Duane Reichert
Duane Reichert is an unassuming guy. Always has been, according to him. But that changes once he puts his makeup on.
For more than 40 years, Reichert has been a rodeo clown, a bullfighter and a barrelman, which comes as quite a surprise to people who ask him what he does.
“I’m used to it,” he said about people’s reactions to his profession. A lot of times, he simply says he is a rodeo entertainer.
Reichert started clowning when he was a senior in high school and fell in love with it.
“I loved both the cowboy protection and the crowds and went from there,” he said.
Lola Oja of Hill City has known Reichert for 50 years, outside of the funny get-ups.
“He’s a rancher. He’s all business,” she said, adding that she is not surprised her friend followed the career path he did.
“He’s such a good barrelman,” she said. “And he has such a way with animals.”
Reichert trained the trick pony he has used in his act for the past 20 years, Pony Baroni, and uses other animals in his skits.
When he first started out in the business, bullfighter/rodeo clowns Jerry Olson of Belle Fourche and Wick Peth from Bow, Wash., were his heroes. He said there were others, but these were the standouts…..(read more)
On The Rodeo Road 