In February my family and I celebrated Black History Month by attending the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. You're probably wondering why I'm showing you a itty bitty picture of Bill Picket and bid picture of a basket of food items instead of some Black cowboys and cowgirls doing their thing. Well, I brought my DH's digital camera along but discovered as I attempted to take my first photo that the battery was dead. Ugh! why, why why?

So what did I do?, I went out that weekend and bought my own digital camera and I'm learning everything there is to know about it. Yes I could have studied my DH's camera manual but, his camera is 6 years old, big and bulky. I needed something that is highly portable. I mean afterall, I am really trying to get the hang of this blogging thing and I need camera on demand!

Anyway, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo was awesome. It was entertaining and educational. The cowboys and cowgirls were amazing. The music was jammin' and I won a gift basket of Glory Foods (one of the rodeo sponsors). If this rodeo ever comes to your area go, you won't be disappointed.

Oh yeah, the gift basket was photographed with my camera :).

Here's some information about Bill Picket. His life was amazing.

Peopl knew the name Will Rogers but they hadn't heard of Bill Pickett and if they had, they didn't know he was Black. "Bill Pickett, born in 1870 in Texas, created *'bulldogging," a move in which he rode alongside a steer, jumped onto its shoulders and brought the steer down by digging his feet into the ground. The modern day version of the move is called steer wrestling and remains one the most intriguing exhibitions throughout rodeo history.

Bill was born in 1870, five years after the Civil War ended and the slaves of the Confederacy were emancipated. By the time he was 16, he was becoming interested in horses, cattle and dogs. Not many writers emphasize the influence cattle dogs had on the young man, but, I believe, if it were not for these dogs, he might never have been the famous bite 'em style bulldogger he was. There were "heel" dogs and "catch" dogs. The latter went to a critter's head, while the former harassed the heels. Cowboys were used to such chases because it was next to impossible to swing ropes, or make cow catches in the thick tangles of brush that covered much of Williamson County.

The rodeo tours from February through November each year. 9 rodeos can be seen in city arenas and fairgrounds across the country, including Washington DC, Atlanta, Memphis, St. Louis, Denver, Bakersfield, Oakland, and Los Angeles, Sacramento.