The Houston Rodeo herd gained some Bulldogs this year when students went down to NRG Park to enjoy the festivities.
“We went to the carnival side of the Rodeo and went on a lot of rides, (my favorite food was) kettle corn,” senior Michon Lott said. “I would love to see the livestock next year, go to the petting zoo or something.”
One of the biggest parts of the Rodeo was of course the concerts. This year featured artists such as 50 Cent, the Jonas Brothers and Luke Bryan.
“The concert was really cool. One minute the rodeo, the next minute there’s a whole concert going on,” said senior Silas Lowke. “As a European where we don’t have a Rodeo, it was a very unique experience.”
The other side to the Rodeo is the people behind it that make it happen. It could be setting up the rides, or being a food vendor, but for FFA students, it meant showing their animals.
“We prepared for two to three days to show and it was really cool. I was in Class 1 with my sheep ‘Takeoff’, I got 19th in my class and there were over 100 people there,” senior Kennedy Walton said. “That experience was definitely a crazy one. There’s over 2000 people there so it was very chaotic but it was a fun week that taught me many lessons.”
Sheep can be shown, as well as pigs and rabbits. One student that brought a rabbit to show was senior Journey Chargois.
“It was stiff competition, some people were bringing 20+ rabbits and it was interesting seeing how all the kids raised them. I really enjoyed it because it was really challenging,” Chargois said.
As a whole, the Rodeo is a representation of the city of Houston as a whole and known across the world for its activities.
“It’s a chance for Houston to come together, eat good food, have fun, and ride rides. You get to see celebrities walking around the carnival and you get to see people doing the Rodeo events and other people performing in the concerts,” Chargois said. “It’s just a good way for Houston to come together.”
