Hog Blog

For some, the Stock Show's in their blood

Walk into Barn 4 and the first thing you'll see is the face of a veteran Stock Show worker, smiling behind the window of the accounting office.

His name is Guy Sheppard. And he has been here for 30 years.

Sheppard, 87, sells grounds passes and car passes, collects feed bills and distributes catalogs of the different breeds being shown at the Stock Show.

"I've been here nearly all my conscious life," he said.

Q: What do you do when you're not at the Stock Show?
A: Oh, I'm retired. I play golf a lot. But before I was retired I was in the automobile parts rebuilding business. Before that I was in the grocery business.

Q: What has changed at the Stock Show since you started working here?
A: From our point of view down here, it hasn't changed a whole lot. I guess it's more modern. But our duties are about the same. Now, we used to have dormitories upstairs. That ended about 10 years ago, I think. The FFA kids and the 4-H club kids used to stay here. They'd come with their groups. Now all the moms and dads come so they started just staying at hotels.

Q: What is your best Stock Show memory?
A: Oh, I don't know if I really have a best memory. I was raised on the north side of Fort Worth. Prior to 1944, they held the Stock Show in the Stockyards. And that was part of my heritage down there. So when it moved, well I wanted to still be a part of it. And my wife works here, too. She does the underground parking over at the exhibits hall.

Q: Are you ready for the Stock Show to be over?
A: Oh, we're always ready for it to be over. You always say you're not going to come back, but you always do. Even though you get tired as heck, it's in your blood.

Q: Are you going to work again next year.
A: Probably will. I'll either be here or at the cemetery.

- Lindsey Bever

Signs say it all at the Stock Show

There are many ways to tell you're at the Stock Show. There's the friendly "good mornin" that gate workers issue to strangers, the distinct aroma, and sounds usually heard on farms and ranches.

Then there are the signs.

Like "Caution Rednecks at Play."

And "Do not wash horses on sidewalks."

At one stall in the horse barn housed by Poco Vista Performance Horses, a sign read: "If the Lord is in your heart then there will be two in the saddle and you'll never ride alone."

Poco Vista's slogan? "Ridin for Jesus. He's Our Judge."

Over in the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall, some of the signs for sale by vendors were a leaned toward irreverent.

"We don't skinny dip, we chunky dunk."

Another offered sound advice: "Don't squat with yer spurs on."

The most fitting sign on the final day of the Stock Show? The one held by a wooden cowboy who is waving goodbye as you exit the grounds: "It's been mighty nice having you here. Come back again!"

- Lee Williams 

A rabbit's life

More than 30 breeds of caged rabbits are lined up in the Poultry Building at the Stock Show. Some as big as a 2-year-old.

They were all waiting to be judged.

Body type, color, fur and flesh condition were the criteria.

Tom Barker, superintendent of the Rabbit Show, has been doing this for 26 years. And he said the most interesting breed is the Harlequin.

The Harlequin is a marked breed. For instance, Barker said, if one ear is black, the other has to be white. And if one side of the nose is one color, the other side is different color.

"All of the colors have to be in the right spot," he said. "It's very difficult."

A little castor Mini Rex from Alvarado took first place.

- Lindsey Bever

Milking the Stock Show for all it's worth

Elsie became the milk icon at the New York World Fair in 1939.

More importantly, she's a veteran of the Fort Worth Stock Show.

This morning toddlers were poking their heads in Elsie's and Beauregard's pens, which are in the exhibits hall. And one toddler just didn't want to leave.

Becky Shires, of Calera, Okla., brought her grandson Kreed, 2, to the Stock Show this year.

"Kiss! Kiss!" Kreed yelled as he reached his hand through the bars to pet Elise's eye lid.

But Shires pulled him back a bit.

"We've been coming here since his daddy was this age," she said. "We couldn't not come."

- Lindsey Bever

Over-eating takes talent

Word of the day: gluttony.

The Stock Show grounds are flooded with food. Reata. Diego's Cantina. Stockman's Cafe.

But for those festival foods, grab the antacids and stomp over to the Round Up Inn Food Court.

