The last Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo of the millennium brought an incredible close to the 20th century. A variety of entertainers, broken records and great weather set the stage for an outstanding 1999 Show. Visitors came in droves, with a record 1,853,650 people walking through the gates of the Show. This figure broke the all-time general attendance record of 1,830,265 set in 1996. Black Heritage Day set an all-time record of 175,325, which, combined with Go Tejano Day, drew a weekend general attendance record of 306,534. Rodeo paid attendance topped 1 million for the fifth consecutive year, for a total of 1,101,547. Also, 10 of the 20 rodeo performances were official sell-outs, and 16 out of 20 drew paid crowds in excess of 51,000. This year's entertainer line-up had something for everyone. Country, rhythm and blues, pop, and Latin music artists attracted several all-time high paid attendance crowds: David Lee Garza with Emilio, Ram Herrera, Jay Perez and Oscar G., 62,280; Clay Walker, 60,400; Shania Twain, 58,938; Brian McKnight and Monica, 58,909; and John Michael Montgomery, 58,845. Country music star Shania Twain was overcome by the spirit of the '99 Show. While in Houston she purchased a Palomino horse and rode it across the Astrodome floor to the stage where she performed to a sell-out audience of screaming, adoring fans. Also, for the first time ever, audience members were close enough to touch this superstar, since tickets were sold for the floor of the Astrodome. Enrique Iglesias' energized and soulful performance was simulcast to a large audience in Mexico. This Latin entertainer had hearts throbbing and tears flowing across the world. Clay Walker thrilled his audience when 5,000 beach balls were dropped from the ceiling of the Dome during his performance. Fans everywhere scrambled to get the mementos from this entertainer's sell-out performance.
The Rodeo Run and downtown parade kicked off the Show without a hitch. Parade grand marshal Mack Brown, head football coach at The University of Texas at Austin, led more than 6,000 trail riders, dignitaries, wagons and floats through the streets of downtown Houston. Major media broadcast the event live, ensuring that all of Houston could view this annual tradition. Susan Combs, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, shared in the heart of the Show when she and Show President Jim Bloodworth presented scholarships to 59 exceptional students at the Area Go Texan Scholarship Banquet held during Go Texan weekend. More and more Texas youths benefit from the Show every year, due in part to the phenomenal records set by the purchasers of animals and art at the junior market and school art auctions. All grand and reserve grand champion animals and works of art set world records for the second year in a row. Since 1997, 27 consecutive world records have been set in the junior auctions. The following shattered all previous records: Grand Champion Turkey, $75,000; Reserve Grand Champion Turkey, $70,000; Grand Champion Pen of Broilers, $110,000; Reserve Grand Champion Pen of Broilers, $60,000; Grand Champion Barrow, $128,000; Reserve Grand Champion Barrow, $62,000; Grand Champion Lamb, $160,000; Reserve Grand Champion Lamb, $104,000; Grand Champion Steer, $550,000; Reserve Grand Champion Steer, $225,000; Grand Champion Work of Art, $125,000; and Reserve Grand Champion Work of Art, $87,000. Junior auctions raised an astounding $6,269,030. This amount was comprised of the following: steer, $2,578,600; lamb, $1,018,100; swine, $988,925; poultry, $813,750; commercial steer, $188,355; and school art, $681,300. Total auction sales tallied in at $8,604,610.
