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As Luke and Erika Wooten reflected in their Blog about their most recent “arrest” in Fortuna as a Kidnapped Tourist, they had quite a bit to say: “We were kidnapped for the Fortuna Rodeo! I must say though, should you ever find yourself in the position to be kidnapped by Fortuna, the Friendly City, just give up the fight and give in to the friendliest folks around! Since Thursday, our weekend has been a whirlwind of festivities and kindness. We have now accomplished everything on the schedule and are enjoying the few fleeting hours in this lovely city.”
”Our final plans include more pool/spa time and one last visit to the Eel River Brewery for dinner and the most delicious beer I've had in ages: Acai Wheat Berry. 100 percent organic, made right here in Humboldt County. Yum! But first, I shall tell you of the weekend's wonder.”
”On Friday morning, we met our dear hostess, the CEO of the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce, Erin Dunn. She came to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express, to meet and greet us and to explain the details of our kidnapped weekend. She gave us our schedule and explained that this year would be a bit "easier" on us than in years past...apparently, after capturing a few "mature" tourists, they attempted to build more free time and options into the schedule so that we wouldn't feel quite so captured. We said that we were flexible and that we were game for whatever they could dish up! First thing's first: our arrest!”
”At 11:50 a.m. the sirens of the Fortuna Police Department's newest squad car blared and Sheriff Chris loaded us in as a crowd of confused hotel guests looked on. Since we complied willingly, there was no need for handcuffs and Luke got to sit in front with the shotguns! We were delivered to our executioners, the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce at 14th and Main the trial of Woottons vs. Humboldt County began.”
”The charges? Using the wrong mode of transportation in cowboy country, traveling through cowboy country without the proper attire, espionage - being from Korea, solicitation of donation funds for a good cause, traveling without a Visa or Mastercard, and a few more to add to the hilarity which sadly, we've forgotten.”
”Our verdict? Guilty on all counts.
”The sentence? Death by hanging!”
”Thankfully, it wasn't too painful and the post-lynching Mexican food and margarita soothed any discomfort.”
”After lunch with our accusers, we were given a brief tour of the town and shown the rodeo grounds. Wanting to fit in a bit more with the local crowd (and not wanting to be arrested again), Luke and I asked Erin to take us to a Western store so that we could buy some cowboy hats.”
Without hesitation, she knew just where to go: Fortuna Feed and Garden Center, run by the mayor and his wife, Patrick and Kathy. We walked in, tried on a few and found two fine fits. I walked up to the counter to pay but before I could reach for my wallet, Kathy said, 'These are on me.'
'What?! Are you sure?!' “The answer was 'of course' and she thanked us for being such good sports to put up with the town's tradition. Now, I have a been a good sport in the past for far worse situations, and this has been a treat! And, this was only the first of many gifts/kindnesses that were bestowed upon us.”
”Erin dropped us off at the hotel for a little R&R before Family Fun Night began. We were told to be ready to be picked up by the hotel manager's daughter, Nicole, at 7 p.m. Imagine our surprise when instead of a cop car, a limosine arrived as our coach to the rodeo! Friendly and first class Fortuna!”
Nicole introduced us to all the important folks at the rodeo...the coordinators, the director, prominent local families and of course, the fine men and women at the beer stands who insisted that all beer was on them for the evening! I'm telling you the kindness never ends here! Since Nicole was volunteering at one of the stands, we got our drinks and took a seat for the first event of the night: the Animal Scramble.”
The Animal Scramble features the animals of the community scrambling for the children. I mean, animals scrambling FROM the children who are scrambling to catch them. One little boy had to take several rests while carrying his new calf from one end to the other...and the calf didn't seem to mind too much. We giggled our way through the cow dressing event...watching full grown men tackle a cow to dress it in a t-shirt is a surprising skill.”
”The rest of Family Night was dedicated to the quad. For those not well-versed in outdoor sports, a quad is a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle that can be used for racing, work, fun and sometimes transportation. For these events, it was used in place of a horse! We watched quad barrel racing, quad track racing and a warped game called Quadiators.”
”The next day began with the Kiwanis sponsored pancake breakfast at Rohner Park. We met Brian, a friend of Erin's and Pernille her Danish exchange student and enjoyed some of the best pancakes I've ever had...huge, fluffy, divine. Afterwards, we took a walk around Main Street to allow our food to settle...and to allow Luke to pick up another necessary cowboy item: the boot. He's talked for years about getting a pair of real cowboy boots and now, as kidnapped tourists for a rodeo, there was no need to wait longer. Strehl's Family Shoe (and the mayor protemp) settled it. New, REAL cowboy boots for Luke.”
”Before we knew it, it was parade time. In times gone by, the kidnapped tourists were put in a jail on a float and brought through Main Street for public "ridicule.” Sadly (maybe luckily), we were not put through the public ringer...we got VIP seats on the grand stand instead. Not too shabby. The parade featured many local organizations including the high school marching band, a few churches, a classic car club, the Shriner's and the Scotia Band which has been around since the '30s. It was really fun but next time, I hope we're in it!”
”On to the serious stuff...rodeo time! Jeremy, another Friendly Fortunite, collected us from Erin and Brian and lead us over to the rodeo arena for the main events. We watched real cowboys and cowgirls barrel race, calf tie, ride bucking broncos and bulls...wow! It was amazing. Unfortunately, I'm incapable of accurately describing the specifics of rodeo events however, take my word for it, there were great riders and we loved it!”
”We freshened up and Jeremy returned us to cowboy central. We enjoyed a MASSIVE steak dinner with Bob and Mary, a sweet couple also from the Chamber of Commerce. One thing cowboys do well is beef. Good grief! We have had the best beef...no matter the form...since we arrived and I will miss it sorely. Along with the potato salad, cowboy beans, rolls and corn, I'm not sure how we even stood up to leave!”
”The BBQ was our last kidnapped tourist event and it was a great way to end the weekend. Another huge serving of delicious beef, potatoes, beans, rolls, Waldorf salad and ice cream...wow! I'm gonna need the bike to offset all this beefness. But man has it been GOOD! Though we didn't meet any of our new found friends at this event, they had pre-arranged Fortuna t-shirts and free tickets for us.”
”You cannot imagine how thoughtful Erin and her crew has been and how grateful we are! Now, as we begin to pack up and prepare for our last night indoors for a long time, our thankful hearts go out to the friendly, genuine people of Fortuna. They have given us a weekend that we will never forget and certainly, the highlight of our summer cycling trip! Thank you, thank you, thank you Fortuna.”
- Love, Luke and Erika
submitted photos
1. Fortuna Mayor Pat Whitchurch, Erika and Luke Wooton and Cathy Whitchurch at the Cowboy Mixer during Rodeo Week. Erika and Luke are avid bicyclers who passed through Fortuna during Fortuna Rodeo Week.
2. Judge Tom Herman and Police Chief Chris Kitna arrest and sentence Kidnapped Tourists Luke and Erika Wootton to a weekend of fun in Fortuna as guests of the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce.
