Rodeo

AN AUTHENTIC rodeo is coming to Grace Bible Church in Manchester at 3 p.m. Sunday, and the free show is open to the public.The Rodeo Roundup welcomes everyone to watch cowboys match wits and strength with the cattle and livestock they corner and lasso. Better still, thrill-seekers can participate.If you've ever wished you could take a wild ride, you'll get the chance. Several invitational events will be available for amateur cowboys, including invitational junior bull riding, "he-man bulldogging," a goat tie-up, a pig chase and pony riding.

A great frustration of daily crime reporting is that when readers want to know the most about a shooting incident or other crime, there's often very little information available. You end up with a few paragraphs about where and when, the victim's age, and the standard line that police are investigating. That's why we scour court documents looking for cases that may - even if indirectly - shed new light on some of those incidents. Earlier this week, a 66-page affidavit in a broad drug conspiracy case was made available, and while the document consists of transcriptions of mostly bland, intercepted drug conversations, the DEA also picked up their targets discussing recent shootings in East Baltimore's Latrobe Homes area.  On March 29, at about 10:53 a.m., authorities were listening in as Corey Donnell Brown, 38, also known as "Slug," and Damond Terrell Brown, 35, known as "Ray Ray," spoke on the phone and talked about a shooting of Brandon Branch, according to the affidavit.

EVANGELISM on horseback is a success story at Grace Bible Church of North Carroll, where at least 3,000 people turned out for the annual Rodeo Round-Up on Sunday afternoon to watch riding and roping and listen to the Christian message. The sloping church yard, behind the church on Charmil Drive in Manchester, had been transformed into a rodeo amphitheater with a fenced oval ring of dirt and animal pens to release calves, bulls, sheep and goats into the arena. Horses were everywhere -- hobbled in the shade at the edge of the compound, ridden like lightning around barrels, and responding to cowboy duties in the ring.

Wednesday's premiere of “Top Chef: Texas” can be described in one word: overwhelming.   We started the night off with 29 contestants, then they were split into three groups, and within that they were also split into three judging groups, and then they fought to the death over pork tenderloins in “Top Chef: The Hunger Games.” That is what happened, right?   With 29 contestants there was no way I was learning more than five names tonight. So with that I will let you know the five people I actually became slightly invested in for better or worse.

A 36-year-old California man died yesterday afternoon at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds after being thrown from the steer he was riding at Atlantic Stampede '99 Rodeo.Dean John Berkan of Sacramento was tossed from the steer about 12: 15 p.m. and hit his head on a side rail of the enclosure. Montgomery County police said Berkan then was stomped or gored by the steer.Berkan was transferred to Suburban Hospital, where he died at 2 p.m.Pub Date: 10/03/99

IF CHEERING ON COWBOYS being chased by an angry bull is your kind of fun, then you won't want to miss out on next month's 21st annual Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo Finals and Rodeo for Kidz Sake in Upper Marlboro. This rodeo is the only black touring show in the United States, visiting 11 cities across the nation, including Atlanta, San Diego and Denver, and performing for more than 120,000 spectators nationwide. But the competition isn't just about guts and glory. Lu Vason, producer and founder of the rodeo, says, "It's a cultural event, especially for African-Americans."

AT THIS RODEO you see the longhorn bulls just about eye-to-eye. You hear the thud when a rider falls, and you see the torn shirts and earth-caked jeans.You peer through dust kicked up by a bucking bronco galloping willy-nilly to the fence. This is an authentic rodeo, and it's free every Saturday at River Valley Ranch.Traditional cowboys, transplanted from Southwestern ranches, perform Western rodeo races and rope tricks from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday, through Aug. 16 at River Valley Ranch, a Christian youth camp northeast of Manchester on Grave Run Road.

John Schirra has had his share hard knocks. But a few broken bones here and there have never kept him from dusting himself off and getting back on his horse -- or bull.Schirra, a 24-year-old professional rodeo athlete, passed through Woodbine earlier this month to visit his family -- his mother and stepfather, Dale and Mark Soper, and his21-year-old brother, Wes -- and friends.Schirra, a former Glenelg High School student who is now a seniorat Texas A&M University, had just enough time to sleep in his own bed during a long weekend before hitting the rodeo trail again.

Calling yourself "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" is no trivial claim, especially at a time when scores of fancy theme parks are springing up everywhere.But how many of these amusement parks have real cowboys and Indians, bucking broncos and Brahma bulls, pig dashes and chuck-wagon races -- not to mention one of the largest parades in the world?For more than 80 years, the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede, held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has been labeled the greatest outdoor show on earth -- and for good reason.

