Rodeo: the Town Is Crazy

Don't usually venture into town during rodeo week. Plenty going on. Loads of tourons. Crowds. Hoopla. Crowds. However, I had an errand of mercy to attend to at one of the banks. So I took in the local color yesterday.

Some folks in appropriate costumes. More or less.

Of course, the grand finale of the rodeo lands on the 4th of July; this year, the city is absolutely awash in flags, bunting and other red, white and blue, such as the quilt I saw at the bank (below).

Accompanying the rodeo, an arts, crafts & stuff show on the Square; running time, 5 days. The stuff included everything from soup (mix) to nuts-- and, if you weren't dressed appropriately, you could even buy a buckskin jacket.

While I had coffee at a sidewalk table, the horse carriers
went parading by. Not the plain everyday carriers that you see out in the countryside, but elaborate wagons with quarters for crew plus several horses. Definitely rodeo pros.

Did I mention that the day was H.O.T? That it was hotter today and tomorrow should top today? So I fess up -- I got a ride downtown, I didn't walk there. No way. There was the one hopeful sign: the contrails are becoming fatter and they last longer. Maybe our 4% humidity days are numbered. We might even have a storm or two this weekend. First the rodeo and the fireworks, then the rainy season. If we're lucky.

Note: Gadget took pictures of the rodeo parade; the Courier offers several videos of the parade, the rodeo, the boot race and more. Also: she of little brain and JuliaR have each posted their eight fascinating facts, for a total of 16 fascinating facts so far.

Western Without the Staging

Here in Prescott, as in many western towns, the pressure to Offer a Western Experience to the tourons is palpable. The response occasionally verges on exploitation; some restaurants or saloons are thoroughly staged and some, but not all, are comfortable in their hokiness. Others are too precious for words. The thing I like about the Waffle Iron: it's not Old West, it's a piece of Prescott history. With a western theme. Our rodeo. Our cowboys. That sort of thing. Primarily pictures. Not overdone with artifacts.

In a word, the atmosphere is for real. A year round Christmas tree yet. No embarassment about a poster for the very un-PC Smoki dances. After all, they were a big part of Prescott past.

As was this cafe, for which ground was broken in fall of 1941. The Jack & Jill was a stopping off place for truckers and for cowboys on their way home from Whisky Row; the street was a gravel road.

From my point of view, two major features of the menu: the breakfast eggs are treated with great respect and the waffles provide a tasty underpining for a surprising choice of syrups. As a restaurant critic, however, I'm a flop because I've never eaten lunch at the Waffle Iron -- I always think of it as a place for a special breakfast!

And it's been in Gail's family for 27 years; always a real recommendation!