By Linda Laughter, guest blogger

Growing up on the Gulf Coast of Texas, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was a yearly tradition in our home. Schools declared it a state holiday as we donned our finest cowboy apparel and headed to downtown Houston to see the Rodo Parade. Trail rides from all over Texas would gather the night before in Memorial Park and gather with some of the finest horses and chuck wagons around.

Over the next three weeks we could go to the beautiful new Astrodome to see favorite western entertainers and exhibitions of the World’s Largest Livestock Show, displaying rabbits, lamas, cattle, goats and more. This included 4H participants as well as professional breeders.

I grew up in the city of Houston; I was a “city” girl, so all of this was eye-opening every year. If you were lucky enough to be able to buy tickets to see the entertainment at night you could see Dale Evans, Roy Rodgers, The Lone Ranger and so many others. Now Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan and many more draw the country western music crowds in for more. Today the Astrodome has been retired and the new NRG Building fills up every night with western fans to see the Rodeo and hear the music.

There are carnival rides, pony, pig and camel rides, a petting zoo, cow milking demos and a birthing center for children and adults alike. The smells are incredible!

There is one entire building dedicated to the purchase of anything Western. Leathers, deer antlers, jewelry made from you grandmother’s china, tractors, trucks, you name it. For food lovers there is a world class Bar B Q cookoff and Rodeo Uncorked, an International Wine Competition. This is where visitors can relax and enjoy signature dishes from 100 top chefs and try new types of vino.

What is most folks don’t realize is, that this is a charitable event. This year the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is committed to lassoing more than $26.7 million for Texas youth, raising its total educational contributions to more than $450 million since its founding in 1932. But it is more than just financial assistance, kids get to see firsthand the agricultural experience, encouraging them to be a part of the rodeo in the future. Texas always needs more cowboys and cowgirls!

Linda Laughter is a practicing interior designer and part-time painter in Ada, MI. She and her architect husband love to travel and enjoy all the architectural details and God’s beauty the world has to offer.