Day at the Rodeo

To the right, you can see a photograph of my ticket to the San Antonio Rodeo. On February 6th, I spent the day at the rodeo for the first time. I was really excited because I like to watch the events on television, but I didn’t know very much about them. Although we have rodeos in California, I have never been to one, so I while there I was constantly comparing it to the fairs and sporting events we have.
When we first arrived, we walked through the fair. I saw the piglet races, which we have back home. Afterwards, they brought out a 3 ½ week-old piglet that was just adorable. We also walked through one of the expos where there were many vendors selling their products. While the expo was similar to the ones I’ve been to in California, there were some key differences. At the San Antonio rodeo, there was a huge emphasis on cowboy hats, belts, and belt buckles. I don’t know a lot about typical cowboy fashion, and this ignorance caused me to really embarrass myself at one point. We were at a booth selling belts, and I noticed a rack of what looked like little belts next to the cash register. I walked over towards the rack and said, “Oh, look. Mini belts!” My friend laughed a little bat, saying “Lauren, those aren’t mini belts. They’re hat bands.” Fortunately they weren’t a lot of people around, so no one else heard me!
The next thing I found to be very different was when the rodeo started. The first thing they did, even before the national anthem, was to have someone say a prayer. I thought it was very nice, and the crowd seemed to really appreciate the freedom to start off a sporting event with prayer. But it really surprised me because I had never seen that happen before.
I really enjoyed all of the riding events. It was so much different to watch it from the stands than on television. I also thought the tie-down roping was very impressive, although it seemed a little unfair to the calf being tied down. The Mutton Bustin’ was hilarious.
After the rodeo, the fun continued with a Tim McGraw concert. They set up his stage in about thirty minutes. While watching the process, I thought how it would be very Texan if Tim McGraw either rode in on a horse or a Ford truck. Just five minutes later, the lights went down, and in came the star, standing in the bed of a pick-up truck. I was so excited that I had guessed his entrance. The concert was great, and he was very entertaining.
I had a great day at the rodeo, and I hope to go back next year!