The Director's Chair,
By Glen E. Keller, Jr.
(from the Summer/Fall, 1998 issue of Boots and Saddles)
So much has happened since the last Director's Chair! This one is quite a bit later than was planned because the summer just hasn't left time to do everything that needed done. For all of the delay, we apologize.
So, let us recount the summer. First has been the show season. Craig, Colorado over Memorial Day weekend for Red Team, Cavalry and Indian Warriors. Interclub and Red Team in Billings the same weekend in June. Three trips to Idaho Springs Rodeo, one each for Precisionettes, Crimson Rangers and Royal Rangers in May and June. White Division Show in June, while the Cavalry was headlining the Evergreen Rodeo. July 4th found Precisionettes in LaVeta, Colorado for two days of Rodeo while the Red Team, Crimson Rangers and Royal Rangers, together with some specialties, presented the arena show for the Festival of the West. As soon as the Festival was ended, the Red Team headed for Vernal, Utah, for four Rodeos and several special appearances. Home we came and right away the Cavalry was headed to Eagle for the Eagle County Rodeo. Suddenly, it was August and Estes Park for the entire Red Division. White Division Olympics followed and then the Red Team traveled to Trinidad for the annual Labor Day outing. Sprinkled in between all of these shows, there were seven convention shows put on by the Red Division Teams. There were eight parades for the White Division, and the Gymkhana. Whew!
Just as time consuming has been the negotiation with the county about the acquisition of rights to house horses and build arenas. The Blue Arena is finally under construction and when you next are at the Fort, you will see some buildings which have disappeared to make room for the new caretaker's residence which is part of our master plan. During the first week in October, a meeting with the Jefferson County Commissioners has been scheduled to discuss the agreement which the lawyers have drafted. When that is finished and approved, we will finally be able to begin the bulk of our fund raising activity. Then, and only then, will the "deal" be real to those to whom we will present our plan and from whom we will seek participation.
Suddenly, it appears that Annual Show is just around the corner. I have a secret hope ... that is that the Red Division, together with the White Division Cavalcade, will be able to present a show as good and entertaining as was the Estes Park production of Horsecapades. One observer who has seen many of our shows and examined our program told me that the Estes Park show was perhaps the best he had seen and he thought the horses looked better than ever before. Quite a recommendation for us to take into the arena for Annual Show, don't you agree?
Sometimes, it pays us to stop and think about who and what the Westernaires are and what makes us tick. I noted that an article was prepared for this Boots and Saddles on Volunteerism. While I had nothing to do with planning the article, it certainly points up the most significant thing about Westernaires and how it operates. Let me cite a couple of illustrative examples. First, I pointed out the travel that occurred this summer. Think, for just a moment, about the number of drivers that were required to make these trips possible. One of our drivers is "retired," at least from a paying job. He spends nearly every day at the Fort working to keep the trucks running smoothly. All the rest of our drivers are employed and must take time off work to enable the teams to make a trip. Most used all of their regular vacation time and other arranged time with their employers to make it possible. To each of them: Bruce, Woody, Frank, J.R., Jack, as well as the others who made several of the trips, we can do little but say thanks. As we came home from Trinidad, several of the riders got on the CB radios just to thank this special group of men who give so much and ask so little. They are truly modern heroes. Think of Bob Parson who travels with the Red Team and with the Cavalry whenever they are on the road. Then, he manages the advertising sales and ticket sales for Annual Show, handles the alumni communication, serves on the fund raising committee for the capital campaign and still found time to start a Website for Westernaires. What a commitment of an individual who owns his own business and is its sole employee. He has to close the doors when he is gone. Wow!
Speaking of the Website, that is one of the most exciting developments of this late summer and fall. When Bob was establishing the site, he did not know that another dad, Brent Johnson, was volunteering to design a site. They have been joined by Dave Sprouse, one of the great volunteer photographers, and what they have produced is amazing. It can be found at www.westernaires.org. Dial it up if you get a chance, these men have done a terrific job.
Volunteerism is not just what we are, however. What we are are the greatest bunch of riders to be found anywhere. These young people have grown in reputation and in skill each year since the founding of the organization in 1949. Just the other day, a woman who has followed the Westernaires for a number of years told me that within the entertainment community, Westernaires are now called a "World Class Act." It is really nice of them to recognize what we have long known .. the young people of today are good, solid future citizens, capable of giving true effort and dedication to make themselves and their teammates better. They don't seem to mind letting the rest of the world know how good they can be. I am pleased at the recognition they are receiving. Indeed, they Ride with Pride.
Several years ago, Westernaires was called upon to answer the question: "What is Westernaires?" The answer became our "mission statement" and it is true today.
Westernaires is a youth organization that encourages self-respect, responsibility and leadership through horsemanship and family participation.
Think about it as you sell annual show tickets, watch the Blue Arena come out of the ground, or watch the new 250 Tenderfeet try to master the big horses so they too can become one of the "Greatest Precision Mounted Drill Riders in the World."
