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Columbus and Weimar welcome HCSO Junior Mounted Posse, latter hosts inaugural ‘Go Texan Day’
Weimar and Columbus played host to the 73rd annual Harris County Sheriff’s Office Junior Mounted Posse Relay Ride Saturday morning and afternoon, Feb. 15.
Every year for 73 years running, the HCSO Junior Mounted Posse has carried on the tradition of personally inviting residents of towns east and west of Houston, far and wide to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, with it being the 92nd year of the HLSR supporting “the youth” and “our future leaders.”
Riders took the road early in the morning, starting off with their first stop of the day in Columbus at the Colorado County Courthouse Citizen | Abenezer Yonas at 9:30 a.m. The Junior Mounted Posse made their way done to the Weimar City Hall by 11:30 a.m. and ended the day at 3:30 p.m. in Hallettsville at the Lavaca County Courthouse.
Weimar took the special occasion a step further by throwing their 1st inaugural “Go Texan Day” event alongside the spectacle, with the Weimar Chamber of Commerce coordinating with the Weimar Farmers Market and Weimar P.D. to make the day one to remember.
Event goers were dressed in their best western gear, with awards given out to “the most Texan Cowboy and Cowgirl.”
HCSO Junior Mounted Posse riders were stunned by the reception given by Weimar, who welcomed them into town with a band, cheerleaders, the Weimar FFA, rodeo committee members and “too many other groups to count.”
“This was by far the biggest welcome that we could remember and we thank everyone who came out to see us on our ride,” said a Facebook post made by the HCSO Junior Mounted Posse. “We can’t wait to come back through next year. We are so proud to represent the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and want to thank the HLSR Go Texan committees that supported us at each stop and help spread the word of us coming to town and all the dignitaries, officers and citizens that came out to watch us ride and welcomed us to their communities.”
Katherine Mickelis, HCSO Junior Mounted Posse Drill Master, felt that the environment and atmosphere displayed by Weimar felt “different” from all the other stops they had been at and she personally had never seen this type of reception in her 15 years doing the relay ride.
“The environment and atmosphere is so different from all the other stops and the food was great,” said Mickelis. “It’s usually just ‘hi welcome back,’ but here in Weimar today everybody was so excited to see us and I’ve just never felt so welcome to a county, and this is my 15th relay ride. Everybody had a smile on their face and was so happy to see us.”
London Ling, another member of the HCSO Junior Mounted Posse who rode for the first time ever this year, says the reason she joined the group in the first place was because she had always wanted to ride and felt that Saturday was everything “she had dreamed of.”
“I was super excited to join relay rides and this has been everything I’ve dreamed it would be,” said Ling. “My world has doubled ever since I joined. I loved it.”
