Rawhide keeps rollin'

The Tucumcari Historical Museum that organized this year's Tucumcari Rawhide Days aimed to keep the festival alive as it underwent a leadership transition.

It accomplished that, with robust crowds at the museum and at the Quay County Fairgrounds during the weekend.

The event pays tribute to the "Rawhide" television show of the late 1950s and early 1960s that starred Tucumcari native Paul Brinegar and a young Clint Eastwood. Several scenes from the western drama were shot at ranches in the Tucumcari area.

Museum President Alan Daugherty said Sunday evening he didn't have a final attendance estimate for Rawhide Days, but he was "very pleased" with the turnout.

"We wanted to make an event that drew from Tucumcari, the surrounding area and eastern New Mexico, and I think we did that," he said.

Daugherty said the roping competition drew 160 teams and the barrel racing event about 40 competitors. Factor in the friends and family watching them, and you had robust crowds in the grandstand of the fairgrounds' rodeo arena.

"It was good to see the fairgrounds full of trailers and full of activity," he said.

Daugherty said organizers would make "minor tweaks" to Rawhide Days, including enlarging the barrel racing competition and adding a regular ranch rodeo.

He also said he wanted to expand arts and crafts offerings. He said those vendors who participated this year were "very happy" with the turnout.

Daugherty also said he didn't have revenue reports from Rawhide Days, as it was "too early." Organizers are due to give a final report to the city's lodgers tax advisory board, which provides aid to the event, during the coming months. Daugherty said the museum aims to eventually make the festival "self-supporting" financially.

Parade

The traditional Saturday morning parade contained about 40 entries, including nearly a dozen on horseback and one cowboy-hat wearing entrant who cracked a bullwhip and demonstrated his lasso skills from the back of a flatbed trailer.

The grand marshals were previous Rawhide Days organizers TJ Riddle and Karen Alarcon, plus longtime museum board member Joy Young.

Absent was the drive of Texas Longhorn cattle down Route 66. Because bringing the cattle from Oklahoma cost organizers a budget-busting $13,000 last year, organizers nixed it this year.

Organizers also changed the parade route, going from Wailes Park on the city's east side, then heading north on Adams Street to near the museum behind the Wells Fargo bank.

Many spectators west of First Street, assuming the parade would proceed west to the Tucumcari Convention Center as in previous years, were seen scrambling several blocks east when it became apparent from police barricades the parade wouldn't go that far.

One of them was Gilbert Loia, who also wondered what happened to the cattle drive.

When informed that organizers nixed that part of the parade, he said: "Aww, no way. That's what we came out to see."

Rawhide Days wasn't bereft of Longhorn cattle, though.

Organizers set up a pen of about 15 head of Texas Longhorns - including several young calves - a short stroll down an alley from the museum in a lot next to the Paws & Claws thrift store.

Festival-goers could view the cattle, plus a few horses, up close. The animals were brought in by Josh Brinkin of Tucumcari.

"They're so beautiful," Alarcon said while gazing at the animals on Friday morning.

Museum events

After the parade, parking around the Tucumcari Historical Museum became scarce for several blocks.

About 20 food trailers, arts and crafts booths and other organizations set up around the outside perimeter of the museum.

Diane Becerra, owner of Diane's Flat Top Grill, said her food sales were "amazing" on Saturday at the museum.

She said she sold out of turkey legs and dispatched her husband to buy more so she could set up shop later that evening at the fairgrounds.

Daugherty said other food booths reported robust sales, too.

"The food vendors were selling out early and walked out very happy with it all," he said.

One spot likely brought back memories for longtime Tucumcari residents. Hope Ortiz, former owner of Lena's Cafe before it closed in 2007, helped make fresh sopapillas at her booth.

Organizers shortly before noon named Bradie Hammock the Rawhide Days Queen.

Hammock lives near Melrose in Curry County, but she gave a speech detailing her family roots in Quay County that go back to 1907.

The museum hosted a few entrants for a classic-car show, where George Arguello and Mary Quintana showed off their 1959 Chevrolet Apache pickup.

"It'll be a bigger turnout next year," Arguello said.

Several music acts performed behind the museum. One that drew a large crowd were Ryedale Largo and The Dine Dance Group, who previously performed their Native American in November 2021 at Mesalands Community College.

Fairgrounds events

The Quay County Fairgrounds rodeo arena on the city's west side hosted a steady stream of events.

During the youth ranch rodeo of branding, sorting, doctoring, trailer loading and steer riding by teams, Sterling Ranches and Tucumcari-based Bar 3 / Bar Shoe Ranches tied for first place with 43 points each on Saturday. Sterling took home the title in the tiebreaker.

Cody McCauley of the Vera Earl / Igo ranches team was named the top hand.

Gunnar Tipton won the 18-and-under calf roping event, and Bryce Derrer captured the open calf-roping title. Bella Saulan won the 18-and-under breakaway roping title, and Quinn Leslie nabbed the open breakaway roping crown.

Inside the exposition center, the Rawhide Days gun show was jam-packed. Promoter Steve Porter of White Rock said he could have added more vendors if he had the space.

"Things have gone pretty well," Porter said Saturday afternoon. "We've got a good selection of vendors. If things continue to do well, we'll come back."

At the main barn, it resembled a county fair with a variety of hogs, goats and sheep. That was part of the junior livestock jackpot show.

Attendance at the Friday and Saturday night dances, however, was modest.

Tucumcari Convention Center director Loy McSpadden said about 25 people attended the Friday show of Bakersfield Twang, and attendance appeared light Saturday night for Jonathan Chavez y Al Cielo's show.

Those shows originally were planned at the cozier Pow Wow Restaurant and Lizard Lounge, but that venue closed a few weeks before the festival.

Opening ceremonies

After a presentation of the American flag by 2022 Rawhide Days queen LaKenley Young on horseback and the singing of the national anthem by Ashton Powers, the museum opened the festival Friday with complementary biscuits and gravy, served chuckwagon style. About 225 biscuits were baked in the museum's outdoor horno oven.

About 50 people were present during that event, including Jared Herbert of El Paso, Texas, who brought his family for a day after a night at the Blue Swallow Motel.

Herbert didn't partake of the biscuits and gravy, however. He said he's lactose-intolerant. However, one of his young daughters was happily gobbled a biscuit slathered with apple butter.

"I think it's great," he said of the festival. "It's a huge communal event. Los Angeles wouldn't have this kind of an event. We need more of this in our country."