2017 Rose Parade-Spirit of the West Riders

The 2017 Tornament of Roses Parade was held this year on January 2nd and it was a beautiful day for a parade!  Christy rode again this year making it her 12th ride down Colorado Boulevard with the Spirit of the West Riders.  The group is famous for bringing the old west alive with authentic and reproduction wardrobe, saddles and tack.  Here is a photo tour of the amazing experience.

 

The crowds eagerly anticipate the parade on Colorado Boulevard.

The pre-parade staging area also known as the “pit”.

 

A flyover by the steath bomber officially begins the parade.

And finally the Spirit of the West Riders.

 

 

The relaxing walk after the 5+ mile parade to the post parade area.

 

Laurie in her self-made costume.

Christy and Jake.

Emily brushing out Jake.

See you next year!

Round Up at LA Live

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For the second year, Lewis Events was asked to bring entertainment to LA Live for “Round Up at LA Live”.  This year we brought in trick roping and a western style magician.  Always tons of people, a myriad of activities, bright downtown lights, fantastic food and endless energy.  An honor to be part of this spectacular event!

Here’s the press release from LA Live:

LOS ANGELES (August 3, 2016) L.A. LIVE and Go Country will team up for the second year to host ‘Round Up,’ the ultimate country-themed block party, at L.A. LIVE on Friday, August 26 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Free and open to the public, L.A. LIVE will bring the country to the city of Los Angeles for the perfect summer night out. Activities will include mechanical bull rides, live musical performances, line dancing, country-themed shopping vendors, street performers, rodeo ropers, games, live muralists and more.

Country music performances at the Round Up Getdown Stage will feature Redneck Rodeo, Honey Country, Daniel Bonte, Stephen Wesley in addition to line dancing instruction by Kristal Lynn Konzen and performances by the LA Wranglers, Rodeo Crew and award-winning trick roper, Cowgirl Christy Lewis. DJ Greggory Place with Gone Country Promotions will spin country hits all night long. Vendors to include Shay Candles, Soap Seas, Hollywood & Twine, Goat and Kettle, Succulent Heaven and more, in addition to western-themed street art created live on site by muralists, James Wilde XO, PhobikGod and MDMN.

Spinning at Morongo

 

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This summer trick roper Christy took center stage at the Morongo Side Show and joined a group of unique and talented entertainers for a thrilling command performance.  She appeared multiple times with a variety of acts including a knife thrower, fire eater, magician, stilt walker, and jugglers.  Another unique and interesting experience to add to the books.christy-morongo-stage-8-12-16Trick roper

Entertainment (almost) Anywhere

Meadow speaker rsWe have performed in a variety of unique venues and locations . . . . boats, casinos, gazebos suspended 40′ high, television,  concerts, stunt scenes, parades, movie studios, celebrity homes, conventions, haunted attractions, cargo containers,  commercials, amusement parks and the list goes on.  Add another to the list. . .   Recently we had the opportunity to perform in a stunningly beautiful location in the southern end of the High Sierras for a re-enactment group.

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The greenest stage and dance floor we’ve ever seen, and no power outlets among the trees.  So we brought in a generator, sound and some basic lighting.  No need for a backdrop!  We began with a variety of western games and activities that included trickroping, virtual calf roping, rope making, cow milking, and butter churning. High Sierra Stage
Then we fired up the generator and the show and dancing began.
Trickroper Christy and Melinda

Christy  and Melinda started with a western style trickroping showcase.  Jay got into the act with the bullwhip.  group dance rsAs the evening progressed the crowd got to their feet with some line and square dancing.  We could have gone all night!High Sierra Line Dancingsunset rs

The lighting turned out much better than we anticipated! . . . thanks to the High Sierra sky.

Downtown LA

Warm Summer Night + Superb Talent + Beautiful Sunset + Tons of People =

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Lewis Events was invited to bring together some unique talent to add to this exciting event.  The crowds were immense and enthusiastic.  The food delectable.  The entertainment . . . mesmerizing.  The activities engaging.

