Miller also built a giant bull out of lumber scraps and then set it on fire at the event. Fireworks placed on the bull’s head went off in a blaze of glory as the sun set over the rodeo grounds and the folks gathered there. He acted as the emcee of the event, asking the group to join him in a prayer before enjoying a free barbecue meal, stories and music.
This is “bringing our community together on common grounds, the rodeo,” Miller wrote in the program he printed for the event. The barbed wire bull, dubbed “Darbacious,” was created and donated by Miller earlier this year in support of the renewed efforts of the Darby Rodeo Association to promote Darby as a destination for rodeo events and other festivals.
“Let’s make it happen! Cal’s vision and dream,” wrote Miller in the program, referring to Cal Ruark, founder of the Darby Rodeo Association. Ruark has worked tirelessly in the last few years to revitalize Darby following the collapse of the timber industry and the economic hard times in the south valley.
The mood of those gathered seemed to be that Darby will not only survive, it will prosper.