If the ambulance doesn’t arrive quickly enough, call the hearse.
Category: Fun and Excitement
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Behind The Chutes Tour At Cheyenne Frontier Days
A show at F.E. Warren Air Force Base was also quite enjoyable.
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Cheyenne Frontier Days–I’m Exhausted Already
The military always has a strong presence in the parade.
Of course, there are a lot of horses and carriages.
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Cheyenne Frontier Days 2016–Here we Go!
Let the fun begin. Four parades, three free pancake breakfasts, an air show, nightly entertainment, and of course, the “Daddy Of ‘Em All” rodeo. Cheyenne, Wyoming is the place to be for the next ten days.
The Republican National Convention ended last night with speeches by Ivanka and Donald Trump. The political pundits are twisting themselves into pretzels as they try to weave the narrative of the convention to fit their particular ideologies. They will get a brief rest over the weekend to then stir up their creative juices for the Democratic Convention next week. It must be exhausting for commentators to constantly be in spin mode.
Whether you like Donald Trump or not, he hit on one topic last night that resonates with many people. He talked about the damage of political correctness. I saw a headline this morning which proves his point. The NBA is moving the 2017 All-Star game out of North Carolina due to the law that was passed regarding transgenders. It says that people are to utilize the restrooms coinciding with their biological identity at birth. The NBA simply cannot fathom being able to function under such oppressive circumstances.
Professional sports and the Hollywood entertainment industry refuse to let us enjoy a brief respite from the demands of life without coercing us into a particular way of thinking while doing so. It is unfortunate for society that even our recreational moments are overshadowed by the politics of the day.
Cheyenne Frontier Days is a breath of fresh air (except when the horses do their business right in front of you). This event has been going on for 120 years and is primarily made possible by hundreds of volunteers. It has a twinge of political rhetoric involved from time to time, but overall, these ten days highlight the best of western hospitality. Sure, the city of Cheyenne depends heavily upon the tourism dollars of these ten days. However, the building up of a cohesive community is a tremendous blessing as well.
I am looking forward to sharing the festivities of Cheyenne Frontier Days with some folks from Missouri. Be sure to look for pictures and highlights as the week progresses.
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Cheyenne Frontier Days Are Coming: July 22-31, 2016
You can feel the energy and excitement growing in Cheyenne as the city prepares for the peak of the tourism season know as Cheyenne Frontier Days. Capitol Avenue is lined with streamers, flags, and signs awaiting the crowds for the four parades that take place. Check out the CFD website for all of the details about the parades, the free pancake breakfasts, the nightly entertainment, and of course all of the rodeo action at the “Daddy Of ‘Em All.”
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Look What Followed Me Home
I went for a walk but got a little concerned when I heard something running up behind me. I had not heard any of the dogs barking as I walked; they were all smart enough to stay indoors. Their “FitBit” wasn’t telling them to get some exercise. I turned around fearing the worst when I saw the neighbor’s two little goats following me. What a pleasant surprise!
The goats visited our house for a little while and then I walked them back to their own house. I felt like a little kid again bringing home a stray dog and asking if I could keep him. As my wife snapped the pictures of the goats I think she would have said yes if I would have asked to keep them. The neighbors who own them may not agree, but that is another issue.
Take some time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life that come your way.
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Cheyenne Frontier Days 2015 Is In The Books
Did you attend any of the Cheyenne Frontier Days festivities? If not, here is what you missed.
A CFD release puts total attendance for 2015 at 266,030. This is the second largest ever and an increase of almost 16,000 over 2014.
The rodeo brought in 98,246 people. That is up almost 11,000 from the previous year.
Over 120,000 people attended the night shows. Miranda Lambert drew a crowd of 19,451. That was the biggest night show attendance for 2015.
Let’s get to the pancakes. There were 25, 190 people at the pancake breakfasts. (Even though that is the three day total, I would have sworn 20,000 people were in line in front of me on Wednesday morning.)
There is no exact way to count attendance at the Frontier Days parades, but CFD officials are estimating total attendance at the four parades was in the 100,000 range.
