The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo opens its doors Friday, Jan. 13, and with one week to go those running the event, preparing to show animals and attending are all getting ready.
Students in the Arlington Heights High School FFA will spend every single day at the barn feeding, cleaning and caring for their animals.
"We're about to enter into show season and everything is about to get busy, but it's a fun time of the year," said AH FFA President Katy Jo Nickelson.
Their cows, goats and sheep get a lot of attention come show season, but it's work that carries on throughout the year.
"It's all about hands on, you have to work with your animal," said Zachary Harper, FFA secretary and Arlington Heights junior. "If you don't work with your animal you can't expect your animal to work with you."
"A lot of it's based on the animal, but as long as you put in that effort and work with your animal and you kind of know now to handle it, then it's going to go well for you," Nickelson said.
The students will take their animals to several shows in the coming weeks, but the stock show is up first and the veteran students say what they do throughout the year pays off come show season.
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"We have to come out there and sheer them next week to get them ready, we wash them, bathe them, all that kind of stuff," said Arlington Heights junior Payton Salge.
Work on the Will Rogers Memorial Center is well under way. The bulk of the set up will really start this weekend, with midway rides and tents going up and grounds crews cleaning hallways and setting up show areas.
The Will Rogers Ticket Office saw a steady stream of customers buying their rodeo and stock show tickets on Friday.
Melvin Prince says his family comes every year for a Friday night rodeo. it's a family tradition. "Yeah, we got good tickets, three rows up, got seven tickets right at the 50 yard line," Prince said.
 For the latest on the 116th Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo click here to see our special section. View videos, photos, and stories about the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo which runs from Jan. 13 to Feb. 4, 2012. |
