Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ Celebrates the Best of 80 Years

HOUSTON, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 80th anniversary of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo set the paid Rodeo attendance record with 1,283,419. Total attendance for all activities on the grounds ranks second in the Show's history, with 2,257,970 visitors.

"Mostly beautiful weather, Spring Break, amazing athletes, superstar concerts, unique family entertainment, and the world's best livestock show — we've created the winning formula for fun," said Skip Wagner, president of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. "Thanks to the help of 26,000 volunteers, we are able to produce an incredible entertainment and educational venue."

Following are highlights from the 2012 Show:

Attendance highlights

• The 2012 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo entertained 2,257,970 visitors (all activities on the grounds).
  • The one-day total attendance record fell Saturday, March 17, with 153,159 visitors.
• RodeoHouston® paid attendance totaled a record 1,283,419. Fans enjoyed action-packed rodeo performances and superstars in concert.
  • Five RodeoHouston performances landed in the list of the Show's top 20 paid Rodeo attendance records, with three taking the top spots:
    • first: March 15, 2012 — Jason Aldean – 74,901
    • second: March 11, 2012 — Duelo and La Original Banda El Limon – 74,588
    • third: March 14, 2012 — The Band Perry – 74,241
    • eighth: March 17, 2012 – Brad Paisley – 73,757
    • 11th: March 12, 2012 — Zac Brown Band – 73,374
• A record 260,033 people attended the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest to help kick off the Show.

RodeoHouston

• RodeoHouston committed more than $2 million to its contestants in 2012.
• The 2012 RodeoHouston BP Super Series, an international, invitation-only rodeo, featured the world's top 40 cowboys and cowgirls in seven events.
  • With the entire purse provided by RodeoHouston, and no entry fees required by the athletes, contestants competed for a share of $1.6 million in prize money in the Super Series, and each event champion walked away from Reliant Stadium with at least $50,000, a RodeoHouston trophy saddle and a champion buckle.
  • 2012 RodeoHouston BP Super Series Champions, with total money earned, are:
    • tie-down roping: Adam Gray – Seymour, Texas – $56,300
    • bareback riding: Kaycee Feild – Payson, Texas – $53,650
    • team roping: Cody Graham – Everton, Mo., and Monty Petska – Turlock, Calif. – $110,400
    • saddle bronc riding: Cody Wright – Milford, Utah – $56,700
    • steer wrestling: Wade Sumpter – Fowler, Colo. – $53,700
    • barrel racing: Lindsay Sears – Ropesville, Texas – $59,900
    • bull riding: Beau Schroeder – China, Texas – $56,200
• The Cinch RodeoHouston Super Shootout®: North America's Champions presented by Crown Royal closed the 2012 Show Sunday, March 18. This ground-breaking, invitation-only, one-day event featured champion athletes from 10 of the best rodeos in the United States and Canada. Contestants competed in bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding and saddle bronc riding. With a total purse of $200,000, the Super Shootout is the richest one-day rodeo event in the world. Each champion walked away with $25,000 and a champion buckle, plus a $2,500 bonus from Crown Royal and a $1,500 voucher from Mattress Firm.
  • 2012 Cinch RodeoHouston Super Shootout presented by Crown Royal Champions are:
    • bareback riding: Will Lowe, RodeoHouston
    • barrel racing: Lindsay Sears, 2011 WPRA World Champion
    • bull riding: Bobby Welsh, RodeoHouston
    • saddle bronc riding: Taos Muncy, Rodeo Austin
    • Super Shootout Team Award: RodeoHouston
• United sponsors the High Flyin' Award, which awards two airline tickets for the first 19 performances, plus a year's worth of airline travel to the overall winning contestant with the highest flights, hardest spills, roughest crashes and toughest luck. Bull rider Tyler Smith of Fruita, Colo., was the 2012 overall winner.