Life goes back to normal now in the streets of Cheyenne. Oh wait, it is time for the Laramie County Fair August 1 through August 8–let the fun continue.
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Adventure and Excitement (For Men)
Is being a man of faith exciting? Does being a man of God get your blood pumping like a Pony Express rider of old? Apparently, a lot of men aren’t too excited about the religious practice component of life. According to Luis Logo and The Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life about 11 million adult men in the U.S. were raised Catholic but left the faith. A Gallup survey reveals that 48% of men agree that “Mass is boring.” Gallup further reveals that only 33% of Catholic men pray on a daily basis.
Those statistics are sobering to say the least. The ripple effect is huge. How does a husband and father lead his family into the ways of righteousness and holiness if he is not a man of prayer himself? What is the foundation upon which a man builds his life if it is not built upon a relationship with God? How do we reverse the current trend we are witnessing?
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FREE–The Favorite Word Of Thrifty Shoppers
Cheyenne Frontier Days create a very unique atmosphere in the city of Cheyenne for ten days each summer. The FREE pancake breakfast, which includes “jackalope ham,” is a sight to behold. Seeing thousands of people lining up and down the street to get their free breakfast is amazing. This happens not just once, but three times during Cheyenne Frontier Days. As I made it through the line yesterday they had already served over 8,000 people in less than two hours. Did I mention it is FREE?As we weaved back and forth up and down the street making our way to the Historic Depot area, I couldn’t help but wonder about the life stories of each of these individuals. People from all walks of life came together for one common purpose–breakfast. The overcast skies did not dampen the spirits of the attendees, and i
t was an orderly and pleasant experience. So what is the huge attraction of this event?
There are many components to the success of this venture. It is well-organized. It is fascinating to see thousands of people being fed in a matter of minutes. It is interesting to see the batter for the pancakes being mixed in a concrete mixer. There is music and entertainment. It could also be that you just want to say, “I have been there and done that during Cheyenne Frontier Days.”
Have you ever imagined why our churches don’t have lines like this? Our churches provide us with much more than a free breakfast. We have the opportunity to encounter the living God through the proclamation of the Sacred Scriptures. Why aren’t we seeing our churches flooded with an over-flow of people desiring to be nurtured by the Word of God and to be nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist? We will walk blocks and blocks and stand in line for nearly an hour to receive free pancakes, but our enthusiasm to meet Jesus Christ in Word and Sacrament can sometimes be less than stellar. How have we arranged our priorities in life?
As I see stadiums filled with people at sporting events or concerts I sometimes wonder what we have missed in church leadership. Is there something from a sociological viewpoint that we have neglected in regard to building a faith community centered in a common purpose and guided by God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit? Why are there so few truly vibrant church communities?
Obviously, Cheyenne Frontier Days are about entertainment. The parades, the breakfasts, the rodeos, the concerts, and a multitude of additional events set the stage for an enjoyable time. (There is also no doubt that the economic boost to the local economy is immense.) I don’t want our churches to be entertainment venues, but it would certainly be nice to see this type of energy, life, and vitality among the body of believers. Can you imagine the impact we would have on the world if we would bring the transforming love of Jesus Christ to others with such zeal and exuberance? “Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12:11-12)“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) -
Quick! Call The Ambulance!
This picture makes me grateful for the modern ambulances we have today. The response time to an emergency call would be a bit on the lengthy side using genuine “horse power” as shown here.
Where are we in our spiritual journey? Are we novices in our faith walk? Are we like the colt trotting alongside the mature horses just beginning to “learn the ropes,” or are we confident and steady like the seasoned horses in the parade knowing full well where we are headed on this route?
How do we feel about our prayer life? Is God’s timing our timing? Sometimes I get a sense that God’s response time is about as quick as the horse drawn ambulance. Answers to my prayers aren’t coming nearly as quickly as what I would prefer.
On the other hand, maybe I am a little slow in turning to prayer. Is prayer a last resort or is my attention drawn to God first and foremost in all things? Am I praying fervently and faithfully or simply going through the motions?
The more I think about this the more I realize that I have another picture which could depict how slowly I offer my prayers to God.
“He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”
Luke 24:25