Oddly enough, this type of animal has popped up into my memory banks at least twice in the past couple of weeks.  Recently, Greg Boyer sent me a text-LATE-one night, wanting me to re-tell the story.  Then, last week I was judging the FFA creed speaking contest finals.  I asked all four kids–“What does SAE stand for?  and What is your SAE project?”   This one girl got emphatic about talking about her SAE project.  Her excitement combined with all 3 judges being caught off guard led to a new line of questioning about pigeons.  By the way, she did well at answering questions EXCEPT she didn’t know what you call pigeon meat.  She raised racing pigeons and we asked what happens to the slow ones.  I hoped that she would tell me that they got turned into “squab”.  Anyways……

     Back in ’93 to ’96, I served a three year sentence teaching at Billings, OK.  There was only a handful of jobs open that year and there was a bunch of graduates hunting jobs.  Billings it was.  Lucky to get a job. As it turned out, it was a great place for me to get thrown into the fire.  (I could write a book about those three years).  There was/is some really great families in the greater Billings area.  Lots of characters.  

     Probably everybody’s favorite Billings character was Sydney Yost.  Big personality that loved OSU, loved farming, loved his daughters, loved showing cattle and loved competition.  He succumbed to cancer in the late 90s.  I still think about him often and fondly.  His daughters are fun to keep up with on book-face.  Great family! 

     Billings is located in Noble County.  The ag teachers of Noble County got along real well.  We formed the Noble County Ag Teachers Association.  We all worked together and cooperated.  Milligan and Mike Parrish became members at a later date.  For instance, when it came to showing heifers, Randy Henderson at Morrison and I did almost all of the clipping and fitting.  Jon Aaron Linn–dad from Frontier–Taylor Parrish’s grandpa–took care of the building beds and he served as the barn boss.  Steve Houska–dad from Perry–took care of show management–who was up next, showmanship, etc.  It worked well.  We had lots of success as a county team.  And we would travel and eat together.  As a county group, we won and lost together.  Lots of success, like several breed champion heifers at OKC.  

     Kurt Bolay was the ag teacher at Perry.  Very good ag teacher, great work ethic and determined to help his students.  Good dude.  Cattle weren’t his thing but if I was fitting cattle, he made sure to help the Billings kids that were showing sheep or whatever.  On a side note, all four schools in the county had a public speaker in the top 5 of their division at State.  We all wanted to win, but we used each other to help.  It worked and I miss a lot about those days.  

     Mr. Bolay’s kids always showed some bad-ass pigeons.  His father-in-law was a pigeon jock.  These pigeons were good.  The Noble County Fair had lots of pens of pigeons.  Lots of poultry as well.  Anyways, Mr. Bolay, myself and Sydney Yost were yakking back and forth.  Sydney was talking smack about showing a “real” animal, like a steer.  At that point, Bolay and Sydney really got to jawing back and forth.  Bolay allowed how “his daughters just might have a steer to whip some ass next year.”  Sydney took it personal.  Better be careful. 

     The next spring the two of them were still talking.  Sydney’s daughter Ramee had a really good Tulsa steer that we had bought at Copus bid board sale.  (that is another story)  Bolay alluded that he might have a Tulsa steer as well.  Sydney was like “bring it.  We’ll whip your ass at the county fair”.  I was like “Dude, we ain’t taking that steer to the Noble County Fair!  Hell no!  (and we didn’t) 

     And then I threw gas on the fire.  I nominated a steer in the name of one of Kurt Bolay’s daughters.  I waited till after wheat harvest and I showed Sydney the nomination report.  OHHHH!!!! He was livid.  “WE is getting us some pigeons!”  Now, Sydney wasn’t much of a drinker.  However, he was easily influenced by the younger cool crowd.  One Saturday, Jay Paul Fagan and I might have goaded Sydney into getting REAL serious about this pigeon deal.  Sydney was committed but he didn’t know where to look for pigeons.  This was 1995–pre-internet.  I told him that there was a sale south of Stillwater that sold everything.  Mihura Country Store had an auction on Saturdays.  I think that they still have an auction.  Broken golf clubs, 8 track cassettes, Beagle puppies, dozen chicken eggs, hay and pigeons.  Here we go.  We make the 50 mile drive to go to the auction.  

     As luck would have it, there was a shit-load of pigeons being auctioned that day.  We got a bidder number and went to buying and buying and buying.  We bought trios for $2.50 like they were going out of style.  Ten+ sets of trios.  At that time, we weren’t drinking.  And then…..oh….and then they brought out the special consignment.  They unloaded a trio of pigeons out of the back of a station wagon.  The auctioneer could hardly contain his excitement as he read off that these birds had been the grand trio at the Texhoma Fair, the Arkansas/Oklahoma State Fair and every other show that they had been to.  I normally consider myself a good judge of stock, but to be honest, they looked the same as the rest of the pigeons to me. 

     The auctioneer went to chanting and we blew right by that $2.50 price, $5, $10.  There was a buzz in the crowd–much like a $20K wether goat being sold.  The bidding escalated.  Sydney had his free meshback seed company farmer’s cap cocked up and to one side.  Both arms were exposed from the shoulders down as his guns were not inhibited by sleeves on his pearl snap farming shirt complete with a pen and a notepad in his shirt pocket.  $15, $20–people we weren’t even bidding in nickle increments anymore.  $22.50 now $23.   It was now just a bid off between two bidders.  One caved….going once, twice…sold!  $27.50.   Yeah that’s it.  But, I am here to tell you that the crowd was buzzing.  There were dudes in overalls looking at us like we were crazy.  Was it a record?  IDK.  I just knew that we now had a whole bunch of birds to haul and we didn’t bring a trailer.  So then we bought the actual cage that held the trio of badass pigeons.  We had to.  None of us could tell those 3 birds from the other 30+ birds that we had already bought.  

     We headed back to Billings, hooked onto a stock trailer and went back to pickup our pigeon purchases.  100 mile round trip.  We also stopped at Atwoods to buy chicken wire in order to line the trailer AND close in a lean-to barn to serve as a pigeon coop.  Well, except for the HIGH dollar trio.  They got their own pen.  Ramee took over the upkeep of a bunch of pigeons.     

     Fast forward.  Ramee did have the grand trio of pigeons at the Noble County Fair.  I guess those birds were exceptional.  Bolay was SO pissed that we all went together to eat lunch that day at the Noble County Fair.  Sydney and Bolay argued as to who would buy.  Sydney exclaimed “Haa!! Winners buy!”  There is so much about those days that I miss.  Pigeons–you gotta be shittin me?!?!?

Ramee also went on to place 2nd in the State FFA Specialty Animal proficiency award with her pigeon project.  None of the Bolay girls ever had nor did they ever show a steer.  Oddly enough, Kela was a national Specialty Animal proficiency finalist with GOATS!!  Seriously, goats were a specialty animal.  

People, have a good one.  Find the fun in everything.  It’s all around us….if you look for it.  Have a good one and a better tomorrow.