Birds in the Spotlight … Chautauqua Grand Marshals Announced for 2015

Parade Marshals

The Daviess County Arts Council is pleased to announce that J.R. and Betty Bird have been chosen as the grand marshals of the 2015 Chautauqua parade. This year’s Chautauqua is set for Sept. 17-20 on the Gallatin square with the parade at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Jesse Robert (J.R.) Bird, son of Macon and Florence Bird, and Betty Jo Bird, daughter of Rex and Ruby Shunkwiler, with their 19-month old daughter, Sharon Kay, moved to Gallatin from Mound City in March 1951.

The couple celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary on Jan. 16, 2015. They were married on that date in 1949.

They have five children, Sharon (Kenneth) Lockridge, Patricia (Mike) Ehly, Joe (Louise) Bird, Bob (Sue) Bird and Clint (Marcia) Bird. If you count all of the in-laws and step grandchildren, there are 10 children, 24 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren.

Square Dances

When the Birds moved to Gallatin they had a neighbor, Jim Wright, who was a senior at the high school. Jim found out that J.R. could call square dances and that was the beginning of 64 years as caller at Gallatin’s barn warming.

J.R. learned to call by listening to his father, Macon. J.R. was three weeks old when he went to his first square dance. His mother Mayme played the piano. His father, Macon, called. The fiddler rocked J.R.’s cradle so that he fell asleep to “do si do.”

J.R. and Betty used to go to Maysville every Saturday night to square dance when their kids were small. Their four kids knew how to dance every dance they called.

But J.R. didn’t just dance circles and squares with guys and gals on a plank floor slick with sawdust. J.R. belonged to the Mound City Rider’s Club, which started in 1949, and they performed Down the Center and Divide the Ring — all on horseback. Macon called and J.R. was one of the horseback riders with the club, and J.R.’s father-in-law carried the American flag. This rider club was famous in northwest Missouri. They performed at the Royal, on television, at the state fair, and at many, many horse shows in the area.

Horse Show

When the Bird family moved to Gallatin, they were already active in showing registered Quarter Horses at shows in Missouri such as the American Royal, State Fair and rodeos. They also traveled to state fairs at surrounding states including Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois. J.R. competed in the calf and steer roping and reining classes.

J.R.’s reining mare “Red” was seven times Grand Champion Reining horse in Missouri and five times in Nebraska. He was very rarely beaten in the reining class. Betty also rode “Red” in pleasure classes around the area, including the American Royal.

The children also competed in horse shows. Sharon rode pleasure classes and roped at the Missouri High School Rodeo where she qualified to go to Nationals. Joe also roped and rode “Red” in reining classes. Bob roped and Patricia competed in pleasure classes.

For 12 years continuously, they held a horse show in their pasture which they called the Red Bird Corral. The first was held in September 1955, called the “Red Bird Farms” Horse Show. The last one was held in 1967.  They never charged an admission fee.

This story was taken from the North Missourian, dated Sept. 13, 1956.

There was a large crowd present at the horse show Sunday afternoon held west of Gallatin on the J.R. Bird farm. One hundred and five horses and riders were entered in the different classes.

There were horses from Gallatin, Altamont, Hamilton, St. Joseph, Trenton, Braymer, Coffey, Cosby, Ravenwood, Nettleton, Parnell, Spickard, Maitland, Greenwood, Grandview, Henrietta, Dearborn, Oak, Oregon, Chillicothe, Kidder, Jamesport, Pattonsburg, Filmore, Levasy, Mound City and Elwood, Kan.

The Mound City Riders Club with J.R. Bird of Gallatin as caller, did a square dance and drill on horses. There were 20 members taking part.

Riders from this area participating were Macey Brown, Billy Elbert, Gary Elbert, Lenda Doll, and Howard Hardwick of Altamont. Jimmy Wright of Gallatin acted as ringmaster.

Almost every evening, when not at a horse show, J.R., Betty and their children could be found in their arena, riding, roping and just having fun. Many times people driving by would stop, watch and visit. J.R. and Betty spent many hours of family time with their children.

Typical farm life

When Gallatin started the fall festival, J.R. was asked to help put on a horse show in conjunction with the festival. He and Betty did everything from hiring the judge to taking entries the night of the show. J.R. and Betty put on their last show in September 1967.

J.R. helped start the Gallatin Saddle Club and continued to help with their horse shows.

J.R. has had an entry in the Chautauqua parade almost every year since the first one. Red Bird Farms also had a display at the “Christmas in the Park.”

The Bird farm is located three miles west of Gallatin on Highway 6. In many ways they live a “typical” farm life raising corn, beans, wheat, cattle and hogs and registered quarter horses over the years.

J.R. and Betty have watched their children, grandchildren and now their great-grandchildren compete in all the sports at school.