What you'll find in the food court:

Subway
Catfish Shack
Coburn's Bar-B-Q
Home Cookin -- offering jambalaya, red beans and rice and gumbo
Burger & Chili Shack
Granny's Cheesecake & More

Recommendations:

The Coburn's Bar-B-Q chopped beef sandwich is dependable and a solid selection for lunch. 

The Burger & Chili Shack usually has the longest line. It's the typical carnival stuff -- hot dogs, burgers, turkey legs, chili and Frito pie. The all-American hot dog is good for what it is. But the bowl of chili with cheese and onions is fantastic.

Granny's Cheesecake & More is selling the evil foods -- cheesecake, caramel apples, chocolate-covered strawberries and bananas. Go for the strawberries.

Just don't make the mistake of eating the barbecue, hot dog, bowl of chili and chocolate-covered strawberries in one sitting.

- Lindsey Bever

Unusual finds

The exhibits hall at the Stock Show is full of shoppers -- a beer in one hand and a shopping bag in the other.

Most are looking at cowboy hats and boots, Western paintings and jewelry. But for those who have a need for knives that can shave an orange peel or want a sketch of a horny toad, they've got 'em covered.

Anita Poynor, of Keller, was shopping with her kids Cody Griffin, 16, and Lisa Poynor, 13.

Lisa said the weirdest thing she has seen was The Bull Pen -- a booth where kids can sit on a stuffed bull and get their picture taken.

"That just shows what a city girl you are if you think that's the most unusual thing here," Poynor said to her daughter.

But Griffin's idea of the most unusual item was pretty accurate. The Texas Sandal Boots.

Diane Fritsch, owner and inventor of the Texas Sandal Boots models her footwear at the Stock Show.

The sandal boots are a new product this year. It's a custom-made boot top that can be worn with "sandals, high heels, low heels, mules or barefoot on the beach," said Diane Fritsch, owner of the boot top.

The boot tops are going for $89 for the 8-inch and $99 for the 11-inch at the Stock Show. Prices on the Web site are a bit more.

But Fritsch said the Texas Sandal Boots is making three to four sales a day.

Not bad for a boot top.

- Lindsey Bever

Home grown

Spectators could hardly get into the crowded West Arena during the first hour of the Stock Show's junior sale of champion animals.

But you could hear the auctioneer yodeling all the way outside.

Inside, kids were showing their animals, which went for thousands of dollars each.

But one young man turned some heads.

No taller than his steer, the boy stood poking his animal and patiently waiting to hear how much it was worth.

He hadn't bought the steer. He didn't even pick the steer. He' picked its mother and raised it from a calf.

Patricia Lyons, of Arlington, said these kids are a testimony to what Fort Worth is all about.

"He was one of the youngest and showed the most charisma of any kid here," she said. "This is the best event of the whole Stock Show. You can't watch this and not get excited for all these kids."

The steer's price tag: $20,000
Buyer: Ed Bass

- Lindsey Bever

I'll have another, please

They started drinking beer early at the Stock Show Friday. Bartender Camille Hudson, working in the Justin Arena, said she sold her first beer  at about 9:30 a.m.

"It's usually not that early, but this is a busy day," said Camille, a 23-year-old graduate student at Oklahoma City University. She commutes to the Stock Show when's she not in class.

The grounds were overrun with teens Friday - the big steer and barrow shows were going on - but Hudson reports that she hasn't seen any youngsters trying to buy a beer.

"I haven't had anyone with a fake ID," she said. "They're pretty well behaved, so far."

Camille sells Coors Light and Blue Moon beer on tap, and also offers wine.

Beer, however, is clearly the best seller.

"Coors Light is No. 1," she said.

That'll change Saturday morning for the Sale of Champions, when bloody marys become the drink of choice.

- Lee Williams

All work and no play

It's a ghost town in Cowtown -- at least at the carnival midway it is.

A few rides appear to be moving, but the seats are empty.

Mary Jarvis, a native of Fort Worth, rode the ferris wheel with her fiance and her two boys, ages 3 and 7. But they didn't have much company.

"I think it's because it's a school day," she said. "But it's nice we don't have to wait in line."