Trick roping is something not often seen in the heart of LA!LA CRope rs

Not too many banjos either.LA Banjos rsChristy Downtown LA 7-15LA Crowd rs

Christy Live at LA Live

Trickroper.org, Trick roper Christy, Lewis Events, LA LiveTrick roper Christy Lewis will be performing Friday July 24th at LA Live in downtown LA. Christy will be one of the featured performers, spinning her trick rope and cracking the bullwhip in the heart of downtown. The event known as Roundup LA is part of the weekend series of events taking place at LA Live. Visit this link for more information on this unique event.

http://www.lalive.com/events-calendar/summer-in-the-city

We’ll see you there!

CMA Music Festival in Nashville

Lewis Events NashvilleThey must have liked our performances at the Stagecoach festival well enough to keep our number handy.  Not too long after Stagecoach we received a call asking if we were available for the CMA Music Festival in Nashville.  What do you think was our reply?Lewis Events Nashville

Jay flew out solo on Wednesday and played cowboy Thursday and Friday.  On Thursday, Christy managed the Cancer Survivor’s day event at the City of Hope in Duarte.  On Friday, she coordinated a wedding at the Victorian mansion in Santa Monica.  We were busy on both sides of the continent.

Immediately following the Santa Monica wedding, Christy drove down the street to LAX and boarded a plane for an all night flight to Nashville.  The next two days we both performed our cowboy and cowgirl roles together.  Dressed in our western gear (long sleeves, chaps, bandannas, hats and jeans), the most common question asked was “Aren’t y’all a bit warm?”, as it was about 95 degrees with the humidity at about 90%.  We once again brought the west to life with trickroping, virtual calf roping, bullwhip stunts, line dancing, having fun and taking photos with the enthusiastic festival guests.Lewis Events NashvilleLewis Events CMA Music Festival Nashville

Our performing took place later in the day and into the evening, so we had the opportunity to walk around the city and experience Nashville and all the festival had to offer during the first half of the day.Lewis Events CMA Music Festival NashvilleNashville is an amazing city with boundless energy, a charming southern atmosphere, top quality–live–non-stop music, a fascinating history, friendly people and amazing delicacies to savor, both during the festival, as well as following the festival when the city retuned to it’s normal routine.Lewis Events Nashville The CMA Music Festival took over the downtown heart of Nashville with close to 20 stages, all featuring a variety of top-billed country music stars.  Lewis Events CMA Music Festival NashvilleDowntown also features an endless choice of restaurants and bars all with live music spilling out onto the street through open doors and windows.  I have never heard so much great live music in one place in my entire life.Lewis Events CMA Music Festival Nashville

Following the festival, we took adavantage of our location and took a detour through Smokey Mountain National Park, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Knoxville.  It doesn’t get much more lush and green outside of the Amazon than here in the beautiful south.  Can’t wait for our next adventure!  Glad you could join us.CMA Music Festival Nashville

Smokey Mountains, Lewis Events CMA Music Festival NashvilleSmokey Mountains, Lewis Events CMA Music Festival NashvilleSmakey Mountains, Lewis Events CMA Music Festival Nashville

P.S.  One of the wildest things that I have ever seen . . . and I’ve only seen it in Nashville . . . . is a “Pedal Tavern”.  Passengers drink and provide pedal power at the same time!

Nashville H rs

 

Work & Fun at Stagecoach

Work is done for the day, so its time for George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, ZZ Top, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Merle Haggard, our old friends the Doo Wah Riders and a bunch of other spectacular acts. Amazing that so much talent can be brought together in one place.TrickRoper.org, Lewis EventsSo, a few months ago we were on the road, when a call came in asking if we would be interested in performing three days for a vendor showcase at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio. “Sure, we might be able to work it into our schedule” came the reply.TrickRoper.org, LewisEvents.com, Horseshoe Horse

