Ralston festival will culminate with Sunday auctionNormally relegated to gag roles in parades and rodeos throughout the nation, the mule will get its day in the sun this week as Jake Clark's Mule Days celebration runs Wednesday through Sunday in Ralston. “Jake feels in different places mules are as good as any horse,” noted Kay, his wife. “He thought they needed some recognition of their own for their abilities and skills, so we started with a rodeo. The next year, we added an auction after someone suggested it.”

And from those humble beginnings, a five-day festival has now evolved.

Team penning and team sorting competitions on mule-back will take place Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Mounted shooting competitions will take place both afternoons.

Friday will feature mules scheduled to be sold in Sunday's auction being put through the paces on a trail course.

The event gives prospective buyers, as well as the genuinely curious, an opportunity to watch the mules perform a series of potential tasks that may be encountered — meandering through logs, crossing a bridge, crossing water and leading a pack animal.

A futurity for 4-year-old auction mules will be held on Friday afternoon, starting at 4 p.m.

A merchandise and tack auction will be held on Friday night with donations going to scholarship funds for the Cody Country Outfitters and Guides Association and selected Mule Days foundations, which include Wyoming 4-H and FFA foundations, Northwest Rodeo, cancer awareness chapters and the Cody chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundations. Over the past three years, more than $51,000 has been raised through the auction for these entities.

Saturday features the Mule Days parade. Lineup begins at 10 a.m. — yes, horses are allowed for the parade, provided they're willing to take a back seat to the event's namesake animal — with the actual parade starting at 11 a.m. Mule Days rodeo action starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday with dinner at 5 p.m. and a barn dance beginning at 7 p.m.

Admission to the rodeo and barn dance is $10. Those age 12 and under, or 80 and over, are free.

Those attending the rodeo will witness classic rodeo events such as the barrel race, pole bending, goat tying, team roping and ribbon roping. Also featured will be wild cow riding, wild mule saddle bronc, junior steer riding, wild cow milking, team branding and a turf race.

Entries in the rodeo will be accepted through Thursday by calling 754-4320.

The grand finale will come on Sunday, with the Select Saddle Mule Auction. The preview begins at 8 a.m. at the arena with the auction beginning at 1 p.m. Consignors from 13 states have signed on for this year's auction while bidding interest has literally come from every corner of the country.

“I've had requests for booklets from potential bidders in Maine, Florida and Hawaii,” notes Clark.

A total of 108 mules are scheduled to be auctioned off. Last year's top seller, Rocky, went for $15,500.

“There's a great demand for well trained, gentle saddle mules,” notes Clark. “Consignors here bring the best quality mules they have to sell and buyers know they have the quality and disposition they're looking for.”

A full schedule, as well as additional information, for Jake Clark's Mule Days can be found online at www.saddlemule.com.