, SMRA returned to the Natchez Trace Riding Stables southwest of Nashville for our Spring Trial Ride. We also conducted our monthly membership meeting on site while our hosts rested the horses between riding sessions. 21 Smokys came out for the Trail Ride, including several from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky and Louisville, as well as one new member from Nashville. The weather was beautiful and the camaraderie between our members and our hosts was memorable.

Following the Trail Ride, 14 Smokys drove up the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway and had dinner at the world-famous Loveless Café before completing the drive into Nashville for our Rodeo Night at Blue Gene's.
See Photos from the Trail Ride

Thanks from Louisville AIDS Walk

SMRA received a very nice thank you letter from Louisville AIDS Walk for making a donation of $2000. Louisville AIDS Walk is an annual event to help raise funds and awareness of HIV/AIDS within the Louisville community. The Walk has been in operation since 1993 and 100% of the Walks proceeds are distributed to local Louisville AIDS organizations that help provide critical services for people with HIV/AIDS. This donation places SMRA in the "Gold" level of sponors for Louisville AIDS Walk.
Read the Louisville AIDS Walk Letter

SMRA Pub Crawl Was A Blast

What a great night! We had about 2 dozen folks come out for the pub crawl on April 25th. The weather favored us as well providing mild temperatures and clear skys for the night. We started with registration and some socializing at Tribe then boarded onto the bus to hit the bars of Stirrup, Beyond the Edge, Trax and Play. The bars were very welcoming and of course we had more than enough libations. The party kept going on the bus with music provided by the bus DJ and lots of guy dancing to the music. Thanks to Michael and Bob for the jello shooters, and Thanks to Jerry for sharing the margaritas! Be watching for detail of our next one!
See Pub Crawl Photos

SMRA Member's Help Raise Money for Nashville Pride

On April 24th two members donned there best..uh dress?..to participate in this year's Pride Turn-A-Bout show. Turn-A-Bout is a fundraiser where members of the community, who are not normally part of the Nashville's drag scene have the chance to transform themselves and really show us what they can do. Justin James was a blonde stunner as Rebekah Sonni-Brook. The normally live singing Justin was a great peformer as his alter ego. Not to be outdone, SMRA President Steve Bloodworth as Rusty Spurs, sparkled and shimmered on stage in an off the sholder number, later changing his blonde locks for a brunett perm. The event was great fun and raised nearly $2000 for Nashville Pride.
See photos from Turn-A-Bout

Chuck Wagon Tour Was a Great Event

SMRA hosted members from International Gay Rodeo Associaton (IGRA) for their Chuck Wagon Tour April 10-11, 2009. The Tour helps to raise funds and awarness for local rodeo associations with assitance from IGRA Royalty.

Friday night started out with some country line dancing and two stepping at Play. SMRA's own Ron Y. served as the DJ and with the help of Chris J. conducted some line dance lessons. The show started at 9pm in the show bar with performers, Mandy Barbarell, Uma Stephens, Kitty Kincaid, Skip Flathers and Justin James Waldner. There were about 75 people in attendance. After the show we took to the streets to do some some bar.

Saturday night started off at Trax at 7pm to show our guest some more of our lovely city. Then on to Stirrup, and then to Blue Gene’s for our monthly Rodeo Night at 9pm. We set up our membership table, did a little karaoke, and sold Jell-o shots. We left this bar at midnight, went to Tribe for some drinks, then on to Stirrup. We like to spread our business around in the Music City!

All said, it was a great weekend and we thoroughly enjoyed hosting IGRA. We also raised $466.00 on this event. We, also, gained some new members!!
See the photos from the IGRA Chuckwagon Tour

Blazing Saddles Event Raises $3500

On Friday, March 27th the Derby City Kickers hosted a fundraising event, "Blazing Saddles" to help raise funds for SMRA and Louisville AIDS walk. The benefit was hosted at Colts, the new country and western dance bar inside Starbase Q. With Raffles, silent auction and a Best Butt in Jeans contest the night helped to rake in over $3500!! Thanks to the dedication of our Lousiville and Nashville members we were able to help makes this event a huge success for SMRA and Louisville Aids Walk. If you miss it well you missed a great time, but don’t worry we may do it again next year.

A Thanks from Alive Hospice

A very heartfelt thanks from Alive Hospice for being chosen as a SMRA charity partner for 2009. Alive Hospice was chosen as a charity partner by SMRA's Membership. It's mission is provide care to people with life-threatening illnesses and support to their families. Read Alive Hospice's Letter

IGRA University 2009

The most recent was IGRA University in Las Vegas, NV, February 20-22. University is where members of local association go to learn how to put on rodeos, fund raise, seek sponsorships, etc. SMRA was a $250 sponsor for the event which we received much thanks for it. Without our support along with other associations sponsorships, this even would be more difficult to produce. SMRA had 4 students in this years University: Steve B., Brett W., Leroy R. and myself. I'm ecstatic in saying that Brett W. and Leroy R. both received Certificates of Appreciation and if that wasn't cool enough, Steve B., Leroy R. and I all received out Associate in Rodeo Arts degree! I think this is a great step in educating out membership about how to put on a rodeo among other things. There were many social events but I have to report SMRA folks were pretty subdued. Of course we all showed our southern hospitality of which we are most famous for. We also caught up with old friends and made new ones. Overall we had a great time learning and relaxing with a drink or two in our rooms over the weekend which was accompanied by a frenzy of conversations mostly about our first rodeo...hopefully!
Justin James
SMRA Trustee

Winter Roundup a Success

We had an awesome weekend for our 6th annual Winter Roundup. Smokies from around the region showed up for a weekend jam packed with dancing, performances from James Allen Clark, Brian Glenn, Miss SMRA 2008 Kitty Kincaid, and others in our Gay Ol' Opry show and a Barbecue. The silent auction had a variety of good items, including the 2009 Homorodeo calendar. The weekend helped us to raise over $2000 for SMRA and our charity partners.

January Knoxville Trip Successful!

What a weekend! We raised a total of $615 for our charities! The best butt in jeans was a huge success. A big thank you goes out to Becky and her folks at Kurt's for their hospitality, great food and friendship!!!. Once again she was the hostess with the mostess; providing Jell-O shots which were a big hit as always. It was great to see our Nashville cowboys: David, Bill, Lucian, Brett, Steve and Justin, as well as Taylor from Chattanooga! Thanks, also, to our Knoxville cowboys: Symeon, Ed, Keith and our newest member Patrick, too. Once again everybody thanks for helping to make this event a big success.
See photos from Knoxville