It’s time to polish those boots, grab a cowboy hat and head for the 69th Annual Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show, which opens Friday, March 7, and runs through Sunday, March 16. The event is held on the Livestock Show Grounds in Mercedes.
Cattle judging will begin with the Junior Charolais at 4 p.m., Friday in the Event Center. A huge fireworks display will be held at 7:30 p.m. to mark the beginning of festivities.
After the fireworks, Josh Gracin and Tracy Byrd will perform a concert in the rodeo arena. Tickets are $20, which includes admission to the show grounds.
On Saturday, March 8, the annual parade begins at 3 p.m. Marching bands, floats and riding groups will march from downtown Mercedes to the show grounds.
An abundance of taste-tempting treats will be available from vendors along the fairway. A beer garden with a lighted stage will feature a variety of live entertainment for those who stop to sit, relax and have a meal.
Each year, the RGV Livestock Show provides free entertainment. New this year is the Amazing Rainforest Experience, which showcases 20 different animals who perform several times a day in a rain forest complete with a running waterfall.
All time favorite Ken Whitener, hypnotist, will be back for his 25th consecutive year of performance. Magician Lance Gifford will be on stage near the food court to entertain the crowd with high-energy illusions. The roar coming from just north of the Action Spot, where a variety of bands will perform, is the Fearless Flores Thrill Show, with daredevil riders on motorcycles doing intricate tricks inside a huge cage.
Other favorite acts returning include Wacky Women of the Wild West, the Robinson Family Chain Saw Artists, the Robinson Puppet Theatre, and an exotic petting zoo.
Two strolling acts, the Fables of the West, a comedy team riding small horses, and Rusty Gears, the robot, patrol the crowd looking for people to involve in their antics.
Free exhibits include Antique Farm Machinery, which has daily demonstrations, the Texas Farm Bureau’s “Planet Agriculture,” the mobile dairy classroom, the photography contest, and western art show.
Even die-hard rodeo fans will have enough rodeo activities to satisfy them Rodeo events kick off the Ranch Rodeo on Saturday, March 8, at 8 p.m.
Admission is only $5 to watch teams competing in steer tying, calf branding, wild cow milking, steer-loading, wild horse saddling and shovel races.
Three PRCA sanctioned rodeos are scheduled for Thursday, through Saturday, March 13-15, at 8 p.m. A bull riding competition will be held Sunday, March 16, at 2 p.m. Tickets to each of these events are $8 per person.
Mutton Bustin’ events will be held during the Ranch Rodeo, all three PRCA Rodeos and the bull riding. Calf scrambles are planned during the Friday and Saturday PRCA Rodeos. The All-American Cowgirl Chicks will also perform at all three rodeos and the bull-riding event.
Other events scheduled for the rodeo arena will be Jackpot Team Roping at 7 p.m. Monday, March 10; Youth Team Roping at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11; and NBHA Barrel racing, Wednesday, March 12, at 7 p.m.
The Peanut Scramble will be held during the Thursday rodeo performance. The winner will receive two roundtrip airline tickets. There will also be a scavenger hunt where one winner will also receive two roundtrip airline tickets.
The Lil’ Miss Cowgirl Contest will be held Saturday, March 8, at 7 p.m. in the Livestock Show administration building assembly hall. The All-Valley Cotton Style Show will be held in the event center at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 9.
On Wednesday, March 12, gate admission for senior citizens will be reduced to $3 for persons age 60 and over. A special senior citizen’s program will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the Action Spot with door prizes and entertainment.
In the exhibit hall, vendors will offer items from hardware to rodeo wear. In the Youth Center, an array of 4-H and FFA shop projects, from furniture to barbecue wagons, will be on display along with photography contest entries.
Judging of cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits and horticulture projects along with photography, cotton garments, and western art is the core of the entire 10-day event. FFA and 4-H members spend hundreds of hours working on their projects in hopes of winning awards, scholarships, prize money and the opportunity to sell their projects at the Sale of Champions on Saturday, March 15, in the Event Center.
This year’s RGV Livestock Show theme, "A Salute to Volunteers," pays tribute to the thousands of dedicated people who have spent untold hours working day and night to enable the RGV Livestock Show to fulfill its mission for 69 years. Their energy embodies the heart and soul of the RGV Livestock Show.