Ironically, it's kids' day at the carnival, said Richard Daley, who runs the water race game.

"But as you can see, there aren't many kids here," he said.

And Daley said today's crowd is pretty typical.

"It's been like this the whole Stock Show," he said. "It's terrible. I'm very disappointed."

- Lindsey Bever

Swine time

Ah, the smell of urine-soaked pine in the morning.

The pig pens at the Stock Show are full and their young owners are getting them ready for the Junior Barrow Show today.

Soon, judges will be grading these kids on the muscle tone, posture, walk and shine of their barrows.

Haley Buckley, 11, was loading her barrow onto the scale a little while ago. More than 260 pounds.

And Josh Auvenshine, also 11, said his needed to be washed, brushed and sprayed with a little swine shine before the show.

"The hardest thing is trying to keep him off the ground," he said, brushing pine shavings off his pig, which was lying down.

It seems these kids aren't at all attached to these animals. It's all business.

"Did I name him? No, it doesn't have a name," Josh said. "It's just a pig."

- Lindsey Bever

What recession?

Dozens of people were pacing in front of the vendor's exhibit hall this morning, lining up 20 minutes before the doors opened.

While there was no stampede when the doors swung open, 10-year-old Carcin Walters was raring to get herself some new boots.

"It's kind of like second Christmas," said Carcin, of Anson, Texas.

Carcin's mother, Casey Woodard, said the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is their favorite event in Texas.

"We come here every year to get new boots," she said. "I look for jewelry for myself. They have a lot of interesting things here."

Woodard also takes advantage of the tax deduction for clothes and boots for participants in the Stock Show.

-Anthony Spangler

Smell tour: Part 7

THE SWINE BARN -- I am standing in a room with 600 pigs. It smells a bit like a portable toilet hastily disinfected with ammonia.

Livestock ranchers are often careful not to insult each other's animals. Cattle raisers aren't quick to take a dig at a pig farmer, and vice versa. But among some office workers, boot shine men, janitors and other regulars at the Stock Show, the swine have a reputation as the most odoriferous animals.

On my way here, I walked through several barns filled with cattle. Those smelled like wood shavings. To find out why the cattle swine barns smell so different, I went to the pig experts. Daryl Real, the Stock Show swine superintendent and Gary Rosenbusch, an agricultural science teacher in Glen Rose, supplied some answers (prefaced of course, by the statement that "good" and "bad" odors are a matter of opinion):

1) Concentration. There are about 600 hogs in the swine barn, compared to about 300 cattle per barn. That means more hog waste in the same amount of space.

2) Digestive system. Pigs are monogastric, which means they have a single-compartment stomach. Cattle are ruminant. Their stomachs have four compartments. That means pigs can't process fiber as well, so their diets consist of easier-to-digest foodstuffs, which are less digested and smell different when they are expelled. Pigs also have different bacteria in their systems, Real said. "Different kinds of bacteria produce different gases." Pigs, if you're curious, basically have the same digestive system as humans, they said.

3) Ammonia. There's more of it in pigs' urine than other animals'.

So, are swine the most offensive livestock here? Or, do they, as one official who did not want to be named declared, "smell like money"? You'll have to judge for yourself. The pigs are here until Friday.

-- Kate Gorman

Mission accomplished

It took some digging -- and a great amount of self control -- but I found my Stock Show deal. This sassy pair of purple earrings and matching bracelet for $8. They will go perfect with my punk Ed Hardy boots. I'm a happy girl.

-Eva-Marie Ayala Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

Smell tour: Part 6

THE MIDWAY -- Outside the equestrian center I quickly walk past a cigarette smoker and then dodge diesel fumes coming from an idling ambulance (it's there in case a rodeoer needs to be transported in a hurry).

A few steps later, the cool breeze carries the oily odor of hot french fries my way. Other than that, the carnival midway is like an olfactory oasis.

That suits Richard Daley just fine. He operates the water gun race game.

"Water doesn't smell very much," he said. "There's a little anti-freeze in it, but that doesn't smell very much."

"I'm a city boy, I can do without the smells."

The animal side of the Stock Show is "a different world," he said. He doesn't understand how people can be hungry for food when their noses are full of the scent of feed and manure.

