Bill Neeley, a former Johnson County resident who taught Spanish at Rio Vista High School, recently published his second book, “Rodeo Clown.”
The book centers on Choc Ridgeway, a young half-blood Choctaw escaping a failed marriage by traveling the rodeo circuit as a rodeo clown in the mid 1970s.
Bill Romer, a retired bullfighter, writes in the forward that the characters exude the public image of cowboys 20 to 30 years ago, when they ran on the wild side of life.
Capturing that bygone age of the rodeo lifestyle before it became too slick and commercialized was his goal in writing the book, Neeley said.
Neeley’s first book, “The Last Comanche Chief: The Life and Times of Quanah Parker,” has sold more than 24,000 copies to date.
Neeley said he wrote most of “Rodeo Clown” years ago.
He decided to finish and publish the book based on positive feedback he received from students who read the manuscript at RVHS and Andrews High School in Andrews, where he used to teach English.
Living in Lawton, Okla., Neeley said he is working on a screenplay for “Rodeo Clown,” a project he hopes to film, in part at least, in Cleburne and the Johnson County area.
Neeley said he hopes to film the Quanah Parker book, some of which he hopes to film in the area.
“Rodeo Clown” is available at www.amazon.com and can be ordered through local bookstores, Neeley said.
For information on the book and the planned movie, visit www.rodeoclowninc.com or e-mail Neeley at billn@lcisp.com.
Cleburne
Rodeo book published by former JC resident
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First team offense, defense features host of area standouts
The 2011 Lone Star Chrysler Dodge Jeep Autoplex All-Johnson-County football team has been announced. The team was chosen by the Times-Review sports department based on all-district selections and coaches’ nominations.
The first-team offense included Alvarado quarterback Kenny West and Burleson quarterback Barrett Cain. -
Cleburne, Grandview, Burleson lead second team offense, defense
The 2011 Lone Star Chrysler Dodge Jeep Autoplex All-Johnson-County football team has been announced. The team was chosen by the Times-Review sports department based on all-district selections and coaches’ nominations.
The second-team offense was led by Cleburne’s Quade Coward and Godley’s Rhett Brawner as the second-team quarterbacks. -
Cleburne pulls away from Burleson, 62-48
The Cleburne Yellow Jackets beat Burleson, 62-48, on Friday night at Yellow Jacket Gym to move to 2-7 in District 7-A play. Burleson fell to 2-7 in league play with the loss.
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Lady Jackets pick up first District 7-4A win
On Friday night at Yellow Jacket Stadium, Cleburne picked up its first win of the District 7-4A season, 66-60, over Burleson, which fell to 3-8.
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Up-and-down Yellow Jackets split Friday’s matches at Little Elm Tourney
Both Cleburne soccer teams had mixed results on Friday in their respective tournaments.
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Tuesday marks property tax payment deadline
Johnson County Tax Assessor Scott Porter said that Tuesday is the deadline to pay 2011 property taxes without penalties or interest.
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Lady Jackets setting the bar high in powerlifting
Last week at the Venus powerlifting meet, the Cleburne Lady Jackets sent several lifters to the competition.
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Cleburne ready for district swim meet
Both Cleburne swim teams are headed to the Mansfield ISD Natatorium on Saturday for the District 15-4A swim meet.
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Number of sex offenders increases
Now might be a good time to talk with your children about stranger danger. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released an updated list of the country’s sex offenders this week. The survey showed 747,408 registered sex offenders.
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Council approves trash truck purchases
City plans to switch trash collection from a manual to an automated system should begin in about six months, Cleburne Assistant City Manager David Esquivel said Tuesday night.
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