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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Tons of fun on the hoof
coming up for saleA stampede of interest is expected for a big annual event at Parker Ranch.
It may not create the camp-out lines seen at Aloha Stadium for American Idol auditions or outside a Waikiki condominium cheap-sale event, but passionate Paniolos will be there in droves.
The ranch's eighth annual auction will offer up Angus and Charolais bulls, cows and heifers as well as workhorses, unridden 2-year-olds, broodmares and foals.
ALBERTA CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION
Charolais bulls are among those animals that will be auctioned off at Parker Ranch in November.
The event is free, open to the public, and unlikely to be marred by stinging comments from the likes of "Idol" judge Simon Cowell, bovine pun intended.
An Internet search showed the centuries-old tradition of livestock auctions has gone high-tech, with several auctions now available online.
Parker Ranch has a Web site at www.ParkerRanch.com, but there will be no online auctioning on the site for now.
Folks will drive up to the Parker Ranch rodeo arena, listen to the auctioneer and raise their hands to bid, said Diane Quitiquit, vice president of marketing and development.
Hundreds of people attend each year and most are seriously looking at purchasing livestock, but visitors are often in the audience as the ranch advertises the community event.
The event "draws a lot of ranchers, of course, and many other people who maybe want a horse, because the ranch has such a reputation for its breeding program. These are really top-of-the-line animals," said publicist Vicky Kometani.
Yeah but what's a Charolais?
"They're white," a heavier, stockier sort of cow, Kometani explained. Examples can be found on several Web sites, including www.albertacharolais.com, home page of the Alberta Charolais Association and the origin of the bovine beauty seen here (the one with white hair).
A list of animals for sale at the ranch will be available by mid-October by calling 808-885-7311. Winning bidders must be ready to pay in full the day of the event, Quitiquit said.
A preview of the livestock will start at 10 a.m. Nov. 22, followed by a $6-per-plate lunch of, gulp, teri-beef or hamburger. "Frankly we don't get a many requests for vegetarian meals at a livestock auction," Quitiquit said.
Proceeds will fund scholarships for the children of Parker Ranch employees. Organizers say the meaty lunch will provide energy necessary for the live livestock auction that begins at 1 p.m.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com
