Rider entries fill up in first hour

The calendar page  has turned to July, and with businesses reopening and outdoor events able to resume, it is almost time for the return of a signature Gallup event: WildThing Championship Bullriding.

WildThing organizer Larry Peterson said rider entries were taken last week and spots were completely filled within an hour.

“We’ve got a lot of really good bull riders coming to Gallup,” Peterson told the Sun June 29. “We have riders from everywhere, [such as] all the top riders from the Navajo Nation. We have riders from many states, [including] Texas, Oklahoma, California, Wyoming, and Oregon.”

About four previous WildThing champions will return to the venue this year, Peterson added. He also noted a couple of top Brazilian bull riders will be competing July 9.

With the recent announcement that New Mexico was going to fully reopen July 1, Peterson said the excitement began to grow for a fully open event.

“Everywhere we’ve gone, everyone just seems so excited about WildThing,” he said. “The radio stations[are] getting attention for it. The ticket outlets [are]  already being hit even though it’s early. The sponsors are excited. All the fans we’ve seen everywhere are ready.

“Everyone around here feels a need to get back to normalcy. They want entertainment,” Peterson continued. “WildThing is going to be the first big event after this ordeal for the Four Corners area. Everyone is fired up for it.”

As previously reported by the Sun, one group that is eager for WildThing’s return is Manuelito Children’s Home. They provide the parking and concessions for WildThing, which is the home’s largest fundraiser of the year.

“The people that come and pay for parking, they’re helping out the home,” Peterson said. “I know the home is excited to get back out there.”

The event schedule aims to bring the electric atmosphere fans are familiar with, but as is tradition with WildThing, Peterson tells guests to expect the unexpected.

“We’ve got the best bucking bulls in the world coming to Gallup. We’ve got great entertainment lined up, including the woolly riders, and Cowboy Poker,” Peterson said. “We have our entertainers coming. This year’s funnyman is one of the top in the country. He did the National Finals Rodeo last year.

“But there is always something new for them I want to surprise them with,” Peterson continued.

Peterson said everyone involved with WildThing is glad to be back after a challenging year, and he knows the fans have waited an especially long time for this event.

“We want all the WildThings to come back and have a great time,” he said. “We’re excited for everyone to come back and have a blast, enjoying the great bull riding and the great things we do and the fireworks. We’re just as big and wild as we’ve ever been, and we’re really going to bring it to everyone.”

For more information on WildThing, including ticket sales and where to buy, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/wildthing.bullriding/.

Staff Reports

A weather system took down two power poles at County Road 1, north of the rock climbing area (second track crossing) on July 10.

Continental Electric and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office are on the scene and estimate repairs will take as long as 14 hours or more, which could mean 7 am on July 11.

The downed power lines across the roadway resulted in two vehicle crashes which are being handled by the Navajo Police Department. There were no injuries.

MCSO will stay at the scene until the McKinley County Road Department can close the road from both directions.

County Road 1 is impassable at the site of the downed power lines until further notice.

Motorists are advised to use Tse Yah Toh Road or Highway 264/491 as a work-around.

A chance to interact with FBI special agents and professional staff will be part of a virtual recruitment event July 22.

The Albuquerque FBI Division will hold the Diversity Agent Recruitment event from 5 pm-7:30 pm as an invitation-only information session meant to familiarize special agent applicants with the unique opportunities available at the FBI.

Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda, of the Albuquerque FBI Division, said the FBI must reflect the makeup of the communities it serves.

"We invite all members of ethnic and gender groups underrepresented in policing to apply, although this event is open to applicants of all backgrounds," he said.

Applicants will speak online with a recruiter, participate in small-group sessions with seasoned agents, watch a video about what life is like as a student at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., and learn tips to streamline the application process.

Applicants for the FBI Special Agent position must be between the ages of 23 and 36 years old, have one to two years of full-time work experience, and hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

No law enforcement or military experience is required, and applicants of all majors may apply.

Applicants with backgrounds in foreign languages, STEM, accounting, and law are especially encouraged to attend the DAR.

To request an invitation to this event, interested parties can apply online by going to fbijobs.gov

Select “Apply to Jobs” and search for “DAR Albuquerque Talent Network.”

Attendance will be limited to guarantee personalized attention, so applicants should apply at their earliest convenience to secure an invitation.

Manuelito Children’s Home welcomes back WildThing

Last year’s cancellation of WildThing Championship Bullriding presented a particularly difficult obstacle for Manuelito Children’s Home to overcome. It meant the loss of their biggest, most important fundraiser of the year.

The cancellation of a major event such as WildThing Championship Bullriding creates a ripple effect that impacts not only organizers and guests, but also sponsors and local businesses that depend on the support and revenue it generates. That can also affect the bottom line for the entire year.

“Due to the pandemic last year, we missed having the bull ride and did not benefit from any of the fundraisers we normally hold,” Manuelito Children’s Home Superintendent Jim Christian said June 22.

But in addition to the financial strain of losing the fundraiser, Christian said the home also missed out on a crucial social aspect of WildThing.

“We also missed our friends that come from Arkansas to help work the parking and concession,” he said. “We certainly couldn’t pull this off without them. WildThing helps us financially, but it also helps us build relationships with other people who also support us.

“While our donors and local community [have] kept us afloat over the last year, we really missed getting to visit our friends and being involved in activities in the community,” Christian continued, citing the challenges faced in the past year with the pandemic. “We missed going to the library, to the store, going to camp, going fishing, martial arts, and skating.”

In a previous story, WildThing organizer Larry Peterson stated while WildThing has a good economic impact on Gallup, the more significant issue is how it helps the children’s home, which was built in 1959 and founded by a group of people that included Larry’s late father, Joel Peterson.

Christian said the event helps create a lot of awareness that encourages support of the children’s home that wouldn’t be there otherwise.

The children’s home, currently located west of Gallup at 12 Theta Dr., was a dream for Joel Peterson, and it has become his legacy. The home is under the oversight of the Gallup Church of Christ Eldership and aims to provide young people of northwest New Mexico “a place where they can experience the love of a family and support of a loving staff dedicated to do all they can to help nurture children …” according to their website.

The home provides four key services for the children: residential care, educational support, counseling, and spiritual worship.

The Sun previously reported the home has enough space to house about 20 children, but it was always an aim to expand.

“We are working on getting another house licensed and ready to care for children in,” Christian said. “[Fundraising at WildThing] will help greatly toward our expansion of services to care for even more kids.”

With Gallup Christian School being located right on the campus for the home, their students were able to stay on track and keep up with their school work, Christian added.

“One of our students, Dylan, graduated and is headed to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque soon,” he said.

It was previously reported that WildThing could not be fully opened if New Mexico still had COVID-19 restrictions in place. However, with a full state reopening scheduled for July 1, it appears the event could mark a milestone, a complete return from the pandemic.

Christian said staff and children from the home are eager to welcome back their fundraiser for a landmark community event.

“We are very excited to get back to doing things like we have in the past,” Christian said. “WildThing is the perfect event to get us back to ‘normal.’ We are anxious to hear the crowd cheering, and especially for the fireworks show!”

For more information on Manuelito Children’s Home, including where you can support the home, visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mnch.gallupnm/ or their website at mnch.org.