September 1, 2021 Issue, Page 15 of 26

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AT THE RODEO, Wednesday, September1, 2021 PGS COMEDY, RODEO STYLE Arkansas cowboy, former jarcback rider, to entertain at Elk City Rodeo By Ruth Nicolaus he could get paid at every rodeo he went to, chicken sale in Arkansas He bills himself as not just the ones where he had a good ride. the “chicken mafia.” The sale is the real deal, Cody Sosebee is a man of many talents, “I was almost 30 when I realized, I could with chickens, pheasants, peacocks, ostrich- and he'll showcase some of those at the Elk clown, and be easier on my body, or I could es, “any kind of feathered fowl,” he says, go- City Rodeo. go to three rodeos a weekend (as a bareback ing through a sale ring. “It's the biggest red- The Charleston, Arkansas man deals in rider) and get my elbow dislocated get jerked neck function you can be part of,” he jokes. “funny money,” as he jokingly calls his rodeo around, and make three times less. It wasn’t He and his family also do an annual pump- clown career. hard to decide.” kin patch each fall, complete with bouncy He clowns rodeos from coast to coast and His rodeo career morphed from riding into houses, a petting zoo and horse-drawn wagon border to border, working such prestigious clowning quickly, and it became fulltime. “It rides. Money made from the pumpkin patch events as Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days and got seriously funny,” he said. “All of a sudden goes towards buying 4-H and FFA animals at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2017. you have a big (rodeo) committee and 8,000 the county fair. He's been anxious to come to Elk City to people showing up for a rodeo that depend Sosebee comes from a “big, southern, work the rodeo. “I drive through there 100 on you to be funny. If I rode and got bucked loud, cooking, music-playing family,” as he times a year, going to other rodeos, and now! off, they clapped andI left. Now they expect- describes them, “with more nieces and neph- finally get to stop and rodeo there.” ed me to entertain.” ews than I can get a head-count on.” Some Before his rodeo clown career started, he In addition to rodeo clowning, he and part- of his nieces run barrels, and think he’s cool Cody Sosebee will entertain as rodeo down was a bareback rider, qualifying for the Inter- ners own a sale barn in Ratcliff, Ark., with and barrelman at this year’s because he knows rodeo champions on a first ‘The Arkansas resident ased toElk be City Rodeo. a bareback national Finals Rodeo 12 timesin his career. Wednesday sales and he helps with his fam- name basis. rider before becoming a rodeo clown. Courtesy however bareback riding isn’t easy on the ily’s cow and calf operation. He also hosts But he loves rodeoing, with his favorite photo. body and as he began clowning, he realized an annual chicken sale, the biggest one-day part being the family aspect. “Pro rodeo is It’s Time For The still the best bang for the buck,” Sosebee says. “I'm not trying to do a FOX News commercial but we still play the national anthem and we still pray and there’s no kneeling. Cowboys are still heroes to people. Rodeo is still a true American family sport in my eyes.” Have fun this weekend! Insurance Agency RENTALS & SALES, Inc 119 N. Jefferson, Elk City QuaLiry © Don't Pay tore to Cover Your Floor Tuc 11 South Main St, Elk City 1503 West Third Elk City, OK 73644 580-243-1112 « FED, IDENT. #731388647 580-225-1400