The Oregon Queen — January 2023

January 9, 2023 Off By Lois Forester

2023 Miss Rodeo Oregon Zoe Brooks!

When people tell you “Time flies while you are having fun”, they are not kidding. The months since the Miss Rodeo Oregon pageant have flown by!

For my first blog entry, I wanted to tell you a little bit more about myself. I am twenty-two years old from Eagle Point, Oregon! I have lived in Eagle Point my whole life and I am proud to be a part of my community. I grew up alongside my two brothers, Anavrin and Gavin. I graduated high school in 2018 from Crater Lake Charter Academy and I am pursuing a Nursing Degree from Rogue Community College. Currently, I work for Providence Medical Group as a Clinically Certified Medical Assistant in the Urgent Care Department. I hope to use the skills I learned while working as a CCMA as a nurse in the future.

When I was 8 years old, I started taking lessons with my wonderful Aunt Martha who taught me everything I now know. I started my riding journey in the show ring and then eventually moved into more gaming and team events. I was a four- year member of the Eagle Point High School Equestrian Team where I qualified for state each year. When I am not at work or at the barn, you can find me at home spending time with my family, playing with my dog Kahlua, or learning new recipes to cook.

While preparing for my year as Miss Rodeo Oregon 2023, I have spent lots of time connecting with my community and those around me. I am so excited to be holding my coronation dinner and fundraiser auction at my local fairgrounds, the Jackson County Expo! This is so special to me because this is the expo where I went to my very first rodeo, saw my very first rodeo queen and held my very first rodeo queen title! It is home to the Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo! This rodeo is so special because it is the rodeo to hold the only 100-point bull ride!

Apart from coronation prep and planning for my year, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Miss Rodeo America Pageant in Las Vegas! My grandparents and I made the 12-hour drive down to Las Vegas and boy, it did not disappoint! We spent lots of time in the South Point Hotel and Casino enjoying all things rodeo! We shopped until we dropped, enjoyed the Miss Rodeo America Pageant and had the most amazing foods. Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon Morgan and I attended a Rodeo Royalty Seminar that was put on by past Miss Rodeo Americas and State titleholders. I got to spend a lot of time with my fellow 2023 state titleholders. We got to sell raffle tickets and pageant program books before each event, attend a special ladies in waiting breakfast, and participate in a photoshoot on the strip with Sherry Smith Photography! I had such a good time getting to know all these ladies and I can't wait to spend more time with them this year. It was a wonderful experience, and I can't believe that in less than a year, I will be back in Vegas competing for Miss Rodeo America 2024.

This month I am looking forward to my first official appearances as Miss Rodeo Oregon 2023! I will be making my first out of state trip to Denver, Colorado for the National Western Stock Show. Make sure to follow along with my travels on the Miss Rodeo Oregon Facebook page and Instagram!
With Thanks,

Zoe Brooks
Miss Rodeo Oregon

2023 Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon Morgan Brownell!

Wow! I can’t believe it’s already January! It feels like just yesterday I was crowned your 2023 Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon and now here we are.

Before I go into too much detail about myself, I just want to say how good of a job Destiny did as your 2022 Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon and she left me with some big shoes to fill!! Some may know me as your 2020/21 Jr Miss Rodeo Oregon but for those of you who don’t know me, I’ll introduce myself! I'm the 16-year-old daughter of Keith and Debbie Brownell and I reside in Stayton, Oregon. I have 2 dogs (CJ and Clarabelle) and a cat named Alvin. I have 4 horses including my 2 horses Custer and Chester along with the horse I show and who belongs to my mom, Kid, and my dad's rope horse Big Boy.

As Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon Lady-in-Waiting I was able to go to the Miss Rodeo Oregon horsemanship competition and watch the contestants compete and see what they bring to the table when it comes to horsemanship. Jr Miss Rodeo Oregon Reegan and I helped to sell programs during the competition. In September I was able to attend the NorthWest Professional Rodeo Association finals held local to me in Salem. I was able to attend the back number dinner the night before finals started along with helping to hand out free items during the rodeo over the weekend. I was also able to go to the Tillamook County Rodeo Association Coronation and help to support the girls I will be traveling with for the next year! Congratulations to Queen Brooke Anderson and Jr Miss Brynnen Blazer--you two were so much fun to spend time with at tryouts and I can’t wait to spend the summer with you!

In December I was able to go to Viva Las Vegas to go support the 2022 Miss Rodeo Oregon Avalon at the 2023 Miss Rodeo America Pageant and watch her place in the top 10 out of 28 girls! If that’s not amazing, I don’t know what is! While in Vegas I attended the Miss Rodeo America Horsemanship competition and the Miss Rodeo America Fashion show along with going to the Miss Rodeo America Queen seminar that I was able to learn so many amazing things from!

I hope to see everyone at my coronation on February 11th at the Oregon State Fair Grounds in the Cascade Hall for dinner, silent and live auctions, a dessert dash and a Mr. Rodeo Pageant! Doors open at 5, dinner is at 6, and tickets are $25 (with 5 and under free)!

Even though I didn’t do much as Lady-in-Waiting, be prepared to see me all throughout the state in 2023 as I prepare to travel and promote the greatest sport on dirt!!

With love,

2023 Miss Teen Rodeo Oregon

Morgan Brownell

2023 Junior Miss Rodeo Oregon Reegan Bills!

I remember it felt like the pageant for Junior Miss Rodeo Oregon would never get here. Those two days were a whirlwind of activity, excitement and nerves. After I was crowned, I just kept saying "I'm so happy my eyes won't stop leaking!"

Now here we are seven months later in what felt like the blink of an eye and 2023 is officially underway. I can not wait to share all my travels over this next year with you all. Here is a little update of what has happened since June.

I finished out my summer by attending the Miss Rodeo Oregon Pageant in July as a Lady in Waiting. It was great to get out there with our 2023 Miss Teen Morgan Brownell selling programs. The rest of the summer was caught up in a flurry of competing in the youth rodeos I could as my family was also moving into our new home, my mom broke both her feet, my horse had her baby, and he spent a month in a cast.

Once life calmed down a little and I had started 6th grade as a charter homeschool student, I got to watch as Junior Miss Lady in Waiting our own 2023 Miss Rodeo Oregon Zoe Brooks as she shined as the 2022 Miss NPRA at their circuit finals.

Since then, we have been in full sponsorship and item collecting for my year and my Coronation fundraiser. It seems unreal that it is so close already, but it is coming up January 14th, 2023 at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center.

I cannot wait to see all the places my partners in crime, Zoe and Morgan, will go and all the great stories we will have to share. I am excited to have such an amazing opportunity to give back to a sport I love.

2023 JMRO Reegan Bills

Wish You'd Been There!

Congratulations to Miss Rodeo Oregon 2022 Avalon Irwin for her Top Ten accomplishment at the Miss Rodeo America Pageant! There were several board members present, not only to cheer her on, but to assist on committees charged with putting on an amazing pageant and attend pageant meetings. They included Julie Singer, Lynn Haynes, Tanya Cloutier, Tanya Marie Utberg, Glenda Franich, Diane Utberg, Carol Shull, and Lois Forester. Kayla Vincent also attended as a future National Director (not yet approved by MRA).

We want to acknowledge the sponsorship of Donna Riva who created Avalon's leather full-length coronation gown and her interview suit. They were magnificent and memorable! Pendleton Woolen Mills provided the fabric for Avalon's Justin boot parade outfit. They also provided the Weekender bag and Pendleton blanket for the Scholarship Auction.

2022 MRO titleholders were in Las Vegas to support Avalon--Destiny Wecks and Carrie Woods. 2023 titleholders who also came were Miss LIW Zoe Brooks and Teen LIW Morgan Brownell!