YEE-HAW! RodeoHouston updates NCA Chamber

RODEOHOUSTON SPEAKER JANICE MAYES-CLAYTON
RODEOHOUSTON SPEAKER
JANICE MAYES-CLAYTON

Guests at the North Channel Chamber monthly luncheon last Friday, heard about the history and current attractions at the Houston Livestock & Rodeo.

The speaker was Janice Mayes-Clayton, a volunteer who has served on the speakers committee, the gatekeepers and other positions for the last few decades, she said. As a speaker, she enjoys promoting the economic, scholastic and agricultural impact the Rodeo has on our area. She also likes the fact that it promotes our Western heritage.

RodeoHouston is celebrating its 90th anniversary, having started in 1932 with its first rodeo. The entertainer for that year was Gene Autry, the “singing cowboy.” He reportedly was the only act, and performed for a whole week.

For many years the Livestock Show & Rodeo was held in the Sam Houston Coliseum downtown, but in 1966 it moved to the newly opened Astrodome, where it remained until 2002, when it moved to the new NRG Stadium and surrounding grounds.

Today, the Houston show is the 2nd largest private rodeo in the Nation, Clayton said. Only the rodeo in Calgary, Alberta Canada has a larger crowd or purse for the riders.

In terms of attendance, the Houston Rodeo has more people attending in its three-week run, than any Houston sports team the whole season, Clayton said.

The most popular events in the Rodeo are the children’s activities, namely the Mutton Bustin even and the Calf Scramble.

Another event that attracts a lot of attention is the Trail Ride, with 10 teams from all over Texas heading into the Rodeo grounds the week before opening, and then participating in the Rodeo Parade in downtown Houston. TV’s popular series “1883” has brought a lot of interest in old-time Western culture.

Other important aspects of the Rodeo are the scholarships, and the entertainers. Each year the Rodeo awards 2600 scholarships to graduating senior high students, to continue their education in any Texas college. Since its beginning in 1932, the Rodeo has given more than $550 million for education.

The 21 entertainment acts each night are nationally known, and draw huge crowds. The most popular this year, with the largest ticket sales, is George Strait.

The return of the Rodeo this year was welcomed by a huge public response, after the pandemic cancelled last year’s show, and curtailed the show the year before.