For the past quarter century, Dan and Peggy Eoff have hosted a Labor Day event on their ranch, a few miles west of Clinton, Ark. This year that event saw its 24th year of running the National Chuck Wagon Racing Championship. And, despite concerns about the economy and rain, over 30,000 folks dropped in to sip a taste of the largest equine event in the world anyone knows about. Five thousand, six hundred some horses and mules were checked in at the gates by officials for their current Coggins test papers.
Many participants and fans came in the weekend before and set up camping on the ranch's manicured grounds that looked like the Augusta golf course. They took trail rides and had lots of things to do. The folks who have places to camp, park there without electricity or water hook ups. This doesn’t bother most of them as one woman said, “Aw, we come to have a good time, meet our friends from past years and enjoy the excitement of the races. Who cares?”
Those who are a little more comfort-minded park their RV’s up on top of the hill, above Dan’s house where they have 110 hookups and rural water. They carry their lawn chairs over to watch the entertainment and to sit on the bluff and view the track excitement.
Don Edwards, who is no stranger to western music-minded folks was this year’s star entertainer on Saturday night.
The real excitement starts on Friday afternoon when rodeo announcer Danny Newland welcomed everyone to the first event. With a dedicated start, which includes prayer and the national anthem – more and more events have left that tradition out – things bust loose beginning with a straight race of small mules or pony teams charging in the Land Rush.
Four-up small mules charge off around the grassy track, then large ones charge up a mountain and hope they miss a big gum tree coming down hill. A few years ago a team struck the tree with the tongue, slapped heads together on both sides and out of the seat came the cook – the driver’s companion. The lady flew over the team like a shot from a cannon. Broken collar bone, broken arm, leg and hip, she was rushed off to medical attention by ambulance. Yes, the next year she was back riding as cook.
With all the buckboards and buggies it looks like a B western. These rigs were the ranchers’ pickup truck and they can get real western racing them. Each has an outrider and in all this confusion going around the barrel he has to mount his horse and get over the finish line before his wagon does. Co-announcer Andy Stewart usually manages to scold the late outriders with some crazy verse of a country song or how the tardy ones will be lectured in camp that night. “They’re holding a special meeting down in the Bar X camp tonight, folks. It’s a how-to class on the way to get on your horse in a hurry.”
Then the Snowy River Race comes in with a sound track from that film and the two dozen riders lined up on the mountain to the south – a gun goes off. The horses and riders charge down hill in a slope as steep as a cow’s face, across a bottom, uphill again and down that slope then across the bottoms to the fork of the Little Red River. One swallow of that water and the race is over for your mount. Then they emerge out of the stream and make tracks to the finish line. Three quarters of a mile ran by the leader in two minutes, this is a nail biter and the crowd is on their feet.
Then there's the classic wagons and the National Chuck Wagon Races. This is Nascar on iron rims: Thrills, spills and excitement. And some team will take home the great disc etched out to show the championship and year.
The winners marked down, the awards ceremony over I spoke to Dan Eoff. “Did you ever expect this to become this big?”
“No, Dusty and I never expected to have so many of my friends to show up. And these folks have all become my friends. Ain’t it amazing?”
It really is. Maybe next year you can join me and the rest of Dan’s friends at the end of Shagrug Road west of Clinton at the 25th National Chuck Wagon Racing Championships.
Western novelist Dusty Richards and his wife Pat live on Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas. For more information about his books you can email Dusty by visiting www.ozarksfn.com and clicking on 'Contact Us' or call 1-866-532-1960.
