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Our 2007 Rodeo Queen Sharon Henry

Like many Lake Almanor Basin residents, Sharon Henry came from the city to vacation in the country. Sharon has always loved the outdoors and credits her love of horses to her stepdaughter Heather (Henry) Brown. “Heather boarded her horse at a Newport Beach riding stable,” Sharon said, “and when we moved to Chester, we came with the horses.”

Sharon and Willard Henry purchased Lassen Pharmacy in 1971, embracing an entirely new way of life. Willard became Chester’s newest pharmacist and Sharon began developing one of the area’s most popular boutiques and landmark soda fountain.

They raised their children in Chester and became members of local clubs and organizations, including charter memberships with Soroptomists and Rotary. For over 30 years, Sharon has hired local youth and supported nearly all the community's youth programs. If a request for help comes from a child, Sharon melts faster than a late spring snow flurry.

Sharon looks like a city executive, but she has heard the call of the wild. She loves the outdoors. It is the wildlife that excites her - hunting, riding a horse to camp at Last Chance, paddling a canoe near the Causeway or hiking to Blue Lake. She can ski downhill or cross-country. She has been brushing up on her fly-fishing. Sharon is exuberant telling about a passing bobcat that pauses and turns with a look that says, “I see you too.”

The Henry’s summer cabin is near Domingo Springs, under the shadow of Mt. Lassen. This is where many of the western traditions of the Lake Almanor Basin and the Chester Wild West Rodeo began. Neighbors and friends are from some of the oldest cattle ranching families in Northern California. These include Kaye Olsen Richardson (2005 Chester Wild West Rodeo Grand Marshall) and Barbara Frost (2004 Grand Marshall).

The Henry’s son Larry resides with their four grandchildren in Tumalo, OR, and daughter Jennifer lives in Santa Barbara. Heather (Henry) Brown resides in Richmond, VA. The Henry family gets together as often as they can for Sharon’s July 2 birthday - a perfect time to celebrate Chester’s Fourth of July and Wild West Rodeo!