Residents in the tiny community of Johnsville jokingly call it a "Leave It to Beaver" kind of place.Most people do their yardwork on the weekends. There is little, if any, conversation about crime. And, other than the frequent rumbling of trucks down the small stretch of Route 75 that is Johnsville's Main Street, daily activity is tranquil.The general store that once offered everything from haircuts to fertilizer is gone. So is Gruber's Garage, and the local antique store.With only a few more than 300 residents, this Frederick County community that rests between Union Bridge and Libertytown would certainly suit June and Ward Cleaver just fine.

Chef Neel Kamal is a well-known artisan in the kitchens of some well-known Harford County restaurants and has recently opened Elrodeo Mexican Bar & Grill, the first Harford County establishment committed to serving only the finest Mexican food prepared in a traditional southwestern style. For over 15 years, Kamal has been tempting the taste buds of many residents and hopes this new style of cuisine will inspire them to new heights.   “Harford County has been very generous to me since I arrived in the United States in 2004,” Chef Neel Kamal says.

Kudos to the Tibbs Family of the Havre de Grace area for its recent success at theMaryland State Fair. For the first time in the 26 years Bob and Judy Tibbs, who run Shadow Springs Farm, have been taking animals to the state fair, they took six. Each won a blue ribbon. That's better than outstanding. The Tibbses are no stranger to success with their animals. In 2009, a Charolais white bull, SSF Corks 5J White Squall ET, was named Supreme Champion Bull at the state fair, then won National Reserve Grand Champion at the Keystone Livestock Show in Pennsylvania and also was the reserve grand champion at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in Texas.

It was another hot, sultry summer weekend with plenty to do in Harford County, especially on Saturday. Saturday morning at Bynum Run Park in Bel Air, the pond was ringed with young people and a few helpful parents trying their luck in the seventh annual Kids Fishing Festival sponsored by Port City Bass Anglers. The pond was stocked for the occasion, and the turnout was excellent, according to event organizers. Several miles north of the county seat, the annual Blueberry Festival to benefit Harford Friends School was held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Deer Creek Friends Meetinghouse on Main Street in Darlington.

Port City Bass Anglers will hold its seventh annual kids fishing festival and reel kids casting event at Bynum Run Park on Churchville Road in Bel Air this Saturday, July 16. At this free event, junior anglers will participate in a tournament and have a fun day of fishing that will be split into two age groups from 5 years old through 15 years old. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. at the park entrance. The fishing will take place from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. In addition, participating youngsters will have the option to compete in a casting, flipping and pitching contest.

Boiling down joy to its essence is a rather simple exercise, or at least it seems that way while standing at Patterson Park's Boat Pond on a not-ready-for-prime-time spring morning. The recipe goes something like this: small child, worm, bobber, rod and reel, trout. The prelude is filled with anticipation as an adult slides a worm onto a hook, snaps on a multi-colored bobber and pulls the line tight through the guides. Big eyes follow each step, little knees jiggle, tiny fingers reach to grasp the rod. From there, it's a short walk to the edge of Boat Pond, where a brief casting lesson (attention not required)

Last winter's huge snowstorms are a misty memory for Howard County highway workers like Joe Upman, despite the seemingly endless workdays he and 200 co-workers spent clearing roads, but they're getting ready for another season now and having fun doing it. On an appropriately chilly, cloudy Tuesday at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, about 70 snowplow and construction equipment drivers showed up to compete in the county's 23rd...

Don't be impressed with Spanish matadors, said Steve Jones. If they were real men, they'd put on the clown make-up, purple tights and baggy shorts and do some honest bullfighting."

The crowd cheers as a table and chairs are carried into the dusty arena. Then they wait, rapt, as four cowboys seat themselves, take off their hats and bow their heads in prayer. The men might well pray - seconds later, a bull will be released into the ring for a suicidal game of chicken known as cowboy poker. There's just one rule: The last cowboy seated wins. "I want to give you guys some advice right now," announcer Chip Ridgely says, safely elevated in a box well above the ground.

Remember when upscale shopping in Towson meant a trip to Hutzler's? Well, you can forget those days. On Wednesday, Louis Vuitton opened in what can only be described as the luxury wing of Towson Town Center. The French designer is to leather handbags and accessories what Taittinger is to champagne and beluga sturgeon are to caviar. Think women's wallets for $535 and a man's billfold for $315 - and that's the cheap stuff. When relatively simple handbags cost more than $2,000, you know you're not in Wal-Mart country anymore.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A day after his prize filly Eight Belles had been euthanized shortly after the finish of the Kentucky Derby, her trainer, Larry Jones, wasn't ready to blame the sport of thoroughbred racing for her death. "This didn't happen in the race," Jones said. "Horses in horse shows gallop faster than she was going. This is a kind sport to horses. I came out of rodeo - and I'm not saying bad things about rodeo - but there are other sports that are much harder on animals than racing.