Despite the rain, Manor Fun Daze was a success on July 23. The 32nd annual event was threatened by rain throughout the morning, however the rain seemed to 'break' just in time for the events scheduled through the day. More than 400 people went through the rodeo ground gates during the day and were treated to the events that have made Manor Fun Daze the worthy event that it is. Memories were made and fun was had.
The day started off with a breakfast in the morning where approximately 100 people were served. The hearty breakfast of pancakes and sausages was sponsored by Spectra Credit Union. Organizers say the breakfast was fairly well attended and was a good start to the day for both the spectators and the participants.
The breakfast was followed by the annual parade where the streets were lined with people and the entries were diverse. "It was a bit of a small parade this year, but the weather played a part of that. We were very fortunate that we still had the Shriners come down from Moosomin with their go-karts" said parade organizer Al Dunn.
This year, the parade had five divisions including: organizations, vehicles, antique cars and trucks, kids and commercial. The first place winner of the organization category went to the local 4-H horse club with the Moosomin Shriners taking second. The vehicle division was won by Darwin Federowich who entered his 1929 Hudson with Jessie-Lee Johnson taking second place. The antique car and truck division was won by two of Gordon Dickinson's three cars and trucks that were entered. The kids' category went to River and Presley Onufreychuk and Ashton Peebles with Destiny and Desiree Riddell placing second. The final category, the commercial category, was won by the Fat Cat entry by the local Credit Union with Carlyle Motor Products taking second place.
With the slo-pitch tournament starting at 10 a.m., it meant that teams were not only dressed in hoodies, but in rain gear as well. Regardless, smiles were on the faces of the ball players as they took to the field in good spirits. The annual "Skid" Clarke Memorial Slo-pitch Tournament had four teams playing in this year's tournament. The round-robin play occurred throughout the day, with the final game wrapping up around 8 p.m. A Carlyle/Arcola team won the final game as the sun began to set on the rodeo grounds.
At 2:30 p.m., as the sun broke through the clouds, the long awaited rodeo took centre stage. With many of the riders coming directly from the Calgary Stampede, the show was a treat for all spectators. Announcer Brett Gardiner was sure to let the crowd know who was on top of those massive animals, with judges Ryan Byrne and Justin Keeley responsible for scoring each of the eight seconds allotted to the riders. Announcer Gardiner made one thing clear, "the best of the best was at Manor Fun Daze" and the riders indeed proved this.
Rider after rider sidled onto their randomly drawn bulls as those riders awaiting 'their time' made sure that the ropes were taut and the riders were safe. The minute the gates opened, the bulls and their riders roared into the spotlight. Spinning, bucking bulls tried their best to rid their rider before the eight second mark.
The event champion was determined by the rider that scored the most points on two bulls or rides. As a result, round one and two saw 16 riders attempt their fate on top of one of the many bulls on hand at this year's rodeo. Stock for this year's rodeo came from a total of six stock contractors including the local R-Saga Ranch.
Following the competition of round one, the leaders were Zane Lambert and Brian Harvey with 82.5 points each. Things quickly changed during round two when Chad Besplug scored 82.5 points bringing his total to 163 points overall. Eight seconds on two bulls meant that Besplug went home with the Manor Fun Daze title and the Champion Belt Buckle.
Following the main event, four riders were auctioned off for the shoot-out event. The Calcutta for this event brought $650 for rider Aaron Roy, $450 for Chad Besplug, $500 for Zane Lambert and $375 for Brian Harvey. With Aaron Roy receiving the highest score during the shoot-out event with 86.5 points, the winner of the Calcutta was Shane Cuddington.
During intermission, the side-by-side draw for the ATV was drawn with the grand prize winner being Evelyn Templeton of Manor. Ray Knockaert of Manor took home two West Jet tickets to anywhere that West Jet flies, while Wade Huzina of Alida took home the 40 " LCD TV.
Following the rodeo was the barbecued beef and pork supper where more than 250 people treated themselves to the delicious supper provided by Rylan Weir, followed by a Cowboy Cabaret where those in attendance were treated to music by "Trevor."
Overall, the day was a success. Even the rain leading up to the event and rain throughout the day did not make a mark of difference in the enjoyment had by those in attendance.