The first Junior Breeding Gilt Show was a squealing success. More than 180 gilts strutted their stuff at the Astrohall. Since the Show, the phones have been ringing off the wall as county extension agents and agriculture science teachers clamor to find out more about entering next year's Show. The Houston Horse Show once again hosted prestigious equine competition in seven breeds. Entries from across the globe competed for a share of $280,000 in prize money. The Premier Horse Sale brought in $282,300. A record 38,680 livestock and horse show entries were reported for the 1999 Show. Of that amount, 15,882 were junior livestock show entries. The total number of horses entered was 2,834. Total entries also included open show, various sales, contests and exhibit cattle. Houston's world championship rodeo competition drew a total of 509 contestants from across the United States and Canada. The best of the best competed for a share of $730,258 in prize money. The award for All-Around Cowboy went to Cody Ohl of Stephenville, Texas. He earned $7,167 for competing in calf roping and team roping. He also earned a $25,000 bonus check for winning the All-Around Cowboy title, taking home a Houston Rodeo paycheck of $32,167. Ohl was raised in Fort Bend County and attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as a spectator for many years. After he was presented with the award, he told the audience that he remembered as a child wishing that he could compete at the Houston Rodeo. The 1999 rodeo was his sixth year to compete
The crowd went crazy at the championship finals when Myron Duarte from Auburn, Wash., broke a Houston Rodeo record and won the bull riding championship with an amazing score of 93. "This win will make this the best winter of my whole career," said Duarte. "I guess dreams really can come true." His total earnings were $13,284.25. Ohl and Duarte weren't the only champions of the Houston Rodeo: calf roping, Justin Maass, Giddings, Texas, with total earnings of $9,380.41; bareback bronc riding, Jason Wylie, Stanchfield, Minn., with total earnings of $15,309.10; saddle bronc riding, Dean Schlattmann, Basin, Wyo., with total earnings of $16,804.35; team roping, Charles Pogue, Ringling, Okla., and Britt Bockius, Claremore, Okla., with total earnings of $7,434.76 each; steer wrestling, Shawn Johnson, Checotah, Okla., with total earnings of $10,344.35; and barrel racing, Kristie Petersen, Elbert, Colo., with total earnings of $11,749.17. Being stepped on by the bull he was riding turned out to be good luck for Royd Doyal of Pittsburg, Texas. He won the sympathy of the audience and the High Flyin' Hard Luck Award. For those who saw the actual fall, don't worry -- Doyal's right shoulder was only slightly injured. RODEOHOUSTON, the pay-per-view division of the Show, produced four exciting telecasts, featuring three rodeo events and one concert. The Armed Forces Radio and Television Service once again broadcast the rodeo finals live around the world to nearly 1 million men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. For the second year, Reliant Energy's multimedia show and line-of-sight PowerVision screens enabled audiences to see every minute detail of action that occurred on the Dome floor. The video presentation, "The Power of Dreams," showed how dreams, educational and otherwise, can come true with a little help from several thousand volunteers and students who believe the sky is the limit. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was seen across the nation when Prime Time Country, a national entertainment variety series on TNN, taped eight shows from The Hideout in AGVENTURE Plaza. Country music lovers everywhere got a small glimpse of why the Show is so successful. The Hideout, which featured nationally recognized talent and even a few surprise visits from celebrities, was tremendously popular. The house was packed before, during and after rodeo performances. The expansion of Rodeo Experience, located in AGventure Plaza, proved to be extremely successful. Crowds of all ages came to see and participate in the stick-horse rodeo and mutton bustin' events. The mechanical bull and roping machine also brought in record numbers of visitors. The Show's website <www.hlsr.com> has turned into an incredible marketing and informational tool. Many of the more than 2,500 members of the media who covered the Show used the website to access information and generate story ideas. Ticket buyers checked out concert star information, daily schedules and results. More than 5.6 million hits were recorded during the Show from more than 25 countries all over the world. The Show registered 2,591 foreign visitors from 64 countries. Many of these guests attended the International Livestock Congress. The 1999 Congress focused on the many opportunities and challenges facing the beef industry, along with issues facing the horse industry in the new millennium. Another outstanding area of the show, with the help of the volunteers, media and advertisements, was the Rodeo METRO Express shuttle program. The ridership for 1999 was 315,524, the largest ever recorded.
Incredible weather and and an improved layout contributed to the success of the carnival. An all-time high of $2.5 million in gross revenue represented an increase of 20 percent from the previous year. The numbers and the media reviews tell the story -- the 1999 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was a phenomenal success. The heart, soul and pride of the volunteers, staff, exhibitors and competitors was visible at every event. The last Show of the millennium was a rousing success and should set the pace for the 21st century. |
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The World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest attracted
food lovers from all over Houston. It was an incredible success with record
gross revenues of approximately $1.4 million and attendance of 150,613,
the second highest in its history. Sunshine, great entertainment and a
record 353 cooking spaces contributed to an exceptional event.