Houston Livestock Show™, Auction Totals

• This year's livestock competitions and horse shows boasted 26,305 entries.
• Six of the junior auction Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion sales set new records. The prices for the top winners include (* indicates new world's records):
  • *Grand Champion Barrow, $178,000; *Reserve Grand Champion Barrow, $121,000
  • *Grand Champion Goat, $155,000; Reserve Grand Champion Goat, $110,000
  • *Grand Champion Lamb, $210,000; Reserve Grand Champion Lamb, $130,000
  • Grand Champion Pen of Broilers, $130,000; Reserve Grand Champion Pen of Broilers, $80,000
  • Grand Champion Steer, $460,000; Reserve Grand Champion Steer, $250,000
  • Grand Champion Turkey, $100,000; Reserve Grand Champion Turkey, $60,000
  • *Grand Champion Work of Art, $206,000; *Reserve Grand Champion Work of Art, $175,000
• Junior auction sales totaled $9,262,266.
• The junior auction totals (unaudited preliminary totals that do not include cash contributions and some purchase commitment amounts) included:
  • market steers: $3,120,865
  • lamb and goat: $2,010,326
  • barrows: $1,291,575
  • poultry: $1,420,500
  • school art: $1,419,000
• The Junior Commercial Steer Sale totaled $643,512.
• The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Champion Wine Auction brought in $1,411,500, including a Show record price of $211,000 for the Grand Champion Best of Show, and a Show record price of $160,000 for the Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show. 
• The Ranching & Wildlife Auction totaled $333,800.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS and Notable Numbers

• Houston Texans football players Andre Johnson and J. J. Watt served as the grand marshals of the 2012 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Downtown Rodeo Parade, Saturday, Feb. 25.
• ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run celebrated its 25th anniversary with 15,001 athletes, including Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo President Skip Wagner and Houston Texans President Jamey Rootes. With its $400,000 donation in 2012, ConocoPhillips has contributed more than $3.3 million to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's Educational Fund since the race began in 1988.
• The Show hosted 2,474 registered international guests from 65 countries, including large delegations from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela. Several guests came from as far away as Thailand and Pakistan.
• Rodeo Rockstar, a new singing competition, featured 116 entries. Audition videos were submitted online and more than 33,000 online public votes determined the preliminary round contestants. The preliminary and final rounds, held live during the Show on the Kids Country Stage, resulted in winners in two divisions:
  • Junior: Erica Honore – 14, Houston
  • Youth: Julia Cole – 18, Houston
• The Show hosted the Versatility Ranch Horse and Cowboy Mounted Shooting World Shows March 1 – 3, 2012.
• More than 300,000 visitors utilized the Show's Rodeo Express and METRO Park & Ride locations.
• In the Capital One Bank AGventure Birthing Center, 74 piglets, 26 lambs and 21 calves were born during the Show. In the Poultry Exhibit, more than 960 chicks hatched.
• Following are examples of what Show visitors experienced:
  • More than 20,000 young cowboys and cowgirls took a turn on the pony rides.
  • More than 11,000 kids tested their strength and endurance by climbing the rock wall.
  • More than 12,000 visitors rode camels.
  • More than 120,000 visitors slid down the three giant slides.
  • More than 110,000 visitors took a spin on a Ferris wheel.
  • More than 71,000 people viewed the park from the skyride.
  • More than 50,000 people participated in scheduled school tours and field trips.
• Food could be found at nearly all areas within Reliant Park, and Show visitors enjoyed the unique types available. Consumed were:
  • 23,000 cinnamon rolls
  • 10,000 orders of chicken fried bacon
  • 9,000 pounds of shrimp
  • 8,000 pizzas
  • 6,000 orders of fried cookie dough
  • 6,300 orders of catfish
  • 4,500 pulled pork sundaes
  • 200 pounds of alligator
  • 3,000 orders of chicken fried meatballs
  • 50,000 pounds of potatoes
  • 146,000 barbecue sandwiches
  • 30,000 tamales
• The combined total of the Show's and entertainers' merchandise sales reached more than $2 million in 2012.

The 2012 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Heritage Partners, Reliant, Ford, Miller Lite, Coca-Cola, BP America and Mattress Firm, continue to support the Show.

For complete results and highlights, visit www.rodeohouston.com, or, visit the Show on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube: rodeohouston.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a Section 501(c)(3) charity that benefits youth, supports education, and facilitates better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentation. Since its beginning in 1932, the Show has committed more than $283 million to the youth of Texas. For more information, visit www.rodeohouston.com.

SOURCE Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo