Saddle Up for Fall–and Bull Riding

By Emily Brazeal
On-Campus Columnist

Stuffed cows and axe throwing? A strange combination, but one that worked perfectly for Saddle Up for Fall on Saturday, September 28th. The Saddle Up event was a chance to momentarily forget the weekend homework and jump into the beginning of autumn. Walking around, it was fun to see the vast amount of Saint Mary’s students donning cowboy boots and denim. I’m guessing many of us hodge-podged together whatever in our closet looked most like something Dolly Parton would approve of. And Saint Mary’s students didn’t dress up for nothing, De La Salle lawn was packed with food trucks, a petting zoo, pumpkins, bull riding and even live music and line dancing. All a great way to get into the fall mood.

Saddle Up began with America’s Got Talent finalist, Preacher Lawson making an appearance in the Soda Center. His light-hearted and original humor left his audience in constant laughter, a perfect escape from the stresses of the fall semester.

After the comedy show, Saint Mary’s was able to enjoy live music by Sacramento band, Popular Demand. While listening to the music one could also snap pictures at the photobooth, complete with Western props. A great idea to capture memorable moments with friends and pull out that signature peace sign pose.

​Food trucks arrived, serving Mediterranean food and shaved ice, while booths provided pretzels and boba. You could see on the happy faces of students that it was nice to get a little break from Oliver.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a truly Western event without horses–or more accurately ponies and donkeys. There was a petting zoo full of these cute little critters including miniature pigs, fluffy chickens, and precious rabbits. Although some of the animals were timid, if you followed them for long enough they gave in to your affection.

However, if live animals weren’t for you, there was a stuffed animal station where you could take home a miniature cow or horse. If you were worried that your stuffed friend might be cold–stress not, SMC shirts were provided for your animal. Once finished, you could pull out your rusty art skills to paint a pumpkin of your choice.
For those more ambitious, there was axe throwing and mechanical bull riding. The mechanical bull riding was fun for those who participated and for those who didn’t, as the best part is simply watching your friends get thrown off.

Your friends might tell you that they celebrated the beginning of fall by getting themselves a pumpkin spice latte, but petting pigs and painting pumpkins seems more suitable. I hope you attended this exciting SMC event and now have a pumpkin to decorate your dorm room–at least until the Christmas lights come out.