Chicks n' Chaps goes national
<p>Ellie Goltz with Chicks n' Chaps watches a segment of the Chicks n' Chaps event that happened at the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo that was videotaped and aired Friday at 2pm on the Queen Latifa Show on ABC. Chicks n Chaps is a rodeo clinic that teaches women about the sport of rodeo while raising awareness and money for the North Idaho Fair & Rodeo Foundation and LOCAL breast cancer patients and their families through the Kootenai Health Foundation Cancer Patient Support Program.</p>
<p>The Chicks n' Chaps group presents a check to the Kootenai Health Foundation cancer patient support program Friday at Texas Roadhouse restaurant for over $6,600.</p>
Chicks n' Chaps at the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo is a rollicking group, as anyone at the Texas Roadhouse could see when this year's crop gathered to watch their faces on national television.
ABC's "Queen Latifah Show" aired a segment showcasing clips from this year's event at the Kootenai County Fair and Rodeo - local women learning to rope and line dance in the spirit of fun.
"They did a beautiful job showcasing our fair, the rodeo, our event," said Mary Larson, Chicks n' Chaps at the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo co-chair. About 50-60 local women ended up in the segment, which aired on the 2-3 p.m. show.
The segment met with cheers and excitement from the more than 30 of the 144 women who participated in Chicks n' Chaps this year. Part of the fun on Friday was handing over a check for $6,640 raised through this year's clinic.
Locally, Chicks n' Chaps is a fundraiser for the Kootenai Health Foundation Cancer Patient Support Fund and for the Fair Foundation. But it's more than that, too. It's a rodeo clinic for women, who get a "taste of the rodeo" by learning rodeo basics, such as who does what and how to rope. This year, they learned to line dance and barrel raced - but not on real horses.
"We rode quilted stick horse ponies," said Melanie Goulart with a grin.
Goulart was excited to see who would show up on national TV. She was "harangued" into participating in Chicks n' Chaps this summer, and loved it so much she volunteered to help next year.
"It was a blast. I had so much fun," she said.
The local clinic ended up on the "Queen Latifah Show" after the show contacted Chicks n' Chaps in Missoula, Mont., where the fundraising clinics began. The clinics have now spread throughout the West, including to Kootenai County.
Next year's event is scheduled for Aug. 22, 2014. Any woman older than 21 can register. The fee has not yet been set for next year - but the money raised stays in the local community, according to www.chicksnchaps.org.