
MADNESS
AND
MAYHEM ON FOUR HEELS AND WHEELS
Chuckwagon
Races Return to Bandera
By
Karen Brown
This April the Hill
Country will be hopping in more ways than one
thanks to a one of a kind chuckwagon racing and rodeo event hosted by
2E Twin Elm Guest Ranch located in Bandera, TX. Beginning Saturday
April 10th, the popular dude ranch will open its gates to campers and
cowboys alike, allowing anyone with a tent, trailer or RV, a spot on
the ranch to enjoy the week-long festivities. Ranch horses will be
available for guided horseback rides but 2E Twin Elm encourages
everyone to bring their own horses, as the ranch’s many trails will be
open to private campers and their equine friends
.
The main event kicks
off Friday April 16th with a classic “Dude Ranch
Rodeo” at the Twin Elm arena, featuring events like a Shovel Race and
Side Saddle Skidaddle. Come early for a trail ride through the town of
Bandera and an afternoon of horseback games at the arena. Finish off
the day with live music and dancing.
Get your roadside seat
Saturday morning for the Main Street Parade of
Chuckwagons and cowboys and girls aplenty. The headline event of the
weekend is two sessions of fast and furious chuckwagon racing, starting
at 1pm on Saturday and Sunday. Thirty one teams from as far away as
Montana will be racing in head to head matches in the only
Open race of its kind in Texas. The Bull Bash and Team Penning
will be held on Saturday evening, April 17th.
The chuckwagon races will be held in
open pasture and wagons will
compete in different categories based on the type of chuckwagon and
pulling animals. The course covers a lot of ground and is a horseshoe
design with the infield open to spectators on horseback. Race
categories include three wagon classifications: the racing wagon,
buggies and buckboards, and the Oklahoma land rush wagon. The main
difference is in the weight of the wagons. Each team consists of
a driver, cook, and an outrider who races alongside the wagon on his
own horse. The outrider must cross the finish line before the
nose of the team. The tent, cookstove, driver and cook must be in the
wagon as it crosses the finish line.
“This is not something
people have really seen in this area before,”
says ranch head ‘Cap’n Kury’ Hearnsberger, the Chuckwagon race
organizer. Hearnsberger is the man responsible for bringing Arkansas’
famous sport to the Lone Star State. Twin Elm hosted an event like this
once before in 2003, but a seven year hiatus from the ranch for Cap’n
ended the event after the first year. 
Now the seasoned cowboy and
Chuckwagon aficionado is back and he’s bringing the races with him,
much to the delight of Bandera locals. Cap’n has been attending
Arkansas’ National Chuckwagon Race Finals for the last 15 years to
revisit this age old pastime and help keep it alive. Familiar to the
Midwest, most of the weekend’s teams will be traveling from states like
Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. But Texas is prime territory for a
race of this kind.
Cap’n Kury and Mz.
Victoria have brought together the finest the sport
has to offer with the best in Hill Country hospitality to ensure the
cowboy tradition is alive and well for one week in April. “We
have something to offer all week long, from organized trail rides to
barrel racing, pole bending, mutton bustin’ and calf scrambles,” Cap’n
declares. In addition, guests of the ranch can look forward to dance
bands, classic ranch cooking and a bevy of western vendors and
educational clinics. Not to mention the ranch’s many regular
attractions like beautiful trails and scenic views along the Medina
River. Along with ample camping, the ranch’s rooms and cabins will all
be available for reservations. Showers and toilet facilities will be
made available to campers but electrical and water hook-ups will not.
$10 a day per person will win you a prime camping spot, Non-Stop Cowboy
Fun and a welcome seat at everything the ranch has to offer during this
annual event.
Twin Elm Guest Ranch is
located on FM470 just north of Bandera off
Highway 16 North. For questions, reservations or to learn more
contact 2E Twin Elm Guest Ranch at 830-796-3628 or 888-567-3049. The
tentative schedule of events can be viewed online at
www.twinelmranch.net.
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