Football is over, bring on fair season!

With football season over, it’s time to embrace a short-lived but wildly exciting season as the Wharton County Youth Fair and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo get underway.

Fair and rodeo season is a time of fun and intense competition. The youth fair and the livestock portion of the HLSR are proving grounds for farm kids. If you don’t think raising animals is competitive, you ought to come out and watch the judging sometime. Unless you have a personal stake in the show, the judging can be pretty boring to watch. When you realize, however, what these kids have invested into their projects and the rewards they can reap, you begin to see just how important these contests are.

These kids (and their parents) spend a long time raising their project animal(s). For most of a year they will be out twice a day or more feeding, watering, grooming, and working their animals to prep them for show. There is no time off for bad weather, sick days, or even vacation. Not only do the animals require a lot of grooming and training, but the kids must learn how to show their animals and discover the characteristics judges are looking for. They also have to work on themselves (and their record keeping) as much as they do their animals because showmanship counts.

For the kids, there is a three-tiered investment in their project animals. The first is financial. Raising an animal – even something as small as a rabbit – isn’t cheap. You need land, cages/pens, food and water dishes, plenty of food and water and other nutrients, veterinary care, the required tagging or marking, all on top of the initial purchase price of the animal.

The second is the investment of time. A lot of FFA and 4-H members are up extra early each morning and oftentimes up late at night caring for their animals. Sometimes it means sacrificing other things, such as sports or other extracurricular activities, weekend outings, time with friends, time to goof off, and so on, in order to prioritize the care of your animals.

The third investment is emotional. It’s easy to get attached to an animal that you have raised, especially when you have spent so much time and money on it. Knowing that your animal will be sold and likely eaten can be tough to handle, although that is the goal of the competition. It’s also emotional because as badly as you want to win, you want your friends to win as well.

So, while watching the judging may not seem exciting, once you factor in all the behind-the-scenes stuff, it gets really intense. Victory can bring a pretty penny along with pride and bragging rights.

But getting back to the fairs and rodeos, they are just plain fun. Rodeo action is as exciting as any sport out there. Unlike the cushioned and padded athletes on the gridiron, rodeo stars can have life and limb on the line, especially in the rough stock events. Outside the rodeo there are carnival rides, exhibitor booths, home economic and art/craft booths, and a host of other entertainments.

This year the WCYF runs March 16-23. The HLSR runs Feb. 27 to March 17. When most people think of the Houston show, they think of the nightly rodeos and concerts. The rodeo is among the best in the world, featuring the best athletes, both animal and human.

This year’s concert lineup, while it doesn’t excite me personally, features some of the top touring acts today. I like Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, and For King and Country. Most younger people are going to get excited about Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson, 50 Cent, Jelly Roll, Hank Williams Jr., Nickelback, Jonas Brothers, and the Zac Brown Band, to name a few.

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of the Boulder County Fair in my hometown of Longmont, Colorado. In 4-H I showed rabbits and bees. My brothers had pigs, calves, and sheep. They made money. I had fun. We all got ribbons. I also loved going to the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo each January in Denver. That’s where I developed my love of rodeo.

The sights, sounds, and smells of a fair and rodeo all stir the soul. It’s family friendly and reflects traditional, homegrown rural America. It’s as grass roots as it gets – our heritage in a nutshell. If you haven’t been to a fair lately – or at all – this would be a great time to get out an experience what you’ve been missing. You don’t need boots and a cowboy hat, but it helps. And the bottom line is, in addition to having fun, it supports the kids and the future of American agriculture.