On the final days of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, show Vice President and Steer Commissioner Charlie Geren was busy walking the dirt arena floors and overseeing the two-day process to crown a grand champion.
However, those are actually likely some of the least stressful days of the show's three-week run for Geren, as most of the other days he's also busy playing another important role.
Geren is probably better known to most in Fort Worth as a Republican state representative, one of the city's voices at the state capitol in Austin.
When he first took on that duty in 2001, Geren made a commitment to continue his decades of service at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
"When I first ran for the Legislature I talked to then-Speaker (Pete) Laney and I said, 'If I've got to miss the Stock Show I'm not going to do this,' and he said, 'No, that's important in your district, that's business in your district, tend to it.'"
Tend to it, he has.
In all of that time Geren said he's never missed a rodeo performance all while still performing his duties in Austin.
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For the first two weeks of the show he takes two flights every day to be at both jobs.
"It's American Airlines. It leaves at 6:45 in the morning, gets back at 4:30 in the afternoon," said Geren.
Only for the final week of the show when the champions are crowned does Geren commit all of his time to the show and keep up with the Legislature from afar.
As the Stock Show draws to a close for another year Geren said he will help close the show out on Saturday and then be on yet another flight to Austin to get back to work representing Fort Worth.
