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The wild ride begins at the fair
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Times photo: Brenda Steurer It was standing room only in the grandstands Wednesday night as fair goers attended the Three Hills Rodeo at the Green County Fair in Monroe. Order photo
MONROE - Two local men missed their chance to get a cut of the tie-down roping prize money at the Three Hills Rodeo Wednesday night at the Green County Fair.

The money could have increased their standing in the Great Lakes ProRodeo Circuit.

Even so, Casey Hume, 32, Brodhead, said he enjoyed being back home for the event.

"It's nice. I know a lot of people here (tonight). People you work with come over. It's really nice," he said.

A member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), Hume is ranked eighth in the circuit. His brother Jess, 35, Orfordville, is ranked fourth.

Last night, things didn't go well for the brothers in the tie-down event. Only one of the five cowboys completed the task, and took the entire unknown dollar prize in the event.

"My calf got up," a result of not being tied tight enough, Casey said.

"I got one step ahead of myself," Jess said. "I tried to get off my horse before I had him (the calf) roped."

And yet, they never stopped smiling.

Next Friday the circuit takes them to Grayslake, Ill. The following weekend they go to Carson, Iowa, on Friday and Albert Lea, Minn. on Saturday.

The Humes don't stick to only the Great Lakes circuit rodeos. They just got back from circuits in the Dakotas and Nebraska.

The top 12 riders, based on their winnings, will go on to the Great Lakes Circuit Finals Nov. 13-15 in Louisville, Ky. A top rider may win as much as $20,000 with the 12th-place rider receiving about $6,000, Casey said.

The Humes participate in about 50 rodeos a year, loading up horses, equipment and kids on Thursdays and coming home on Sundays. Casey has a son, Tyler, 13, and Jess has a daughter Jenna, 3, and son C.J., 18 months. The ladies in their lives, Lyn and Amy, don't always get to go along; the guys use vacation days from Kuhn North America in Brodhead to stay on the circuit.

With the same people on the circuit most every weekend helping each other with the children and the work, Jess said it begins to feel like family.

And on Mondays?

"We go to work, and start it all over again," Jess said.