National Western Stock Show brings Old West excitement to modern audiences in Denver

Champion cowboys and cowgirls, rodeo clowns, and a host of four-legged critters, will take center stage in Denver on Saturday when the National Western Stock Show kicks off. The annual Stock Show, now in its 111th year, is a mix of fast-paced entertainment and opportunities for attendees to learn about a vanishing agrarian lifestyle, while celebrating Western history and values, Stock Show president Paul Andrews said. There are rodeos galore, a fiddle contest, riding, roping and shooting, along with 4-H kids, and ranchers showing off the cows, sheep and other animals they raised. In addition there will be llamas, yak, buffalo, as well as miniature Herefords, specially bred cattle that can be half the weight of a normal cow. And if you think small cows might be cute, consider this: children as young as 3-years-old can show these animals. The National Western features enrichment programs and youth education in livestock, equestrian, farming, ranching, animal awareness and appreciation. Exhibitors, vendors and competitors from 42 states and more than 30 countries will be represented at the show. Last year, 686,745 people attended, the second highest number of people through the gate since the record was set in 2006, when 726,972 spectators pouring onto the grounds of the National Western Complex at Brighton Boulevard and Interstate 70. The show also clocked its largest opening day attendance record in 2016, with 50,654 fans. This year, the show begins on Saturday and runs through Jan. 22...more