Cowpoking Along : Cars Give Way to Cattle for a Little Drive Down Fairview Road

It looked like “City Slickers III”: 250 young cattle thundering down the road, herded by hoof-nipping sheep dogs and cowboys on horseback and urged on by knee-slaps and hollers of “yee haw!”

But the shouts came from more than 1,500 urbanites, and the mile-long cattle drive wasn’t on a dusty trail but on Fairview Road, from Costa Mesa High School to the Orange County Fair.

Camcorders whirred and some residents turned out in western wear for the 10 a.m. stunt organized by the fair, in keeping with its theme “Saddle Up for Fun.”

In a dramatic moment, all 250 bewildered cows darted off course and took an unplanned detour onto Merrimac Way. But dozens of cowboys and sheep dogs led the doe-eyed critters back to Fairview Road.

Most city slickers here, like Tamme Wienland, 21, of Costa Mesa and her 2-year-old son, Shawn, had never seen anything like this except in movies.

Shawn “has an Old MacDonald book so he knows how (cows) sound, but I wanted to show him what they looked like,” Wienland said.

They were in for more than a little look-see. Hundreds of cattle crowded by them, trampling on mulch provided by fair organizers.

The sheriff also was on hand, although the Orange County lawman was there as one of the celebrity cowboys, not to keep the varmints out of town.

Also on hand and on horse were members of a Los Angeles-based group called the Cowboy Lawyers Assn., whose members exchange suits for spurs on weekends.

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“People are surprised that a bunch of dirt-looking people are lawyers, but actually the two go together nicely,” said the group’s founder Jim Nichols, 49, of Burbank. “It’s a high-pressure business and (riding horses) decompresses the stress.”

The more than 100 lawyer/cowpokes enjoy riding and the spirit of the West, Nichols said.

“We wear boots, eat steak and beans and hang out at campfires. We ain’t dainty doily guys.”

Other guests at the cattle drive included Costa Mesa Police Chief David L. Snowden, Mayor Sandra L. Genis, western romance writer Dorsey Adams, former “Dukes of Hazzard” star Denver Pyle and look-alikes of various western heroes, such as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

Although the cattle drive lasted less than 20 minutes, one Costa Mesa man said he “had goose bumps all over” watching the cattle go by.

“I thought it was thrilling,” said Ron De Geare, 58, of Costa Mesa, who was yelling “yee haw!” and “yippee!” with one arm raised in the air as the calves tramped by. “I’ve never seen a cattle drive before.”

Most in the crowd followed the herd into the fairgrounds parking lot and then into the fair, which continues through July 24.

Fifteen protesters from the animal rights activists group Orange County People for Animals passed out leaflets decrying what one member called a “foolish, dangerous . . . publicity stunt” by fair organizers.

But Pati Chamberlain, wearing a T-shirt that read “Meat Stinks for the Environment, for the Animals, for Your Health” and describing herself as an animal rights activist, disagreed with the organization, of which she is not a member.

“This is definitely Americana,” she said. “This is how the West was won.”

Times staff writer Jaime Abdo also contributed to this report.