Ropers Come Together In Biddle For A Good Cause

By Tedi Jo Williams

The picture at right shows that kindness is a word which perfectly describes Eastern Montana and Northern Wyoming. So that is why Justin Lemke and JW Thrush decided to help a friend by putting on a team roping. On August 27th, well over 60 team ropers showed up at the Biddle Arena to help the Teschers. Dave Tescher was hurt in a vehicle accident almost a year ago. It has been a lot of work in therapy, but he will be home on September 1. However, hard times like these require a lot of money in a lot of places, and the people of Powder River, Campbell, and many other counties came together to help.

The roping had some fantastic ropers. There were kids all the way up to people that had been roping awhile and could still do it. 30% of entry fees went to the Tescher family, but as the awards were given out at the end of the day, the ropers were donating large portions of their prize money back. Again, the kindness we have here is astounding. Results from the roping:

Drawpot #1

1st: Talon Larson and James Tarver 19.83 on 3, won $1033/man, 2nd: Josh Graff and Wade Reno 26.26 on 3, won $826/man, 3rd: Brady Williams and Zane Williams 27.40 on 3, won $620/man

Drawpot #2

1st: Jim Goodwin and Britt Williams 27.64 on 3, won $926/man, 2nd: Jace Rourke and James Tarver 27.74 on 3, won $730/man, 3rd: Blaire Lammers and Talon Larson 27.98 on 3, won $561/man

Jacket Winners

High Money Winner Man and Woman

James Tarver and Whitney Tarver

Beau Kuhbacher also showed up to auction off items that were donated. The cornhole boards made by Josh Aurand brought $600, 10 square bales donated by Owen Rumph brought $150, and handmade chinks donated by Tedi Jo Williams brought $400.

We would like to thank Phillip Habeck, Otter Creek Fencing, Rod Schaffer, and the First Northern Bank for very generous cash donations to the roping. Trenton and Kathy Schaffer donated beautiful jackets for the top man and top woman ropers. Roping steers were donated by the Biddle Roping Club, Jon Craft, and the Krantz family. Josh Aurand ran a water truck to stop the dust. Kurt and Cassie Copps came out with their DZ's food trailer and donated all of their tips back. A huge thank you to Ashley Fleming, Taylor Thrush, and Jayme Gaskill for the office work. The ladies did an outstanding job and make the roping run smoothly. We would also like to thank Ray and Tedi Jo Williams as well as Wyatt Williams for announcing, Arnie Mader for flagging, all of the people who brought the steers up the alley, the stripping chute crew, and the chute help. The last people we would like to thank are Dick and Owen Rumph for letting us use their arena.

That takes us to the history of the arena.

The Biddle arena was built in 1972 by Dick Rumph, Quentin Rumph, Ted Elgin, Scott Sanburn, Arnie Mader, Craig Mader and Randy Flint. I am sure that I am leaving a few out, so I apologize in advance. They took a truck to Belle Fourche to load railroad ties off the railroad track. They brought them back home and set them by hand in the ground. After the wire and boards were attached the roping started. Great times were had by people who would ride their horse to the arena to rope. I guess they did not have to warm up after they got there. This went on through the 80's and for many benefits. The women would make tea and sandwiches to feed the crew and I guarantee they were good.

A roping was held in 1991 to raise money for the Biddle Community Heritage Center. Again, people showed up to help. In 2010, Ray Williams remembers making breast collars for the champions of a roping we put on. The money from this was used to create new heading and heeling boxes out of pipe. Dave Tescher and Ray were happy to weld them together. After that, Dave and Justin Lemke as well as Dick Rumph replaced a lot of the posts that were set almost fifty years ago, made a larger pen that holds the steers, improved the crow's nest (thank you Alex and Evan Rumph) and many other small things that needed fixed. So, this just goes to show that communities help each other out in our area, we keep things fixed and love to get together and rope with our families. We are still enjoying the Biddle Arena.