The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - On a sunny Tuesday afternoon last week, Waitsburg Cel- ebration co-organizer Lisa Naylor got a taste of what's to come on the third weekend in May when the town marks the first century of its downhome "one-of-a- kind" horse extravaganza, the Days of Real Sport.

In the shade of the grand stand at the fairgrounds, somebody flung a hat down and three cowgirls launched their mounts around the track, hoofs thrashing the soft dirt, smiles flying above the saddles.

"The expression on these women's faces looked like pure fun," Naylor said. "It was beautiful."

And it was only a dry run. Unlike the jockeys and thoroughbreds from yester- year, these aspiring equine competitors in what's called "cowgirl ranch horse races" couldn't gallop but half around the track, but orga- nizers said that's the whole point of this year's centen- nial events.

What once started out as a proud local riders' leisurely my-horse-is-better-than- yours contest has returned to its home in history, Naylor said about the theme of the much-anticipated Waitsburg Celebration.

"We're getting back to our horse and livestock roots," she said. "It's a return to what got the whole thing started."

The full schedule of activities is set for May 17 -19. And now that the family- oriented Sunday afternoon program is in place, it's clear the events will be just as downhome as they were a century ago.

From the Friday night Plaza Theater screening of "Babe," the classic crowd pleaser about an adventur- ous piglet, to the cow plop drop and sheep dressing contests on Sunday afternoon, the DRS centennial is a celebration of life on the ranch in Touchet Valley country.

Mayor Walt Gobel said he is "thrilled with the efforts of my many volunteers. We will have something for everybody, so please come and join the fun."

While Babe hits the big screen Friday evening, the 6th Annual Waitsburg Classic Auto Show cruise will start from Preston Park at 7 pm. An hour later, cowboys and cowgirls will gather for a youth dance at the town hall.

Saturday will start with an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast at 8 am with ven- dors setting up in the park an hour later and the Bruce Museum hosting an open house featuring the history of the Days of Real Sport.

The parade, which will include courts from around the area and three representatives from the Confeder- ated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, starts at 10 am. The auto show's antique and vintage rigs will be on display at the park 8 am - 3 pm.

The ranch horse races start at 1 pm at the fair- grounds, followed by a hamburger dinner at the Lions Club Building at 5:30 pm. Then, get ready for the homecoming concert of the Frog Hollow Band from 8 to midnight.

Sunday opens with cow- boy church at Preston Park at 9 am, another pancake buffet at Town Hall at 10 am, and vendors in the park 10 am - 4 pm. At the fairgrounds, time-and-point dog trials start at 10 am, followed by an afternoon no kid, young or old, will want to miss: goat tail tying, shoe shuffle, sheep dressing, mutton bust- ing and many on-going ac- tivities, such as a dunk tank, duck trough, face painting, Pinewood derby car racing, darts, goldfish toss and a ro- bot demonstration. Back in Preston Park, the Duck Race starts at 3 pm.

Among the many spon- sors of the Waitsburg Cel- ebration is Pacific Corp., which provided a $2,500 grant to make upgrades to the grand stand at the fair- grounds, Naylor said.

The complete Waitsburg Celebration schedule will be published in next week's commemorative Days of Real Sport edition of The Times.