The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, also called RodeoHouston, is the world’s largest live entertainment and livestock exhibition. It also includes the richest regular-season rodeo event. It has been held at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, since 2003. It was previously held in the Astrodome.
In 2011, attendance reached a record high of 2,262,834 people requiring more than 24,000 volunteers. In 2007, the rodeo was deemed “the year of the volunteer.” The event is 20 days long. It is kicked off by the Downtown Rodeo Roundup held near Houston City Hall, the Downtown Rodeo parade, and the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run – a 10k and 5k walk & run and the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest. The show features championship rodeo action, livestock competitions, concerts, a carnival, pig racing, barbecue and the Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition, shopping, sales and livestock auctions. Traditional trail rides, which start in different areas of Texas and end in Houston, precede the Rodeo events. The City of Houston celebrates this event with Go Texan Day, where residents are encouraged to dress in western wear the Friday before the rodeo begins.
The rodeo has drawn some of the world’s biggest recording artists, including Kiss, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Selena, Bon Jovi, ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd, among others.
The wide variety of entertainment at The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has proven to be a popular feature of the event, as it caters to a multitude of tastes. Previous performers include country, rock, blues, Tejano, and pop musicians, stand-up comedians, and even actors.
The Friday before the Parade is also known as “Go Texan Day,” where the entire population of Houston is encouraged to dress in Western attire, such as jeans, cowboy boots, and cowboy hats. While the concept was discussed in 1938 by the General Manager of the Houston Chamber of Commerce, it was not until the 1950s that it finally was put into practice. In 1954, Archer Romero chaired the first Go Texan Committee to encourage what would later become a Houston tradition during the rodeo.
In 1937, planning had begun for the first Rodeo Parade leading up to the 1938 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The first parade was headed by Mounted Police and various dignitaries on the city, county, and state levels, who also rode horseback. There were two bands with a Drum and Bugle Corp.
In 1952, the Salt Grass Trail ride was the first trail ride that was formed by only a few men. The following year, the publicity from that ride attracted more people to join.
All of the Trail Riders converge on Memorial Park to camp out for the night before heading down Memorial Drive to where it empties out onto Texas Ave to line up for the parade.
The parade has approximately 115 different groups joining in the festivities. There are 15 trail rides, 20 floats, 15 commercial wagons and stagecoaches, and 10 to 15 university and high-school marching bands in addition to Show officials, other elected officials and dignitaries on horseback and in vehicles.
The Trail Rides (cavalcades) are a long tradition with the rodeo and gather at Memorial Park to camp for a rest and party before the big Annual Rodeo Parade through Downtown Houston.
The World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, also simply known as “The Cookoff,” started in 1974 and has consistently drawn massive attendance numbers for the three-day event, drawing a record 244,184 visitors in 2011. It takes place on the southern parking lot of Reliant Stadium, with over 350 teams participating every year, and is generally considered a “Hot Ticket,” as most are for members or by invitation only. While the event is open to the general public, those that can get into the tents are generally allowed an unlimited amount of food and beverages
Since the addition of the event in 1942, it has been one of the more popular events during the actual rodeo. The event features 14 calves and 28 students who must try to capture one of the calves, put a harness on it and bring it back into the “winners square” in order to claim the win. One of the rules is that as long as a contestant is actually in the act of holding the calf (i.e. Holding it by the tail) to get the harness on, no other participant may interfere unless the calf wriggles itself free. It’s at this point where the calf is fair game once again. The event is held nightly between major events in the Reliant Stadium. Each of the students who catch a calf is awarded a $1,250 certificate to purchase a registered beef heifer. Raising and showing this heifer becomes a yearlong project as the scrambler sees to the grooming, feeding and care of the animal. The exhibitor returns to the Houston Livestock Show the following year for a special competition. Calf Scramble exhibitors receive a $250 bonus when they return to compete with their heifer, totaling their $1,500 certificate.[17]
Along with the calf scramble, Rodeo Houston, is home to several other events. Mutton Bustin’, is the new attraction where 5 and 6 year olds ride on top of sheeps for 8 seconds. Rodeo Houston also homes Bull riding, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, chuck wagon races, and Ladie barrell racing.
Quoted from wikipedia.com
