By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Four-year-old Will Crawford of Houston came to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in some true vintage clothing. He is wearing the vest and chaps that his 42-year-old dad had worn to the Houston event many years ago. Will, attending the event with his mom, aunt, and grandmother, liked the big horse he found in the commercial exhibits, but the little cowboy also enjoyed all the other sights, sounds, and food offered.  — Staff photos by Carolyn Rost

March 23, 2006 - More than 70 years ago, in January of 1931, seven men met for lunch at the Texas State Hotel and established the Houston Fat Stock Show and Livestock Exposition. A little over a year later, the show debuted at the Democratic Convention Hall in downtown Houston in April 1932.

Since then, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (which gained this official name in 1961) has continued to grow until it is now deemed the “world’s largest livestock show and rodeo.”

Some milestones for the grand event include:

The first star entertainer was Gene Autry in 1942, during WWII. In 1952, the first trail ride, the Salt Grass, was ridden from Brenham to Houston. In 1957, Houstonian Ben Dickerson was presented the first major educational scholarship amounting to $2,000. 

Jordan Ray, 10, Cameron Ray, 8, and their mother Misty Jones of Dayton take a minute to peek at baby chicks during the children’s first visit to the Houston show. The popular exhibit allows viewers to watch the chicks hatching.   — Staff photos by Carolyn Rost

The scholarships have become a big part of the event. Since the first issued in 1957, more than $100 million has been contributed to the youth of Texas. In the fall of 2005, 1,907 students were enrolled at 90 Texas colleges and universities on these scholarships. The educational commitment for 2005-2006 was more than $7.8 million.

Scholarship programs offered by the Show include Metropolitan Scholarships, which presents four-year $12,000 scholarships to Houston-area students; 4-H and FFA Scholarships, which are four-year $12,000 scholarships awarded to 70 Texas 4-H’ers and 70 Texas FFA members annually.

There are, also, the 60 area GO TEXAN counties that are guaranteed a one-year $3,000 scholarship for eligible students. For the top-performing counties in each of the 10 area GO TEXAN districts, the scholarships can be upgraded to a two-year, $6,000 award, or a four-year $12,000 award.

Katherine McNair, 13, of Magnolia rides her grandmother’s horse in the ring. Katherine comes from a lineage of horsemen - both her parents and grandparents were national riding champions. — Staff photos by Carolyn Rost

Finally there are 100, four-year $12,000 scholarships to Houston-area students, based on financial need, academics, leadership and community involvement and School Art Scholarships amounting to 15 four-year, $12,000 college scholarships presented for the 2006-2007 school year.

All functions are held at Houston’s Reliant Park which includes the Reliant Arena, Reliant Astrodome, Reliant Center and Reliant Stadium, along with the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. With a membership of more than 32,000 and 92 committees, there are, also, nearly 17,000 volunteers that assist during the show.

New to the 2006 Show was a “Project: Show Pride” which had many historical contributions to agriculture, education, entertainment and Western Heritage. Other new additions were the Barnyard Babies, where visitors could “experience the miracle of life” right on display in the “birthing center;” the Peruvian Horse Exhibit; the first year in more than 20 years that all junior market animal events were held on the Show grounds; and 4-H and FFA judging contests in Floriculture, Nursery Landscape and Wool.

Others included the Open and Youth Livestock Show additions in the Youth Boer Goat Show; Youth Dairy Goat Show; Bravado Cattle Show; Dexter Cattle Show; and the Miniature Hereford Cattle Show.

The Houston Livestock Show does place a limit on the amount junior exhibitors can receive for animals sold at the Show’s junior market auctions, according to information in the Show’s media booklet. These potential maximum payments are: Steers, $85,000/Grand Champion or $45,000/Res. Grand Champion; Swine, $40,000/Grand Champion or $25,000/Res.Grand Champion, among others. (A complete list of potential maximum payments can be found at www.rodeohouston.com.)

This year’s weather cooperated and allowed thousands of field trips from various schools in the Houston area, as well as visitors from all over the United States and other parts of the world. The show concluded on March 19.