County mourns death of Aunika Corrigan

By KYLIE RICHTER

Lake County Leader

It was a hot and dusty evening at the Mission Mountain Rodeo Saturday night in Polson.

In the stands, nobody moved or said a word as a crowd of people wearing blue and clutching tissues walked into the rodeo arena, following two four-wheelers. They held blue balloons in honor of her. 

Behind them, a sign hung near the announcer’s booth; it was white with blue and purple letters. It stated “In memoriam” followed by the name Aunika Katelyn Corrigan, with her birth and death date. The bottom of the sign read “Ride on Cowgirl.”  When the entire crowd of family and friends were in the arena at Polson Rodeo Grounds, Tim McGraw’s song “My Little Girl” came through the speakers, and Callie Otoupalik, a young rodeo cowgirl, led out a rider-less horse. Flowers and the fallen girl’s hat rode on the saddle. 

Otoupalik led the horse around the arena, head down, tears in her eyes. The crowd stood at attention. On the field, family members held each other. When the song was over, family and friends released their balloons into the sunset, but nobody moved. They lingered in the arena, exchanging hugs.

The rodeo announcer dedicated the Mission Mountain Rodeo Saturday night to Corrigan, who died in an accidental shooting last week. The family exited the arena and the rodeo went on, but with a somber mood, as people in the crowd wiped their eyes.

Sanders County Sheriff Tom Rummel in investigating an accidental fatal shooting that occurred at about 9 p.m. on Little Bitterroot Road near Hot Springs June 24. Rummel did not release any other details.