Of course, that juxaposition is perhaps what's so interesting about the smells of the Stock Show.

In the Richardson-Bass Building, the clean, earthy smell of dirt permeates the air in the John Justin Arena. At the bar in the the corner of the room, though, bartender Brenda Luttrell can only smell two things:

"Popcorn and stale beer," the Boyd resident says from her seat next to the popcorn machine.

So, does she think its weird that show-goers to snack on popcorn or the cinnamon buns for sale in the hallway while taking in the smells of livestock?

"They're all used to it," she said. " It's their daily lives."

-- Kate Gorman

My birthday wish

If anyone out there is wondering what to get me next month, here it is -- an "ox blood" coral silver bracelet. It's only $390. Some one loves me that much, right? Uh, hello?

--Eva-Marie Ayala Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

Smell tour: Part 4

THE HORSE HOUSE -- Some smells are hard to identify. I walked into the Will Rogers Equestrian Center and was nearly knocked over by the dry, dusty smell of hay hanging in the air.

Or so I thought. I was soon corrected. That is the smell of wood shavings, Stall Office personnel told me.

Turns out there are quarter horses both coming and going today. That means stalls are being cleaned out and prepped up.

There a 925 horse stalls in the center. The Stock Show provides two bags of shavings per stall, and competitors can bring two more of their own, officials said.

That's a lot of particulate. Where'd I put my nasal spray?

--Kate Gorman

The unflappable Beauregard

THE BORDEN MILK BOOTH -- As I watched dozens of young children paw at the snoozing milk mascot, Beauregard, I thought, "Surley this animal has been pumped full of tranquilizers."

Not so, says the calf's caretaker, Larry Campbell.

"He eats and sleeps," Campbell said. "He's just very like a newborn baby."

Which is basically what he his. Beauregard is 24 days old and has been "working" since he was three days old.

There's no telling how many kids have petted Beauregard, but the drowsy fellow never gets upset, Campbell said.

"I was asked if he was going to have any hair left on his head 'cause he's been rubbed so much, but I think it's growing back just as fast as they rub it off," he said.

-- Kate Gorman

Smell tour: Part 3

FARM-MART -- The exhibit hall is decidedly subtle in the olfactory world of the Stock Show. Walking through the dozens of shopping booths, only a few are notable. In one aisle you have earthy leather furniture and boots, as well as fudge. (Maple fudge is the strongest, according to Frontier Fruit & Nut & Co., proprieter Rayna. That's her pictured above.)

Tractor and metal building displays are basically invisible to this nose. The air is so neutral in here, you actually get some people smells, too. Seems there's plenty of ladies wearing perfume. Perhaps a pre-emptive measure?

-- Kate Gorman

My infomercial dreams come true

Someone help me because I do have a problem. I swear, I'm addicted to infomercials. And now they're here! While the ShamWow guy irritates the heck out of me, I can never turn the channel when it's on late at night. I always watch the ads and never call. But here in the Amon Carter exhibit hall, the temptation to buy is so over powering. Have you seen what this chopping thing can do? -Eva-Marie Ayala Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

Confessions of a Stock Show shoppin' junkie

Cowboys, rides and funnel cake. Sure. But really, I come for the funky jewelry, purses and whatever unusual find I can snag. One year, I found some cute silver teardrop studs for $6. Deals are here. I will find one. So far, the most fun thing I've come across are these wooden frogs that make noises when you run a stick across their back ridges. My nephew would love 'em. My brother, not so much.

- Eva-Marie Ayala

Smelling tour: Part 2

BARN-TO-MARKET HALLWAY -- We're in the hallway outside the Stock Show office. The smell of this thoroughfare in the last week of the show -- a pungent amonia that burns the nostrils a little -- is notorious among veteran Stock Show workers.

The hallway is the main route for folks coming from the barns (where the pigs are) to the exhibit hall (where the food, bathrooms and merchandise are). No doubt all those people track in a lot of matter from the barns. But why is it so different with the pigs?

"I don't know, but it's worse," Ethan, an FFA tour guide tells me emphatically.

