Rodeo Royalty

Hey rodeo fans!

My name is Sarah Baker, the daughter of David and Kelly Baker. I was born and raised on a ranch ten miles outside of Elgin on Cricket Flat. I have proudly grown up in Elgin for all the 18 years of my life. I am currently a senior this year at Elgin High School. I have one older brother Riley Baker. My partner this year is my registered APHA gelding “Impressive Lil’ Badger”, also known as Badger! Badger is my go-to ranch horse, court horse, and loves to eat everything! He has been my trusty steed through many parades, rodeo bible camps, and flag run-ins. We are more than excited to be representing the Elgin Stampede this year!

I have grown up at the Stampede Grounds. From competing in Family Night, helping with functions such as Crab Feed and the Gun Show, to traveling with my mother who was the court chaperone for 15 years, my roots run deep in this community and this rodeo! I am a fourth-generation Stampeder, and I cannot wait to continue the legacy that my family has left for me. My great-grandpa Pete Trump pounded nails in the very Stampede Hall that we know today, while my great-grandmother Betty Trump baby sat the kids! My grandmother was a princess in the forties and my mother was queen in 1982. I spent a gross amount of my childhood watching my mother practice drill. Some of my fondest memories are stored in the very soil that the Stampede Grounds sits on.

I was riding before I was out of the womb. My mother was pregnant with me and still packing mules into the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Ever since then, I have had different mentors, especially my mother, Rachel Sauer, and Amanda Lewis that have helped me grow into the horse woman I am today. It has taken blood, sweat, tears, and many hours of frustrations to experience the growth and achievements that I have. I have become a very well-rounded equestrian as I have shown at fair, competed at the Elgin Stampede Playdays, attended brandings, packed sponsor flags, and have been to several Rodeo Bible Camps with my horses. I have had the pleasure to work at Sauer Farms riding a variety of registered quarter horses and learning more about the breeding horse industry. I also worked at the Wallowa Lake Pack Station this year as a tour guide for guided horseback rides in the Wallowa mountains!

Other than riding, I have been actively involved in FFA for the past five years. I have had the honor to serve as the Eastern Oregon District President for the years 2020-2021 and I am currently serving as the Elgin FFA Chapter President. I have shown market lambs at county fair and the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show since the fourth grade. I also am a member of the National Honors Society. I have played varsity basketball and volleyball all throughout my high school career. I am at the top of my class and plan to graduate with honors this year. Upon graduation, I plan to attend Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana this fall and major in Agriculture Business with a minor in communications, in hopes of becoming a crop insurance agent or working as a financial advisor for farmers and ranchers!

Being a member of the Elgin Stampede Rodeo Court has not only been a dream of mine since I was little, but it also gives me the opportunity to advocate for the community and the sport of rodeo that I love so dearly. I couldn’t be prouder to finally be following in the footsteps of my mother, grandmother, and the other past royalty that I have looked up to. I look forward to being a positive role model for those in my community and across the state! It is from the bottom of my heart that I thank my parents, my community, and the Elgin Stampeders for giving me the support and foundation that has made me the woman I am today!

Let’s get ready to rodeo this second full weekend in July! Remember, Only at the Elgin Stampede!

-Sarah Baker, 2021 Elgin Stampede Princess

Hey everyone and welcome to the 74th Annual Elgin Stampede!!

I am so excited and proud to be representing the 74th Annual Elgin Stampede this year! Some of you may already know, but for those of you who don’t, my name is Bailey Vernam and I am from Enterprise, Oregon. My mom is Shannon Vernam and my grandparents are David and Debi Vernam.

Family is very important to me and we are a close-knit group. Besides having my mom and grandparents backing me all of the way, I am also lucky enough to have the support of my great-grandma June Vernam and my aunt and uncle Sherry and Zane Strickland. I am accompanied by my amazing, non-human partner, Domino, who is my black and white paint horse. I honestly don’t know what I would do without all of them in my corner. Thank you all so much for supporting me and my dreams!

This year I am a junior at Enterprise High School. I have been involved in FFA and FCCLA since my freshman year and have been an officer in both chapters. This year I also became a state officer for FCCLA. Besides being involved in FFA and FCCLA I am also a cheerleader for both football and basketball. Due to COVID-19 sports have been a challenge, but I was thankful that our school got to have sports even if the seasons were shortened. After high school I plan on attending college to become either an orthodontist or an orthopedic surgeon. I have been an active member in 4-H for the last eight years. I show horses, pigs, and my dogs. I am also actively involved and competed at state with the horse judging team and livestock judging team. I have been a member of the Wallowa County Horse Classics team as well as the Wallowa County Dog Bowl team and competed at the state level representing them both. I have qualified to compete at the Oregon State Fair with my horse, dog, and my public speaking. I won a medallion for my public speech two years in a row. I was also a member of the 2017-2018 Wallowa County 4-H court. In 2019, I was lucky enough to be awarded the Wallowa County Stockgrowers heifer scholarship. This started my FFA beef project. I now have a small herd of 5. My other FFA project is my breeding canine which I was honored to have won my proficiency with at the District and State levels. I also earned my State FFA degree this year.

I have attended The Elgin Stampede every year since I was two weeks old. My mom was queen of the Elgin Stampede in 1993 and was welcomed into the Stampede family with open arms. The Elgin Stampede feels like a family reunion every year and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I am extremely honored to have the opportunity to follow in my mom’s footsteps. Being on The Elgin Stampede court has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I am so excited that my dream has finally become a reality. COVID tried to throw a wrench into everything, but we have prevailed and we are going to have an even bigger and better rodeo this year. I can’t wait to see you all there at the 74th Annual Elgin Stampede!!

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for their support this year and to the Elgin Stampede board of directors for allowing me to represent their amazing rodeo.

LET’S RODEO!!

-Bailey Vernam, 2021 Elgin Stampede Princess