Business View Magazine - Feb 2024

CENTER EVENTS Today, approximately 350,000 attend the Center’s 270 events each year. Its two major offerings are the four-day Western Heritage Classic held in May and the ten-day West Texas Fair and Rodeo held in September. The main event at the Western Heritage Classic is a ranch rodeo. “Ten historic ranches compete in ranch activities: branding, milking, doctoring, penning, and bronc riding,” says Johnson.“So, it’s a rodeo, but with events that are specific to ranching.” “Along with that event, we have a Chuck Wagon Cook-off, and the largest Bit and Spur Show in the world,” she continues. “Bits are what you put in horses’ mouths to control them; cowboys wear spurs on their boots. It’s all handmade ‘tack,’ which is what it’s called in the equine industry -- leather reins, saddles, bits, spurs -- some of it’s for trading, some of it’s for selling.” “We have 300 booths and tables that are set up to do this and you’ve got some of the finest bit makers with a good sound system, with adequate seating for larger events, that it would just bring in more business. And we succeeded in doing that. We’ve come to the point now that we are having to turn down business because we don’t have any more dates available -- which is a good problem to have.” Ultimately, the old livestock barn, which was built in the ‘50s, was torn down and replaced with a new one, which is called the First Financial Pavilion.Then, it was connected to the Guitar Arena, a 45,000-sq.- ft. livestock venue with stalls, pens, and portable bleachers, and the new Taylor Telecom Arena, which is home to the Center’s main rodeo events, making it possible to go from one facility to another without having to go outside. The Coliseum, which was originally built for concerts but was also sometimes utilized as a dirt arena for horse shows was updated and cleaned up, never again to be filled with dirt and to be used only for concerts and presentations. The renovations were completed in 2021. 178 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 02