Maybe the feed is different, pigs will eat anything, Ethan and two other tour guides speculate.

Let's leave that question for later and get moving away from the swine barn for now.

-- Kate Gorman

Aromas of the arenas

The barrows (neutered male pigs to you city slickers) only arrived at Stock Show yesterday, but their unpleasant presence has already been noticed by knowing noses.

"I've lived around Stock Shows all my life, and I can't smell half the smells anymore," said Breann Pritchard, a media office intern. "But the pigs and the chickens never go away."

In honor of the stinky swine, the hog blog will take a smelling tour of the Stock Show today. Stay tuned.

-- Kate Gorman

Make way for the steers and pigs

If you want to get a glimpse of what the Stock Show is really all about, check in on the junior steer and barrow shows the rest of the week.

The classification of steers is Wednesday. The shows are Thursday and Friday, with the grand champions and reserve champions named Friday.

The annual Sale of Champions -- the auction of award-winning steers, barrows, lambs, and goats run by the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate -- is Saturday at the West Arena.

-- Scott Nishimura

Model mania

Tim Novak could probably buy a nice miniature replica of John Deere Co.'s distinctive green and yellow farm equipment, either at this year's Stock Show or maybe online. But noooooooo. He has to go make his own. His own very accurate, very detailed, pretty darn amazing models. And he's had practice. The Belleville, Kan., resident figures he's carved and painted 143 models, mostly tractors and combines, since 1986, when he decided plastic kits just didn't cut it. "I've always been fascinated with tractors, so I decided to do some wood carving," said Novak, whose in Fort Worth helping a fellow Kansan show.

"I make everything as close to scale as possible," he said. The models are mostly wood, but he'll use metal or plastic for small or fragile pieces, like a gear shift or steering wheel, and the tires are rubber. The model he's holding here is a 1970-era John Deere 4020 tractor. By the way, that hood lifts off to reveal an engine complete with spark plug wires and alternator. And the three-point hitch on the rear works. He sells his models, and that's where his fidelity to original design pays off. His customers, he said, "are people who might buy it for a parent, a tractor they might have had growing up. It brings back memories."

-- Jim Fuquay

Here, try some Green Fudge

The stock show’s exhibit hall offers up some of the customary hat, tractor and purse vendors, but Bill Burt at the Yuletide Gourmet booth has some interesting fixings. His relishes, spreads, preserves, dips and dry soups come in some pretty interesting flavors, and Burt is willing to let you try almost any of them. We sampled some of his Green Fudge, a jalepeño concotion that actually tastes great when baked into cheese. We also tried his enchilada soup, which isn’t bad, either. And if your taste buds can stand it, you might also ask Burt to fix you a wheat thin cracker with jalepeño, onion, relish and garlic spread ,or one of candied jalepeños with cream cheese. If you can't make it to Stock Show you can   find him on the Web, at www.evanburt.com.

After visiting Yuletide, you might want to make your way to the Foothuggers booth, where comfy socks in ankle-, calf- and knee-length are offered to folks with cold feet. Foothuggers seemed popular, with a crowd gathering now and then. They also have a website, www.foothuggers.com.

-- Adrienne Nettles

It's a real animal house

During January and February, the Fort Worth Stock Show runs the biggest bed and breakfast in town. More than 20,000 rabbits, chickens, pigeons, sheep, goats, hogs and cattle check in at the Arena Director’s office, and each of them has to have a place to lay their heads. “Every animal either has a tie-out or a pen,” said David Gibbs, consulting livestock show manager. Cattle need both, a place in the barn during the day and an outside tie-up for overnight stays.

The showers are down the hall, but there is room service. “And the maid comes in and changes the bedding,” said Stefan Marchman, livestock show manager. Animals check in, stay for four to five days for their shows, then check out. During the 28-day show, animals will come in four shifts, with the arena director and staff changing out the wooden shavings in the pens between shifts.

Figuring out where to put all those animals takes a week to 10 days, Gibbs said. And once the folks get here, they still need tending. “We’re the concierge,” Marchman joked. “Where’s the Ferris wheel? Where’s the Yellow Pages?”

