Aaron Hammer, the rodeo rider critically injured on Sept. 7 in Sumas, is at a hospital at the University of Washington awaiting a liver transplant, his sister Katie Desjardins, said. Hammer, 29, remains in critical condition and is in intensive care at UW Medical Center, said Susan Gregg, director of media relations for UW Medicine. […]
Methow Valley Rodeo
Local rodeo rider in critical condition after a fall in Sumas
Horse steps on Aaron Hammer at Bull-a-Rama Professional rodeo rider and Twisp native Aaron Hammer was badly injured Saturday (Sept. 7) at a rodeo in Sumas. Hammer was in critical condition Tuesday (Sept. 10) at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, according to hospital spokeswoman Hilary Andrade. Hammer was undergoing multiple surgeries to treat […]
Always on the move
Hugh Glassburn loved rodeo, airplanes and family Hugh Glassburn was a fearless and fiercely competitive pilot who was famous in the world of airplane racing in the 1960s for his winning streak. “And perhaps for just staying alive,” recalled his daughter, Terry Glassburn, in remembrance of her father she wrote for the organizers of the […]
Ready to reign over the Methow Valley Rodeo
Rodeo Queen McKenna Ott has a lifetime of riding experience Methow Valley Rodeo Queen McKenna Ott’s first sighting of her thoroughbred horse was almost otherworldly. Her mother bought the horse and trailered him home one evening, arriving after McKenna was already asleep. When 6-year-old McKenna awoke the next morning, a thick fog blanketed her yard. […]
Full speed ahead
There is a moment Athena Milani lives for: just before a barrel race, when she and her horse are in the chute, every muscle tensed, waiting for the signal.
“It’s amazing. There’s so much adrenaline running through your veins and you can feel the horse, his energy, because he knows …
Calling it as he sees it
People used to tell Dale Haughian that he had the perfect voice for a rodeo announcer. It turns out he also had the inclination to become one. Haughian will announce the Methow Valley Memorial Day Rodeo this weekend for the fourth time, as part of his annual circuit of rodeos in the region. He’s been traveling by RV …
‘Scottie Too Hottie’ leaves the Methow Valley a legacy of entertaining rodeo crowds
Above all else, Methow Valley Rodeo Clown Scott Wagner, “Scottie Too Hottie,” will be remembered for his enthusiasm.
Every Memorial Day and Labor Day for the past six years, Scott Wagner traveled from his home north of Seattle to the Methow Valley, where he would apply makeup and dress in a clown costume to entertain the rodeo crowds.
Long rider
For more than 30 years, Pardners Mini Market in Winthrop has been a reliable sponsor of the Methow Valley Rodeo — in large part because a visitor to the valley in the early 1980s looked around and realized there wasn’t a convenience store to be found.
Rodeo royalty: sparkle & grit
Methow Valley rodeo royalty Mihayla Phillips and Jadyn Mitchell face many challenges while performing their duties. At events they’re in tight staging areas with a lot of other girls and horses; at parades they’re managing horses around crowds and sudden loud sounds, like sirens …
Labor Day Rodeo back in the arena after one-year absence
The only cancellation in the 45-year history of the Methow Valley Rodeo occurred a year ago, when the Labor Day event was called off because of poor air quality conditions in the valley resulting from wildland fires.
This year’s Memorial Day Rodeo went off as planned, and now the …
