Dust off your cowboy boots because professional rodeo cowboys are set to make a grand return to Cleveland, Texas, for the annual Cleveland Livestock Show and Rodeo, held at Stancil Exposition Center, 211 Peach Ave., Cleveland. Formerly known as Dairy Days, this event is scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 28-30, promising an action-packed weekend for the community.
In advance of the rodeo, there will be a parade through downtown Cleveland on Saturday, March 23, beginning at 3 p.m.
While the main attraction of the annual event centers around two thrilling nights of professional rodeo, there’s much more in store for attendees. On Thursday, March 28, there will be a Family Night featuring entertaining activities like stick horse races and dummy roping. During Saturday night’s rodeo, the new Miss Rodeo Cleveland Livestock Show will be crowned.
Tickets for the nightly rodeo are $10 for adults. Kids 10 and under get in for free. The professional rodeos begin at 7:30 p.m. nightly and the Family Night Rodeo begins at 6:30 p.m.
Once the dust settles from the rodeo, the arena will be packed once again for the livestock shows, which will culminate in a youth livestock show at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 5. A buyer’s appreciation dinner will take place in the rodeo arena from 4 to 6 p.m. On Saturday, April 6, a freezer sale will be held in the arena starting at 10 a.m.
If you want to see some of the best in raising and breeding livestock animals, or agriculture and home economics projects, attend one of the shows during the week of April 1-4. On Monday, April 1, a welding competition will be held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., market broiler judging will be held at 8 a.m., and a breeding rabbit show will be held at 2 p.m.
On Tuesday, April 2, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., vendors will be open to the public. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., you can view the home economics projects. At 11 a.m., the market lamb show will take place, followed by the market goat show.
On Wednesday, April 3, the market swine show will take place at 9 a.m., the agriculture mechanics projects will be judged at 10 a.m., and at 4 p.m., a commercial heifer show will be held, followed by a market steer show.
On Friday, April 5, get ready to witness the true spirit of generosity at the youth livestock auction, where local businesses and organizations will compete to bid on the youths’ projects. This event promises to showcase the best in community support and enthusiasm, and is free to attend.
When asked about the significance of this event to the community, Cleveland Livestock Show Board President B.J. Burton emphasized its profound impact on local children. Burton said that last year’s CLSDD raised a record-breaking $790,000 for kids through the purchase of their livestock and county fair projects. That total includes the initial $688K and the add-on bids that came in after the sale.
Burton stressed that the primary goal is to educate and inspire local youth, who are the future of the nation’s agriculture. Ultimately, the goal is to cultivate a passion for agriculture and animal care among the next generation.
For more information, go online to https://clevelandlivestockshow.com/