Event Photographer: Brittany Schnell

The big event in Lemmon, South Dakota is the Boss Cowman Rodeo. Held the second weekend of July, the Boss Cowman Rodeo lasts three to four days, depending on who you ask. The entire town gets together to celebrate our past, watch fearless cowboys and get our boogie on. There’s food, drink and activities for people of all ages.

Car Show

Carson couldn’t make it to town for the car show, so I popped over to snag some photos for him. The show was a city block long with a wide variety of cars, pickups, classics and even tractors. 

Saint Larry’s BBQ

Following the parade downtown, Saint Larry’s BBQ offered a full menu of southern cookin’. One of the things I like about community events is getting to see everyone. Especially this year, when people were staying home more, we needed this human interaction. 

2nd Annual Cornhole Tournament

I’ve actually already written about the infamous annual cornhole tournament over on the Placemaker’s Co-Op blog. Click to read more!

Boss Cowman Rodeo

The Rodeo, composed of events like bull riding, saddle bronc, bareback, team roping, barrel racing, goat tying, bulldogging and more is the perfect family event. With vendors offering an extensive list from popcorn to Rocky Mountain Oysters to beer, there is always something for everyone. Curvy Ranch Girl Clothing & Tack brought a trailer full of western style clothes and horse gear. 

This year I attended with Olivia, Harper and Jude. This is the first rodeo that they have been to, so they were fascinated. Harper loved the rodeo queens and Jude was super into chewing on the railing or playing in the dirt. 

I wish I would have brought my 150-600mm lens with me this year. I think it could have been super fun on a tripod on the side of the ring. Edit: I’m selling the 150-600mm lens. You can find it here in my eBay store.  Next year, I’ll be bringing my 70-200mm lens and I’m going to get as close to the cowboys/cowgirls as possible. 

One of the things I loved about the Rodeo is the rodeo fashion. Right now, flared anything is in. Flared pants? In. Flared sleeves? In. Also In: beaded necklaces, kimono jackets & reflective sunnies. I love shopping for western wear at my local thrift store (Hettinger’s thrift store is pretty great too), Romancin the Range, Ranch Chic Corral and Smith’s Drug. I love running into the perfect piece that fits your needs and budget. It’s even better when it’s local!

Street Dance

The Cody Charles Band performed after the rodeo on Lemmon’s main street. The band, heralding form Bismarck, North Dakota played country, western music all night long.
I’ve actually already seen Cody and his team perform at Ashley and Dusty’s wedding last September. 

Tom O’ Neill, the guitarist in the Cody Charles Band, also performs for bridal social hours along with many other events in all styles of music. You can reach out to him here for more information.

This is the first time I’ve photographed a dance without a ceiling. I know that sounds very specific, but hear me out: photographers frequently bounce their flashes off of the ceiling to create a larger & softer distribution of light. Because dances are usually low light situations, we need to bring our own! Next time, even though it’s a street dance, I think I would want to bring my lights and run with my off camera flashes instead of a single on camera flash. Does that make me a little extra? Maybe.

Who cares if it does?! I’d rather have amazing photos than be nervous of what people think of me!!

We have some fantastic dancers in our community. They are fun to watch! Next year, I’ll have to get some video with my new, low light camera.