Wild Bunch
Cowboy Quote of the day
I've met a lot o' them city boys that ain't worth a fart in a fan factory.
The start of it all...
In October, 1982 four buddies, Dave Jones, Charlie Coleman, Larry Browning (Buck Bonner), and Mike Fonderhide, from the Indianapolis area learned about a trail ride in Missouri near the Big Piney river, in the Mark Twain National Forest, the 4-J Horse Camp. They decided to go and the Wild Bunch was born. Each year more friends started gathering to make the trip and at peak, in the late 80's and early 90's our group grew to around 30 to 35 guys. Our numbers have dwindled since those peak years, but we hope to have a presence for many years to come, as we now have a more formal purpose as you'll read below.
One of our "Bunch" Tony Cannon, is an extremely talented Christian songwriter and put this together for us. It pretty much described the origin of our group. Check it out.
Wild Bunch, Spring ride 2024
The Wild Bunch made our annual trek out to the Flying E Ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona, May 1st to the 5th. It's always a lot of lie-tellin', beer drinkin', euchre playin', Derby bettin, desert ridin'...you get the point. This has been our yearly tradition since 2011 and ALWAYS builds more amazing memories.
Another Wild Bunch trip to the Ozarks in the books. Phil and I joined all our great friends at the Big Piney from October 1st to the 10th for that week and a half of unmatched friendship, a "few" cocktails, music, and campfires. The new Wild Bunch song (above) was quite the hit to go along with "Roundup" and the "William Tell Overture" every morning. Special thanks to the Browns for picking up a TV and Starlink so we could watch our Colts beat up on the Cammanders Sunday morning in London. I owe a special thank you to Wild Bill and Cletus for their help keepin' my camper ready for the road to get it home and keep me out of the doghouse. AND once again, those big hearts at the auction came through to help send those kids in Arizona to Cowboy Camp next summer at the Flying E Ranch in Wickenburg. Granny B (Laughlin) even sent down some of her culinary creations for the auction. Ya know when a bunch of her cinnamon rolls and a pot of her "Special Surprise" brings a total of $340 that we all eat very well while there. It seems that that Piney crowd can almost see the eyes on those precious little ones when they have the chance to BE a "Cowboy/girl", because our supporters have made it possible to send over $140,000 out there over the last 10 years with the check I mailed out this past Monday! "Thank you" will never cover how we feel about ALL of you.
The HopeKids table was loaded up for auction day again on Thursday, the 8th.
On June 13, 2024, the Wild Bunch experienced the sudden loss of a precious friend, Opal Brown. One of the hardest working people I've ever met and an amazing and beautiful Lady, inside and out. Please hold Jimmy Brown and their large loving family in your prayers and join us in cherishing the memories of this amazing person. Opal left huge holes in the hearts of most anyone who were blessed to know her.
Rest easy, Pretty Lady
The Duke, doin' a little airport "ponderin'" in 2018 on our way to Billings, Montana, then on to David and Susan Brooks' Clear Creek Ranch in Wyoming.
Tuesday, May 7th, 2024, the Wild Bunch and the WORLD lost a beloved brother. Jef Farmer lost his long and courageous battle with cancer this afternoon. I never met a person who did not sincerely admire this man. He will be missed by so many whose lives he impacted in too many ways to try to describe here.
Rest easy "Duke", our cherished friend, you have done it all with the grace and dignity of no other that I have known. Rest easy our friend, your pain has ended
What we're all about today:
(Today, we have a purpose, beyond the friendships and bonds established over the years)
On our first Spring ride in Arizona in 2011, we learned that our hosts, Western Destinations, hosts a Cowboy Camp every summer for foster kids and seriously sick youngsters around the Phoenix area. As in most large metro areas, thousands of kids are in situations where they wind up in foster programs, too many of them are seemingly forgotten and experience lives that most of can only imagine. Western Destinations and now the Flying E Ranch in Wickenburg has found a way to give hundreds of those kids an opportunity to experience a taste of the Cowboy life. Now partnering with a new charity, "Hope Kids", they offer that same opportunity to hundreds of kids and their families facing some serious, often life threatening medical conditions. Hope Kids helps such families meet and network offering the chance to support each other in unimaginable challenges in their lives. The Wild Bunch also learned that if anyone chooses to make a donation to the local charities sending those kids to the Cowboy Camp, Western Destinations would pretty much match the donation to absorb the expenses for the efforts. Hundreds of kids now go to Cowboy Camp every summer and many of them wind up coming back after "aging out" of the foster programs or overcoming the serious medical conditions to volunteer their time at the camp and counsel with the kids experiencing what they once did. Some of us "Bunchers" started sending out a little cash to help.
Well, when all our friends at the Big Piney learned about our support of those kids out in Arizona, I found out what big hearts our "horse folks" have. Mention foster kids (or some of those young'uns facing serious medical conditions) and also say "horses", those riders will jump in knee deep with us. On auction day (Thursday) each year at the Big Piney, they started (with Bruce Douglas, in 2015) bringing us things to donate for the Cowboy Camp. since then, as of October 2024, we have been able to send over $132,000 out there to get more kids though that Cowboy Camp at the Flying E Ranch in Wickenburg every summer! So many heartfelt thank you's to 4-J, the Laughlin family, and all of those folks at the trail ride. I had the chance to visit the Camp for a few days in 2019 and I guarantee you that some young lives are getting permanently impacted by all of you supporters. There are even some "alumni" from past Cowboy Camps that return to volunteer their time to help out. With all of our support, we intend to continue this for many years to come.
Wild Bunch, the early days
, "Garden of the Gods"
Behind the Lodge at Robson Mining World, Aguila Arizona, (May, 2011)
With Mark Chesnutt, after his show in Williams, Arizona May, 2012
Wild Bunch, TODAY!
Wild Horse West, a regular stop between the airport and the Flying E Ranch
