Cowboy Breakfast kicks off fair, rodeo

Cheryl Schweizer, Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, Wash.
·2 min read

Aug. 16—MOSES LAKE — A sunny summer Friday drew a big crowd to the 2022 edition of the Cowboy Breakfast.

So big, the cooks ran out of waffles.

And eggs.

The event is the traditional kickoff for the Grant County Fair, the Moses Lake Roundup and Demolition Derby. The fair starts Tuesday, the demolition derby is set for Tuesday and Wednesday and the rodeo is Thursday through Saturday.

Harper Carey reigned as the queen of the Pee Wee Stampede, the ridin' and ropin' games for children that are a traditional part of the breakfast.

The breakfast was sponsored by the Moses Lake chapter of Kiwanis, the Columbia Basin Rodeo Association, the Moses Lake Senior Center, Mason's Coffee and AgriSured (Tom and Stacey Cobb).

Kiwanis President James Shank said the food drew a good crowd, but people don't just come for breakfast.

"This is the real show over here," Shank said, pointing to the children playing with the stick horses.

The Pee Wee Stampede features a stick-horse barrel race, stick-horse bucking broncos, roping a stationary steer head and the queen contest. It's for children nine and under.

The rodeo came complete with its own clown, makeup and all, who goes by the name of Chayce Cobb when he's not working the arena. Shank asked him if he was thinking of making a career out of it.

"Nah, not really," Cobb said.

Madelyn Lewison was the first runner-up in the Queen Contest, and both the queen and runner-up got a crown and sash. Moses Lake Roundup Queen Brianna Kin Kade, one of the judges, confessed it was a tough choice.

Contestants rode around the arena on stick horses and waved to the crowd, and answered a question from emcee Tom Cobb. The bronc riders jumped in the air, putting those stick horses through their paces, while the barrel racers ran the traditional three-leaf-clover pattern — more or less.

Some of the young buckaroos had no idea what to do with the rope they were given to rope the steer; some needed a little coaching and sometimes a little help. Sometimes it was a little tough to figure out that barrel racing course, too. A couple of them figured it was just as good to circle one of the barrels twice.

Each winner received a gift certificate that entitled them and members of their family to tickets to a rodeo performance.