National Western Stock Show

Few things in this life live up to our childhood memories. This weekend Scott and I decided to take our kids and attend the National Western Stock Show in Denver. Growing up my family regularly attended this event, sometimes it was for my Dad to buy stock, sometimes it was to make contacts with other breeders, and sometimes it was just for fun. Going to the stock show as I was growing up holds nothing but great memories for me, so I was a little anxious about attending this year. After all, everything changes right?

Well, not the stock show. It was as if time had absolutely frozen. As we walked into the complex and looked around time seemed to fly backwards. It looked the same, felt the same, and smelled the same. We walked around and the vendors were all there, selling the same things, jewelry, leather goods, cool toys, stock trailers, portable fencing, and cotton candy. The nostalgia was so strong I had to resist the urge to look over my shoulder to see if my Dad was right behind me.

It was a great experience, and (despite a massive nose bleed and bad asthma attack) my children are already planning for next year. They loved the rodeo, the stock yards and the vendors. After all, how many places in this world can you see an Elvis impersonator with trained sheep dogs, herding sheep, with monkeys on their backs?