While the announcers divided themselves between “O boi unbalance e cai”, “Thanks, boi” and “Zero boi”, names of deputies and mayors were mixed among those of ordinary people in the 17th vaquejada of Parque Arthur Filho, which belongs to the president of the , ().
The event, which runs until Sunday (1st), takes place in the municipality of Pilar (36 km from Maceió) and promises to distribute R$250,000 in prizes.
One of those who competed was the federal deputy, who was at a meeting promoted by the governor of Alagoas, Paulo Dantas (MDB), with, favorite to take command of the Chamber in February.
Federal deputies Dudu da Fonte (PP-PE), Lula Fonte (PP-PE) and state deputy Pastor Júnior Tércio (PP-PE) were among the names mentioned.
State deputy André Silva (Republicanos-AL), brother of the mayor of Junqueiro, Leandro Silva (MDB-AL), went to the track. Mayor Ramon Camilo (MDB) of Dois Riachos, land of , also competed.
“It’s always good to welcome friends to the vaquejada at Parque Arthur Filho, in Pilar. I thank all the friends who came from their states, everyone who traveled to honor us”, said Álvaro Filho, aka Alvinho, 18, Arthur’s son.
“As a form of gratitude, we reciprocated with a good herd, compliance with schedules and differentiated reception.”
Lira and Motta were not present at the event. The president of the Chamber was in Bahia, according to information provided to the report, and decided not to appear this Friday.
Still, the event was a source of great excitement in the city and started to fill up around 8pm.
Although he receives the honor from the park, Arthur Filho does not participate in the competitions.
The person who takes responsibility for himself is Alvinho, a figure increasingly present in the daily lives of people from Alagoas. He was one of the pillars of Benedito de Lira’s, his grandfather’s, campaign for , and is cited as the family’s future candidate.
Alvinho competed both on Thursday, the opening day of the vaquejada, and this Friday (29). On the first day, he was defeated by Hemmerson Alencar in an “X1” (one-on-one duel) in the Special category, which won the prize of R$ 30 thousand; in the second, he qualified for the final.
Just as happened in Barra de São Miguel, part of the public pointed to him as the family’s successor and assured that they would vote for him if there was an opportunity. “I voted for Arthur’s father, I vote for Arthur and I will vote for Alvinho”, said a snack bar owner.
The boy competes with the mare Jocarta Two. He even entered the track during the night and paraded a little with Jocarta after asking for a blessing from Our Lady of Aparecida, considered the patron saint of cowboys. According to the event announcer, Alvinho had suffered an injury, but was already recovered.
In the stands, families carried coolers with drinks and, on one occasion, even a pet dog. There was a power outage on two occasions, and the track’s floodlights went out, without compromising the establishments outside the arena.
At midnight, Álvaro took off the clothes that identified him, with his name printed on the back, and dressed in black.
In addition to the box in which he received friends, there was a private party in a space that could not even be seen by the public, with a live band. Some people tried to join via convincing or payment, but failed.
Meanwhile, the structure of the big shows this Saturday (30) was being put together. , , Henry Freitas and Ramon and Randinho are some of the attractions.
It is possible that Lira will participate in the day’s event, but from a box within the party’s own box, exclusively for selected politicians. Motta must remain in Alagoas during the weekend, staying in Barra de São Miguel.