- Amanda Rogers

The sound of music

You can follow your nose to a lot of places at the Stock Show, but to find Rocking Horse Depot you might want to follow your ears. Just walk into the vendors' area in the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall and tune in the chorus of croaks coming from ZZ Frogs. Jerry and Sombat Axton import the colorful carvings from Sombat's native Thailand, and a rub of a stick across the creatures' ridged back produces a sound ranging from a cricket-like chirp from the smallest model to a throaty rumble that could belong to the Mother of All Bullfrogs. On Sunday, a steady crowd of kids and their parents kept the joint jumping.

Jerry says the frogs are made of monkey pod wood, which he compared to red oak. After being carved into a frog shape, the form is hollowed out, producing a surprising resonance, and then painted or stained. ZZ Frogs come in five sizes with prices ranging from $6 to $20. "In the spring, if you're good, you can call frogs and catch 'em," he says -- although he didn't say what you do after that. In the city, he suggests, teachers can use them to call a class to attention, and they make a different percussion instrument in music classes.

-- Jim Fuquay  

Charging up Texas argiculture

It was sunny and breezy Sunday at the Fort Worth Stock Show - perfect for swarms of visitors and --renewable energy. Linda Forster, of Solar Power Tex, exhibited at the event for the first time and pronounced herself pleased with the interest shown, even if she hadn't yet taken an order. Her Alvarado-based company's wares included small wind-powered generators, photovolatic panels and a hot-water system that uses the sun's rays to heat water hot enough to boil.

"I think they're more interested in the wind," Forster said of her shoppers. "It's nostalgic, and there's more advertising and news about wind power in Texas," she said. Texas is the No. 1 wind power state in the country, with just over 8,000 megawatts of generating capacity installed, mostly in West Texas. Last year wind provided nearly 5 percent of the state's total electricity used. Forster showed a wind turbine with an 8-foot-diameter, three-bladed propeller that can generate one kilowatt - 1,000 watts, or enough to power 10 100-watt light bulbs - when perched atop a pole at least 60 feet high in a stiff breeze. The generator connected to the propeller shaft produces direct current that can charge a bank of batteries, and the power then can be converted to alternating current for household use.

John and Shirley Scarborough stopped by for a look. The Dallas couple is preparing to move to a 35-acre ranch atop a windy rise near Kaufman, just southeast of Dallas, and they want to make energy efficiency a priority. "You can be reasonably self-sufficient for energy. We all know it's going to be more and more expensive," John Scarborough said. If wind power does gain a foothold in Texas agriculture, it will be a case of "back to the future." In the 1930s and 1940s, before rural electrification, some remote homesteads used what was called a "wind charger" to charge batteries that supplied an evening's worth of the modest electrical needs of the era.

-- Jim Fuquay

`The horny toad business is wonderful'

When your specialty niche is horny toads, Fort Worth has got to be part of your marketing plan.

Tom McCain, 64, carved out his first horny toad in 1976 when he was recovering from injuries he sustained as a Marine in Viet Nam. ``The horny toad business is wonderful and it’s a lot safer than being a Marine,’’ he said Saturday.

His Horny Toad Connection booth has been a fixture at the Stock Show for 15 years and McCain said he’s ``planning on another 15.’’

The Albuquerque, N.M, entrepreneur said he only shows his hand-made collection of horny toad pins, figurines, necklaces and ear rings at the Stock Show, the Texas State Fair and the New Mexico State Fair. ``But it doesn’t matter, at the shows or on my Web site, TCU Horned Frog fans are my best customers.’’

The horny toad industry appears to be recession-proof. ``I’m doing better this year than last,’’ he said. ``Fort Worth loves horny toads.’’

(Photo by Joyce Marshall)

— Steve Campbell

Justin rancher specializes in old-school cowboy duds

On his fifth try, Gary Place finally snagged a coveted exhibitor’s booth at the Stock Show.

 His Lone Star Cowboy Gear booth featuring vintage Western clothing is crammed into a closet-sized cubicle in the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibit Hall. There's not even enough space to display his popular wide-brimmed cowboy hats. But the Justin rancher isn’t complaining. He says sales of his period wear have been even better than he expected.

