FORT WORTH -- The Super Bowl festivities have moved on to Indianapolis this year, and Brad Barnes isn't sad about it.
The worst stretch of winter weather in decades in North Texas -- rain, sleet and snow, icy roads and days of freezing temperatures -- coincided last year with the arrival of the Super Bowl in Arlington, a fact not lost on Barnes, the president and general manager of the Fort Worth Stock Show."I blame the Super Bowl," he said, laughing. "That wasn't Stock Show weather."Every professional rancher, horse competitor, rodeo cowboy, kid with an animal or potential visitor to the Will Rogers Memorial Center hopes that he's right. The 116th Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo begins today, a 23-day Western carnival of breed shows, horse competitions and rodeos that pays tribute to an era when most Texans owned a few cattle, knew which side to mount a horse from and could judge a barrow's worth by the size of its butt.Attendance at last year's Stock Show was heading toward the 1 million mark when the weather turned brutal the last week, keeping away not only locals but also an inordinate number of trailer-pulling exhibitors who couldn't get to Fort Worth on icy highways.Any long show in the winter will have a few days adversely affected by nature, but "Stock Show weather" typically doesn't last more than a day or two before the sun reappears and melts the ice."It did give me a lot of respect for people who live in the Northeast or Midwest, who have to contend with that every year," Barnes said.As the year wore on and Texas suffered through its worst drought on record, many farmers and ranchers had to thin their herds because of the cost to feed them. One might think that the drought would affect the number of livestock exhibitors at the Stock Show. Not the case, Barnes said."Our livestock entries are up again this year, across the board," he said. "We're very pleased. We feel like that a lot of what people are coming for is not just the show but also Fort Worth. It says a lot for the whole community that people would want to be here."One of the largest and most prestigious shows of its kind in the Southwest, the Stock Show has always prided itself as much on its authentic Texas roots as the six-figure prices paid for grand champion steers.The show has made major strides in making people feel welcome in recent years, Barnes said. Three years ago, the show organized a group of volunteers to help rodeo competitors with transportation, registration, gear and food. This year, another group has been recruited to help horse show participants by unloading tack, getting them to their stalls and meeting other needs."Whether folks are coming in the front gates as guests or coming in the back gate as exhibitors, we want them all to have the best experience possible," he said. "They don't have to be here. They need to be welcomed. It's 101 stuff."The most noticeable change to the Stock Show and the Will Rogers complex is the new building on W.R. Watt Drive, near Harley Avenue and University Drive. The multipurpose equestrian center started going up immediately after last year's show and should be finished by summer, said Kirk Slaughter, the city's director of public facilities and events.The city is funding the $18 million project through its share of rental-car taxes collected at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and should pay it off by 2030, Slaughter said. He said Fort Worth made the investment because Oklahoma City and Tulsa were expanding their equestrian facilities.The building will have the capacity to stall more than 700 horses, exercise horses in temporary arenas or even park vehicles. A canopy will tie the center and parking garage to the Richardson-Bass Building, and an extensive tunnel system will connect it to John Justin Arena and Will Rogers Coliseum."If we've got a day like today when it's raining, you can take your horse to all the performance arenas without going outside," Slaughter said. "It's going to be a very efficient system for both horses and livestock."Because Stock Show officials had to plan the show without knowing how far along the construction would be, they will use the center only for parking this year, Barnes said.But he said its versatility will allow more offerings at future Stock Shows, including an agriculture mechanics competition in which students compete in events such as tractor repair, welding and construction of wind power systems."That building has dramatically improved the east end of the complex, not only visually but also with its usability," he said.Chris Vaughn, 817-390-7547Twitter: @CVaughnFWGallery| Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame
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