February 12, 2003

Houston Livestock and Rodeo

The annual Go Texan Luncheon to launch the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was held at the Wortham Center on Wednesday.  Houston Mayor Lee Brown and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels both presented resolutions honoring the rodeo.

The rodeo is a charity event, with all proceeds going to fund scholarships for area students. One of the scholarship recipients, University of Houston freshman Nicol Elian, spoke to the crowd and said that she would not have been able to attend college if it weren’t for the scholarship.

This year’s rodeo will be the first held in Reliant Stadium, which seats about 10,000 more people than the Astrodome. 

“The rodeo arena is set-up, the dirt is in and we’re building the pens,” said Board Chair John O. Smith, who reported that ticket sales are 13 percent ahead of last year, and may set a record. Listen

Smith talked about the importance of the rodeo to Houston, saying the economic impact to the city ran to the billions, and that neither MinuteMaid Park or Reliant Stadium would have been possible without the rodeo. 

“I don’t know anyone who’s done more for the city than the rodeo," Smith said.