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By Mark Humphrey ENTERPRISE-LEADER LINCOLN — Louie Guess has seen a lot and practi- cally done it all over the years at the Lincoln Rodeo. Guess, was born during the Great Depression. Yet those hard economic times didn't diminish his entre- preneurial spirit. Guess established the Lincoln Rodeo street dance in 1967, an event which helps kick- start the rodeo scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Lincoln Square. Asked about witnessing 65 years of Lincoln Rodeo history, the 85-year-old cowboy politely declines to name a favorite year. They all seem to stand out in his memory as experiences that have enriched his life. "Just about every one of them, it's really good," Guess said. "We had a lot of fun and I knew everybody that came just about from here to yonder. A m o n g h i s e x p l o i t s Guess won the calf roping event held at the first rodeo Siloam Springs hosted in its new arena in the late 1950s. About a year later he repli- cated the feat at the first rodeo held at a new arena across the state line in his native Oklahoma at Watts. Guess also won several times while competing at the Westville, Okla. and Stil- well, Okla. rodeos. He was born and raised in the Briggs, Okla. area near Tahlequah, Okla. before moving to Lincoln and join- ing Lincoln Riding Club in 1955 or 1956. Guess was active in rodeo competition for 30 years competing in calf roping, team roping and if a rodeo included wild cow milking he done that, too. "I hazed steers for just about everybody that would come along and won some money about every time, so we just had a real good time," Guess said. "I lived in Tulsa before I came down here and I got to coming down here and I got to know a few friends and the first thing I know I live down here. So, it's been great." Guess went to work for Luginbuel Farm which had a rodeo grounds. Guess conducted rodeo events at the farm. "I had two kid rodeos out there and they did have a good time," Guess said. "People showed up and we had lots of jackpot roping. I branded a lot of horses out there. I put shoes on a lot of horses. It was just a great time." Eventually Guess got his own place and of course he established a rodeo arena. He began holding roping schools on his place. His original clients were a group of 11 young cowboys. Guess conducted an eight-day course in 1968 that launched the careers of ropers such as Jimmy Huffaker, whom Guess notes just retired in the spring, and Kevin Strope. " Eve r y o n e o f t h e m wound up winning money," Guess said. Acc o rd i n g to G u e ss , Strope won at least four saddles and quite a bit of money. "It went on and every one of them learned good, won money and was happy with what was going on, and took care of me real well," Guess said. "We done a great lot of things together. I loved every bit of it." Along the way Guess owned and trained race horses. He owned a quarter horse named "Red," which netted Guess $58,000 after all bills were paid from the endeavor in about a six month stretch. The horse had a registered name, but Guess just called him "Red." Another horse Guess calls "Big John" brings back fond memories. Guess traded for the horse when the animal was still a baby. Guess acquired the horse when the anmial was a month old and kept him for eight years. "I roped three nights a week on him and on Sunday I'd take him to the races," Guess said. "He won every one. He got outrun (by) half an inch by a Triple A horse, but they gave us daylight so we got the money." Guess smiles and he recounts details about the horse's disposition. Red was gentle and little bitty kids could ride him, but when he was put into a race the competitor in the horse kicked in and he ran like the wind. Guess took the horse to various race tracks in Oklahoma such as Tulsa, Oklmulgee, Fort Gibson and Muskogee. A m o n g h i s p e r s o n a l collection, Guess has a tattered drawing he made of a bull rider as a 16-yeard- old. He took up drawing as a young man because he never wanted to be idle. Guess represents a living picture of an American orig- inal — the cowboy looking forward to celebrating one more Lincoln Rodeo like he has done for the past 65 years. Wednesday, August 8, 2018 Enterprise-Leader 7B L i n c o L n R o d e o Meet 'The Regulators' By Mark Humphrey ENTERPRISE-LEADER LINCOLN — Spectators at the 65th annual Lincoln Rodeo won't hear the voice of William H. Bonney utter- ing "Regulators ride" boom- ing over the loudspeaker, but they might detect a symbolic connection. Bonney, better known as an infamous outlaw "Billy the Kid," operated with a group of hired guns commissioned to avenge the murder of rancher John Tunstall in 1878 during New Mexico's Lincoln County War. The phrase, "Regulators ride," became widely-known a f t e r E m i l i o E s t e v e z ' portrayal of Bonney in the 1988 movie "Young Guns." In 2011, an entrepreneurial organization, Great American Adventures, which special- izes in providing authentic tourist experiences, recre- ated Billy the Kid's Regulator Ride across Lincoln County New Mexico. On a five-day horseback excursion, trail riders visited the Salazar Canyon area traveling terri- tory frequented by Bonney and part of a trail he followed immediately following his notorious escape from the Lincoln County Courthouse. The purposely not-so- well concealed connection attributes to a northwest