With a big mustache, an even bigger hat, round period spectacles, suspenders, striped pants and cowboy boots he looks like he just sauntered in off the 1880’s Texas range. And with such a tiny booth, he’s basically outfitted himself to be part of the exhibit. But we doubt many old cowboys sported as much silver and turquoise jewelry.

Jay Seymour, assistant manager of special events at the show, said Place’s friendly persistence and unique old-school cowboy duds is what landed him a spot. There were only 21 openings for one of 200 exhibitor slots this year and more than 180 would-be vendors applied for a booth, Seymour said Saturday.

Place started out peddling Old West vests with distinctive wide lapels and banded-collar cowboy shirts at trade and gun shows. He also has a booth at the Montgomery Street antique mall and a Web site, lonestarcowboygear.com. ``This old stuff is new again,’’ he said.

Just across the aisle from Place is Wood Stock N Sticks, where Richard Black, another first-time exhibitor from Boise, Idaho, is selling walking sticks and canes. Black said he didn’t even know he was getting into the show until three weeks ago. It’s his first big show anywhere and so far he said it’s ``going well.’’

Black said he and his wife left Idaho 18 months ago to become full-time house and pet sitters. That gig has taken them all over the country and his wife is now on the job at a home in San Antonio.

(Photo by Joyce Marshall)

— Steve Campbell

Less feed, more beef

Despite the name, they do not come from the northeastern United States and they do not eat pears.

Maine-Anjou cattle, which will be shown at the Stock Show Sunday, originated from French and English breeds and take their name from the Maine and Anjou River valleys in France.

These large beef cattle (which are used for beef and milk in Europe) did not come to North America until the late 1960s. In the breed’s homeland, they are usually red and white cattle. In this country, most are black.

“What sets Maine-Anjous apart is their feed efficiency – they take less feed to make a pound of beef. And that’s important in this economy,” said James Davis, a Maine-Anjou breeder from Maypearl. “Their beef also tests high for tenderness.”

For more information about the breed, visit the American Maine-Anjou Association’s Web site, www.maine-anjou.org.

Punch Shaw 

IMAX movie will put you back in the saddle

If you fail to get enough of the real thing at the Stock Show, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has brought back an IMAX movie that is a horse loverʼs dream.

``Ride Around the World,'' a 2006 large-format film that traces the evolution of working horses from their roots in North Africa to a spring round-up on the famous 6666 Ranch in Texas.

The 45-minute documentary is filled with thundering hooves and near-infinite Western vistas -- sort of a cross between National Geographic and The Western Horseman. Thereʼs no plot, but the filmʼs images and well-crafted soundtrack are more than enough to keep viewers holding on tight as cowboys and vacqueros herd cattle around the globe.

The museum and its Omnimax theatre are located just a lariat toss away from the Stock Show at 1501 Montgomery St. This film, and others, will be shown daily during the Stock Show. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and children, and the museum can be accessed without purchasing Stock Show admission. For times, visit www.fwmsh.org or call 817-255-9300.

Punch Shaw

From ice to nice this weekend

``Stock Show weather'' is Fort Worth speak for cold, wet and nasty. Like this week's mean ice storm, it's the stuff that January is made of around here. But with forecast highs of 69 Saturday and 61 Sunday, vendors, particularly outdoor food booth operators, are hoping for the season's biggest crowds this weekend.

Sunday, Jan. 18 was equally balmy and 73,000 showed up. Since 2000, the 90,000 mark has been topped twice, both on the third Saturday of the show. By contrast, slightly more than 15,000 braved the ice Tuesday and Wednesday.

If you want to beat the crowds, make your plans for Monday. Over the last nine years, the lowest attendance has always fallen on the third Monday of the run. Last year, just 8,200 attended that day.

Through Thursday, the total head count was 385,000, 12,000 ahead of the 2008 pace.

Steve Campbell

Rabbit group prepping for the big time

  There was a line of people waiting to register their rabbits for the Mini Rex Rabbit Show this afternoon.

But that was nothing compared to what the Texas Mini Rex Rabbit Club expects to see at the end of March, That's when the group is scheduled to host a National Mini Rex Convention at the Will Rogers Center.