Once the ink was dry on the contracts, our adventure began.  It was only a “short” mile + walk from the car to the performance site.  Our journey took us through the “RV Resort”, which was an adventure all its own.  Hundreds of campers in orderly rows, all had their own little party yards.  Party yards that included wet bars, DJ systems, kiddie pools, christmas lights, hay bales and all manner of recreational diversions.  Two security checkpoints were loads of fun before we finally arrived at the performance site. Security always loves ropes and whips . . . I didn’t even try to get my guns through. With introductions complete, we settled in for three days of fun. Yes, our work is indeed fun!  Christy had the audience in awe, flawlessly spinning her trick ropes and leading line dance steps with the captivated crowds. Jay turned the city slickers into cowhands, roping the virtual calves and some of the guests with a lasso. Some of the real cowbys and cowgirls didn’t need any help handling the rope, and roped the calf like they had just returned from a long dusty cattle drive.Trickroper.org, LewisEvents.com, Trick Roper Christy LewisTrickroper.org, Lewis Events, Jay RopingTrickroper.org, Lewis Events, Trick Roper Christy LewisTrickroper.org, Lewis Events, Jay Line Dance at Stagecoach

Trickroper.org, Lewis Events, Whatever Sign StagecoachFor those of you who have never been to Stagecoach, it is for lack of a better term, unreal.  Each day there were about 75,000 people wandering between stages in full  party/have-fun mode.  Four main stages feature a variety of headliner acts from 1pm until midnight with a few smaller stages thrown into the mix.  Speaker stacks and choreographed lighting that would rival any concert stage.  And people as far as the eyes could see.Trickroper.org, Lewis Events, Stagecoach stage

So this is where this story began  and ends . . . after a long day of spinning ropes, cracking the bullwhip and having fun with guests, it was time to relax, listening to some of the best musical talent on the planet.Trickroper.org, Lewis Events, Stagecoach StageTrickroper.org, Lewis Events, Stagecoach main stage

Trick Roper Christy Gets Soaked in Hollywood

Recently, Christy received a call to perform for a very a unique event.  She was invited to be a featured performer with the Lasky Productions entry in the Hollywood Christmas Parade.  Lasky Productions is participating in the 2014 parade, because this year marks the centennial celebration of the first feature length silent film, produced in Hollywood.  It was produced by Jessie L. Lasky, founder of Paramount Pictures.

Christy was one of three featured performers invited to be part of the group.  She was accompanied by Anthony De Longis, the entertainment industry’s premier whip coach.  His credits include training Harrison Ford for his Indiana Jones role, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, talent for the “Legnd of Zorro” and Kate Beckinsale in “Underworld”.  Will Roberts, “America’s favorite cowboy humorist”, trick roper and gun spinner was the third performer.  Christy commented that it was flattering and lots of fun to be trick roping with these two talented entertainers.

Trickroper.org, Cowgirl Christy, Hollywood Christmas Parade We arrived in Hollywood early in the afternoon, so that Christy could rehearse and get ready for the parade.  Hollywood Boulevard was an amazing sight, furnished with all the holiday decorations, staging and production equipment for the parade.  Hollywood Christmas Parade StageA huge red carpet covered the entire width of the street for almost an entire block.  The scene was all the more interesting with the arrival of the season’s first winter storm.  The fact that a parade was staging, did not stop the intermittent cloudbursts of rain that started early in the afternoon and continued throughout that parade.  Rehearsals  and the parade proceeded, despite the rain (desperately needed in California!).   Trick Roper Christy in the Hollywood Christmas ParadeTrick Roper Christy in the Hollywood Christmas ParadeLewis Events, Trickroper.org, Christy Lewis

And the rain came down, and down, and down!

Trickroper.org, Christy Lewis in the Hollywood Christmas Parade, RainTrickroper.org, Lewisevents.com, Trickroper Christy Lewis at the Hollywood Christmas Parade

As Christy’s group waited  for their turn to move onto the red carpet, the clouds opened to a torrential downpour. She said that all she could do was laugh as her hat and boots filled with water and her red satin shirt soaked with water.  She added, “hopefully a once in a lifetime experience, but memorable none-the-less.”

Trickroper.org, Lewis Events, Hollywood Christmas Parade elf

Trickroper.org, Lewis Events, Trickroper Christy Lewis

Hollywood Christmas Parade Star