Let’s Rodeo! Parade, Trail Riders kick it off

12 Trail Rider groups spent last week to get to Memorial Park campgrounds on Friday.
12 Trail Rider groups spent last week to get to Memorial Park campgrounds on Friday.

Are you ready to Rodeo? The 87th Annual Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo starts Monday, February 25, and runs through Sunday, March 17.

Monday’s opening entertainment is Grammy winning Kacey Musgraves, and the closing act in March is George Strait.

Events leading up to the Rodeo included Trail Riders arriving at Memorial Park, a Parade downtown, a Bar-B-Que Cook-off, and a Rodeo Run which had more than 9000 entries.

The Rodeo Parade, including the traditional “Howdy” float, took place on Saturday in spite of inclement weather.

The overall champion BBQ grand champion team was Operation BBQ Relief. The top trail riding group was Texas Independence, winning the Spirit Award.

The Grand Marshal for the parade was Texans Quarterback DeShaun Watson, riding a horse for the first time. Over 30 floats and units participated. The top float was judged to be Fiesta Mart, who was named the Sweepstakes winner.