"We've been preparing for over a year," said Jon Rentschler of Fort Worth, the group's president. "It's going to be a big show."

Rentschler said he's expecting about 250 enthusiasts to bring about 2,400 Mini Rex rabbits to Fort Worth, so those with Leporiphobia might want to stay away.

Mini Rexes, known for their small size and incredibly soft fur, are a relatively young breed, first bred less than 20 years ago, Rentschler said. They're incredibly gentle and usually don't weigh more than 4.5 pounds.

Purebred Mini Rexes are mostly enjoyed as pets or as show rabbits, Rentschler said.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr.)

-Aman Batheja

Are purebred cattle recession proof?

If you've got a few thousand dollars handy and some space in your backyard, you may consider checking out one of the cattle sales today and tomorrow.

Purebred Simmental, Angus female and Charalois cattle go on the auciton block today. Tomorrow, Maine-Anjour go on sale.

While commercial beef prices have taken a hit from the soft economy, purebred owners say their wares are holding up fairly well for now.

"There's optimism," said Gary Emberson, who raises Chianini cattle in Nowata, OK. “A return on investment of 5 percent is better than you’re going to see in the stock marke or CDs or your local bank.”

Owners have looked with cautious optimism at the sales at the National West Stock Show in Denver earlier this month, where sales were pretty good.

“I think you can see all around you, the barns are full,” said Edward Davis with the Davis Bros. Cattle Company in Maypearl. “The cattle industry by and large is a part of what works here in America,”

So what would constitute a good sale price at this year's Stock Show? Depends on the breed but several owners said an average of $5,000 per head would suit them just fine.

-Aman Batheja

A baker's dozen of pure cuteness

Like those octuplets in California, a multiple birth of tiny, pink bundles of cuteness are drawing plenty of interest at this year’s Stock Show.

Thirteen two-week-old piglets have become the favorite attraction at the FAA Children’s Barnyard, where kids stream in all day to see livestock up close.

More adorable photos of the family are after the jump. Click on each photo for a closer look.

International experiences

The Stock Show took on an international air today, with nearly 300 students from the Fort Worth school district's newcomer's school turning out in force.

The students are from a host of backgrounds, including Mexico, Honduras, Burma, Iraq, Vietnam and Guatemala, among others.

They were given tours and treated to a special reception before heading off to the events.

-Dianna Hunt

Herds of children on the way

The open walkways and dearth of shoppers at the Fort Worth Stock Show exhibit hall Thursday morning was deceptive.

"There are going to be a lot of kids here later," one vendor moaned, rolling her eyes.

With the icy weather on Wednesday, school groups canceled their trips to the Stock Show and rescheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday. Today's schedule was already packed, with 2,000 children roaming the barns. 

That will mean about 1,500 kids each day, instead of the 800 that had been expected. And that could mean a busy day at the petting zoo, as well as the exhibit hall.

-Dianna Hunt

Magic Numbers

The horses in the Stock Show’s Mustang Magic competition generated some magical prices that more than doubled anticipated bids at the “adoption auction” which concluded the two-day event on Saturday night.

“We were just ecstatic,” said Julie Bryant, spokesperson for the event’s organizers, the Mustang Heritage Association.

“We expecting an average price of about $1,500, but they far exceed that.”

Indeed, the average price paid for the 11 mustangs in the event was $3,877 in a sale that brought in a total of $42,650.

The top price of $8,500 was paid for High Mileage Mike, trained by Chad Kelly of Monett, MO.

Spoonful of Buckshot, the winner of the competition portion of the event under trainer Bill Lopez, brought $7,000.

Lonnie Aragon of Colorado Springs, who was featured in a Star-Telegram story about Mustang Magic in Sunday’s edition, saw his horse Chance sell for $6,500.

The participating trainers received half of the sale price of their animals in addition to any prize money earned, Bryant said.

-- Punch Shaw

A sign of the times

Signs by L & J offers a wide variety of signage to Stock Show visitors.

One sign, advertised outside its booth, spoofs People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. On the sign PETA stands for "People Eating Tasty Animals."

David Casstevens