Arkansas community named Lincoln associated with skilled riding and western horsemanship providing thrills to spectators. Members of the Lincoln Riding Club, which hosts its 65th annual Lincoln Rodeo this week, formed 'The Regulators' as a precision drill team in July 2013. Megan Anderson, Marlana Edgmon, and Hannah Sanders share a passion for horses coupled with tenacity making the success of the drill team into reality. Members of the Regula- tors range in age from 13 to 50-something, as Edgmon puts it. The drill team features: Edgmon, coach/ line leader; Hannah Sanders, coach/line leader; Anderson, coach; Amber Durham; Judy Gail McNeely; Dianna Lynn; Kylee Bobacher; Amanda Waters; Amber Hutchison; Fannie Davenport; Seirra Davenport; Tabby Peyton; and Matti Turn. The Regulators operate as a 12-person performance team with three sponsor riders this year: Madeline Davenport, Cara Parret, and Chyenne Caldwell. This week, they are sched- uled for performances at 8 p.m. each night Thursday through Saturday during the Lincoln Rodeo Aug. 9-11 and will take part in Saturday's parade which starts at 4 p.m. at Lincoln Riding Club Arena and winds around the Lincoln Square downtown. Lincoln Riding Club Rodeo features events in several categories including: steer wrestling, bull riding, saddle bronc, team roping, bare- back riding, barrel racing, calf roping and break-a- way roping. The rodeo has been sanctioned for several years by American Cowboys Rodeo Association and the International Professional Rodeo Association. The stick horse grand entry held nightly at 7:30 p.m. gives youngsters an opportunity to be part of the rodeo, followed by the 8 p.m. rodeo perfor- mance. LINCOLN RIDING CLUB PRECISION DRILL TEAM MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER The Lincoln Riding Club precision drill team known as "The Regulators" formed in 2013 by Marlana Edgmon, Hannah Sanders and Megan Anderson, will perform nightly during the 65th annual Lincoln Rodeo at the Lincoln Riding Club Arena one mile west of Lincoln on U.S. 62 set for Aug. 9-11. The stick horse grand entry starts off each night of the road at 7:30 p.m. Lincoln Rodeo 2017 Winners By Mark Humphrey ENTERPRISE-LEADER LINCOLN — Last year a total of $12,420 in prize money was awarded to competitors during the 64th annual Lincoln Riding Club Rodeo held May 18-20. According to Interna- tional Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA) records, which jointly sanctioned the rodeo along with the American Cowboys Rodeo A s s o c i a t i o n ( A C R A ) , the following personnel worked the Lincoln Rodeo: judges Bubba Rhea and Randy White; arena secre- tary Gina Hampton; timers Carissa Stewart and Kathy Yerigan; pickup men Kevin Hampton and Rod Adair; arena announcer Brandon Wren; photographer Pam Baldridge; bullfighter Myles Essick; and barrelman Jerry Casey, who also performed specialty acts as the rodeo clown. The 2017 stock contrac- tor was Hampton Rodeo Company, LLC. The IPRA s h ows a l i s t of ove ra l l winners in its archived online files. Event, Competitor(s) Score/Time, Winnings Bareback Bronc, Austin Graham, 82, $351 Bareback Bronc, Brian Leddy, 75.5, $234 Bull Riding, Tyler Lewis, 80, $630 Saddle Bronc, Shane Hand, 82, $427.50 Sad d l e B ro n c , S e a n Prater, 79, $256.50 S a d d l e B ro n c , Wi l l Abshure, 78, $171 T i e - D o w n R o p i n g , Joshua Pool 9.6 $756 Tie-Down Roping, Ethan Hill, 9.8, $472.50* Tie-Down Roping, Blake Deckard, 9.8, $472.50* Tie-Down Roping, Tylen Layton, 11.2, $189 Steer Wrestling, Tanner McElhaney, 5.3, $472.50 Steer Wrestling, Stewart Gulager, 6.1, $283.50 Steer Wrestling, Tanner Yawn, 8.3, $189 Cowgirl Barrel Racing, Andee Jo Haden, 17. 144, $665.55 Cowgirl Barrel Racing, K i m M a t t h e w s , 1 7. 1 4 7, $550.80 Cowgirl Barrel Racing, Kendalyn Stueve, 17.385, $436.05 Cowgirl Barrel Racing, Kelsey Spurlock, 17. 396, $321.30 Cowgirl Barrel Racing, Hazlee McKenzie, 17.535, $206.55 Cowgirl Barrel Racing, Tracy Nowlin, 17.576, $114.75 Te a m Ro p i n g , C a l e Markham - Jake Cooper Clay, 6.4, $630 each Team Roping, Blake Deckard — Sawyer Barham, 6.8, $472.50 each Te a m Ro p i n g , B r ye Crites —- Chad Evans, 7.0, $315 each Team Roping, Ethan Griffin — Griffin Passmore, 7.1, $157.50 each Cowg i rl B re a kaway, Jacie Hudspeth, 3.5, $600.30 Cowg i rl B re a kaway, LaRae Smith, 3.6, $496.80 Cowg i rl B re a kaway, Shea Herrera, 4.0, $393.30 Cowg i rl B re a kaway, L i n d s e y H u g h e s , 4 . 4 , $289.80 Cowgirl Breakaway, Kaci Starkey, 5.4, $186.30 Cowg i rl B re a kaway, Kelcy Hollingsworth, 5.9, $103.50 Louie Guess: Living Portrait Of A Cowboy STREET DANCE FOUNDER RECALLS PERSONAL RODEO HISTORY SUBMITTED PHOTO This historical photo depicts Louie Guess, now 85, of Lincoln, in his hey-day as a calf-roper. Guess persuaded the Lincoln Riding Club and the City of Lincoln to add a street dance as part of the annual Lincoln Rodeo. MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Louie Guess, 85, of Lincoln, displays a tattered drawing he made of a bull rider as a 16-yeard-old. Guess, who founded the street dance in 1967, to accompany festivities during the annual Lincoln Rodeo that began in 1954, took up drawing as a young man because he never wanted to be idle. "I hazed steers for just about everybody that would come along and won some money about every time, so we just had a real good time." Louie Guess Living Cowboy