Faces, Places & Voices Of Poudre Valley REA – Morgan Crouse Larimer County Fair & PRCA Rodeo Queen 2022

Each year your cooperative supports the Larimer County Fair and PRCA Rodeo Queen by donating to the Larimer County Queen’s Scholarship Program. This year, we’re pleased to introduce PVREA member and this year’s royalty, Morgan Crouse of Fort Collins, Colo.

We met Morgan in Loveland where she boards her horse, Pepper — a “super fun quarter horse” that specializes in reining and cow work.

Before the summer sun turned the morning into a sweltering afternoon, Morgan talked about her life, her responsibilities, and how she’s valued her time as Queen.

Morgan was 6 years old when she started 4-H as a Cloverbud, participating in horseless horse projects focused on participation, education, and teamwork in lieu of competition. At 8 she entered the 4-H program and stayed in all 11 years.

Morgan said the Desperados 4-H Club taught her pretty much everything she’d need to know to one day be Queen. They covered the basics, how to keep records, how to keep calm in stressful situations, and how to have patience.

She was successfully crowned the Desperado Club Queen 4 years ago, but even before then Morgan knew one day she wanted to become the Larimer County Fair and Rodeo Queen. Morgan recalled when the Larimer County Fair and Rodeo Queen and the Lady-in-Waiting attended her 8th birthday party, making quite the impression.

“On that day they gave me a sash, I had a crown, I sure felt like a rodeo queen. From that day I knew that I was going to be wearing this beautiful crown. And here I am.”

To achieve what she wanted Morgan had to get creative. “We grew up in a neighborhood and we didn’t think it was possible,” she said. “How are we going to have livestock in a little backyard?” she asked.

Through 4-H, Morgan found out that you can lease and board your horses at other facilities, allowing her to follow her passions and eventually led her to find Pepper. “You can grow up in a neighborhood and still ride horses and own livestock. Anything is possible.”

Western Heritage

Morgan shared what the sport of rodeo and the life it represents means to her, and how she gets to share that passion with the community who supports her.

“Knowing that this younger generation coming up isn’t getting to grow up like how I grew up in learning all these life skills makes me sad,” Morgan commented after a youth event she attended. “I want to help promote that and spread the word about 4-H, FFA, and the sport of rodeo in general.”

Laughing, Morgan answered a question she says she gets all the time. “As a rodeo queen I always get asked what’s my favorite rodeo event, and I’d have to say it’s the saddle bronc riders.” As the first actual event of rodeo, Morgan said it reminds her of what our past Western heritage was like and how that history is still alive today.

Community Support

“Our community definitely keeps this program running. We appreciate the many ways they find to support me, and in turn I support them.”

She’s attended numerous events, including our Fall Fest last year and plans to visit with us at our booth at the Larimer County Fair this August. She attends BBQs, parades, rodeos, and other community events to meet with members of the community and share her passion for rodeo and our Western heritage.

“I do a lot of community service throughout my program,” she said. “It makes me feel so good knowing that there are still people in our community that want to help each other. It’s not all about social media or being on our phones 24-7 or shopping and all that fun stuff. There are still people out here that are helping others.”

We’re proud to support Morgan by telling her story and donating to her scholarship fund. You can also help support her by attending her events and donating to the Larimer County Queen’s Scholarship Program.

Events

• Thursday, July 14 & 21, 2022: Roping & Coloring with the Queen – Windsor Summer Concert Series
• Saturday, July 30, 2022: Kickoff for the Larimer County Fair and PRCA Rodeo Parade
• Friday, August 5, 2022: Western Skies Queen’s BBQ
• Friday, August 5–9, 2022: Larimer County Fair
• Sunday, August 7–9, 2022: PRCA Rodeo