Keep Showin’ Up The Industry Needs You
Written by Stephanie Sindel, SC Staff
I remember being told a long time ago that EVERYTHING IS POLITICAL. Let that sink in for a moment … No, I’m not talking about why you were 3rd in class at a show you think you had in the bag. While there are conspiracy theorists, and major media outlets are taking sides, we [rural America] are being affected by things that “don’t happen here”. First and foremost, I’m not a physician, nor do I have a medical degree; so I am not here to dispute the novel coronavirus and the science surrounding it. I would, however, like to point out a few facts regarding how our lives have been affected from a stock showing perspective. Never in a million years would I have imagined that shows such as the National Western and Fort Worth Stock Shows; our neighbors to the north’s iconic Calgary Stampede; and perhaps the livestock show manager’s worst nightmare, the shutdown of an event mid-show like what happened back in March at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. We hear major media headlines about how this hasn’t happened since World War II and how events’ sitting boards voted unanimously to cancel. As a vast majority of the event’s supporters and attendees sit back and remark, “Not one person on that board cares about my __________ (kids, livestock, business)”. You can fill in the blank. Shocking, right? We are left with a whirlwind of questions. How can some states carry on as if nothing is happening? What
44 November/December 2020 • theshowcircuit.com
if shows continue to cancel? Should I buy livestock? How am I going to sell livestock? History always repeats itself. How and why did these events come to fruition? The answer is to showcase the most elite livestock genetics to promote to fellow stockmen to better their herds. These events came to be long before modern-day technology and infrastructure. You’ll notice that a lot of the original livestock exhibition facilities are located along railways – this was how they got livestock in before modern means of livestock transport. Oftentimes, a fairgrounds or expo center may be in a part of town that is “rougher” than we’re accustomed to. Reason being, a lot of times these facilities are located in a very old part of town where the prominence of the area faded when workplaces shifted to a different part of the city. These facilities are predominantly dictated by either state or local government, sometimes both. During times outside of a pandemic, this can be the best scenario from a budgetary standpoint. The fundraising component through private donations to build a complex of this magnitude can move at a snail’s pace. Furthermore, the advancement of a facility that can be offered through a state’s Capital budget provides alternative improvements to the complex through private funding and donation. As you can see, the scenarios work hand-in-hand to get us where we are today with facility rental and livestock shows. Nearly everyone