Maxwell High Rodeo: Revin', ropin' and regulatin'

Streams of showcase vehicles, their proud owners at the wheel, started to roll down Main Street Maxwell more than two hours before the parade.

On this day, Main Street Maxwell was Main Street USA, as the 82nd annual Maxwell High School Rodeo was greeted Saturday with bluebird weather and hundreds of people ready to have fun.

For a slide show of images from the rodeo, click here: http://www.colusa-sun-herald.com/sections/slideshow/?id=14294189

The theme this year was "Red, Wild, and Blue, Rodeo #82!"

"It's a little bit of everything," said Clifton Huffmaster, 30, a Nashville police officer and 2000 Maxwell High graduate back home for a family reunion.

The Huffmasters plan their annual reunion around "The Rodeo."

Huffmaster was one of three runners to participate in the Bull Run, which officially kicks off the festivities.

George Barajas, 17, had the fastest time over the 5,000 meters at 20 minutes, 42 seconds. Huffmaster was next at 24:17.

Cindy Zwald doesn't care what her time was, and while she won both the women's and senior's division, her age, apparently, is classified.

She did, however, get a glimpse of Barajas during the race. "I think I was just getting out of town when he was coming back in — or maybe the cemetery," Zwald said.

A Maxwell lifer, Zwald said the rodeo is a town and family tradition.

Oak Street is decked out in American flags, as Maxwell residents and visitors from around the region line either side to watch the parade.

The highlight has become the firefighters' entry.

This year the group spoofed the town's annual battle with the migrating egrets and herons, which, once nested, cannot be disturbed.

And again, it was the regulators — the men and women who protect the birds — who were the butt of the joke.

By the end of the drama, Oak Street was covered in feathers, and a few unfortunate — and innocent — bystanders were splashed with artificial bird droppings.

Philip Sites, 73, was the grand marshal.

The queen was Mariah Westfall and the chairman was Sites' grandson, Brian. The co-chairman was Daniel Manson, and the princesses were Rachel Golden, who doubled up as the barrel racing champion this year, and Kaily McKinley.

Some of the 190 cars that came to town for the 15th annual Maxwell Classic Car Show also participated in the parade, some even took home trophies or ribbons, like Pat Sperling of Lakeport.

He blew away the crowd with the so-called "Stonyford Staff Car," a convertible with a cow skull as a hood ornament, train horns and the ability to shoot fire from under the side doors, and through the skull.

"It wasn't' a convertible when I got it," laughs Sperling of his 1971 Cadillac Coupe De Ville.

"A sawzall and a case of beer does wonders."

Verna Woolf of Redding also drove the parade in her completely stock light blue 1967 Mustang.

"I drove it off the showroom floor," said Woolf.

But then and her late husband, Jim, participated in the "Across America with the Mustang," driving to Atlanta for the event. That was in 1993.

Not long after that, Maxwell became part of the Woolf family tradition, too.

"Randy (Wilson) called my husband and asked him to come down. I can't remember if that was the first or second year, but we have been back many times," she sad.

Now she comes to the show in honor of her husband.

Wilson, who puts on the car show each year, announced that The Best of Show went to Joe Colabecca of Clearlake, for his cherry red "Devil 57" 1957 Chevrolet station wagon.

"It wasn't so much the car as what he did to the inside of the car," Wilson said.

As the crowd walked around looking at the cars, the arena events kicked off with the horse show, which featured one of the scariest moments of the day.

Annie Jarrett was competing in the keyhole race, and as she reined in her horse after passing the time line, the horse stumbled and threw her

Jarrett was down for a few minutes, but got up and walked away with first place in the event. The horse also was OK after the fall.

The Horse Show was followed by the actual rodeo events, featuring the entertaining, sometimes hilarious children's events to start things off, and ending with a test of roping and riding skills.

The event ended where it started, back on Oak Street, with a dance at the