Miss Rodeo Tennessee Pageant/ Franklin Rodeo

May 17, I was off to Franklin, Tennessee to attend the 2011 Miss Rodeo Tennessee pageant and three nights of the Franklin rodeo.   I was one of six state rodeo queens who made the trip to see Miss Rodeo Tennessee 2010 Breezy Smith hand down her title. Upon arriving that night, we enjoyed dinner with Greg Hensley the “Boot Man”, an awesome man who provides beautiful Dan Post Boots to rodeo queens!  The next day was my 22^nd birthday and so we topped off the evening with cherry cobbler and a memorable rendition of “Happy Birthday”.  It was great!

Spending my 22^nd birthday with other rodeo queens and in the beautiful state of Tennessee was a real treat. We started the day with a tour of the world famous Country Music Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville. It was great to learn the rich history that has evolved over the years in country music. Later that day we toured the Carter House representing a lot of Civil War history.  The tour guide made the wonderful stories come alive with his knowledge and passion for history.

The next day we took part in a very fun southern tradition of “High Tea” at an old plantation.  We wore dresses (no cowboy hats) and wore fancy “Kentucky Derby” hats.  We enjoyed our tea, scones, cucumber sandwiches, and delicious desserts.  It was a special day and we all gained a deeper appreciation for this true southern tradition!

And of course, the main purpose of our trip was to attend three nights of rodeo! The Franklin Rodeo was a fantastic rodeo.  One of our Montana stock contractors, Sparky Dreesen of Big Circle Rodeo Company, provided the rodeo stock and it was great to see a fellow Montanan!  Miss Ty Fitzgerald was crowned the new Miss Rodeo Tennessee. She did an awesome job and I look forward to seeing more of her this year.  She will do a fabulous job representing her state of Tennessee and Professional Rodeo!