NORWICH – After a week of carnival rides, games and fried food, the Chenango County Fair has packed up and moved out for another year, but this summer fairgoers got an extra treat, as a group of cowboys and girls came to town.

Friday night, the grandstand was filled with onlookers, eager for the sights and sounds of rodeo. Riders from Fabius, Plattsburgh and as far as California came to participate in the events. The first had contestants riding bare-back on bucking horses. The spectators watched as numerous cowboys were unseated, and nearly trampled by the excited animals.

In between events, a stunt rider performed dangerous tricks for the crowd, culminating as she stood on top of a galloping horse, carrying the U.S. flag as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In the USA” blasted from the speakers.

The bull riding was next, and the spectators were equally enthralled as rider after rider attempted the difficult feat. It may have come as a surprise to some people, that this competition is no longer just for boys. Amanda Martin held her own, as the rodeos only lady bull rider. Martin, a young teen from Hobart, has been riding bulls for two years and says that she loves the excitement of the crowd. This summer, she traveled to many local fairs to participate in their rodeos, but her first bull riding experience took place in her own backyard.