Day 18: Lincoln

Kids get candy and adults get beer

Nate and I made breakfast for everyone before the parade and rodeo.  The Lincoln parade had a theme this year: the pine beetle, so all their floats had to do with killing the pine beetle.  They threw candy, Hi-Country beef jerky, ice cream sandwiches, peanuts, and they also gave away cans of beer (only in Lincoln...).  I also got my picture taken with Smokey the Bear:

After the parade, Kris, Chris, Nate and I then hit the rodeo.  Jerry released his racing pigeons to the Star Spangled Banner before it began.

I was able to sit on Wrangler and pretend that I was a cowgirl.  Jerry's standing next to me:

Our favorite events at the rodeo were the Chicken Scramble (all the kids plus six chickens are running around the ring.  If you catch a chicken, you get to keep it), the Boot Scramble (all the kids take their shoes off in a huge pile and then have to find them), and the horrific Ring of Fire (6 idiotic men stand in a 10 foot ring while a crazy, wild bull is released on them.  The last one standing in the ring is the winner.  Oh yeah--the crowd bids on which guys they think is going to be the last one standing and they split the pot with the winner).  Here are the gladiators in the ring:

After all the rodeo excitement, we came home and napped.  We awoke later to cook dinner out by the fire pit, followed by an obnoxious game of dominoes, where we learned more of Jerry's rules...