The rodeo, held at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, features all the adrenaline-packed cowboy staples, including bronco riding, team roping, barrel racing, and of course, bull riding.
When you buy a ticket, you also get something money can't buy: a refreshing injection of the American spirit.
Then the announcer did something refreshing that is not very common in this country under God: he prayed.
That was my impression during a recent visit to a rodeo, where I watched as self-made competitors from near and far exemplified the work ethic that built this great country.
It was a memorable evening and if you are lucky enough to go there I think you will agree.
Thoroughly rural
Walking among the two-story Western-style buildings that line East Exchange Avenue felt like stepping into American history. The red-brick street was bustling with pedestrians on both sides. Men wore cowboy hats, boots, and denim; women wore feather headdresses, colorful boots, or sparkly boots paired with loose summer dresses.
A loosely tethered longhorn stands in front of the Cowtown Coliseum, drawing in the crowds. Turn your head in either direction down this picturesque street, where the red, blue and yellow neon signs of shops, bars and Texas barbecue overlap one another, giving the impression you're in a family-friendly version of Nashville's famous Broadway.
It was a thoroughly rural experience and it was refreshing.
Morgan Milan
The Arrival of Old Glory
Ten minutes before showtime, locals and tourists in Western attire began trickling through the Coliseum doors to find their seats. My group sat in the strawberry-yellow wooden stadium seats in Section D, beaming as a lanky teenager in an Stars and Stripes suit stood in the middle of the dirt ring to pump up the crowd.
As he bowed, an announcer sitting at the back of the arena asked the crowd to remove their hats, and a jockey on a horse named Old Glory carried the American flag into the ring. Lee Greenwood's “God Bless the USA” played over the speakers, and Old Glory accelerated from a slow trot to a breathtaking trot. Our flag held aloft, rippling in the air with the horse's speed, until the pride-inducing song ended.
Because a single tribute to our great country wasn't enough, a female singer followed with a powerful rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Then the announcer did something new, and something not very common in this country under God. He prayed. He prayed for the cowboys and cowgirls in the rodeo. He prayed for the safety of the animals and for the joy of those in attendance. His prayer was the most American I've heard in a long time.
I can't imagine anyone going to a rodeo at Cowtown Coliseum and not being overwhelmed with national pride and patriotism. Being allowed to openly love my country reminded me of all that freedom means. I am eternally grateful to the men and women of Fort Worth who keep alive the American spirit of my childhood in a world where most of us feel forced to watch it die.
Morgan Milan
True Courage
Luckily, rodeo competitors showed up with the spirit to back up their patriotic pageantry. Cowboys rode angry wild horses, leaping from their horses' backs to the ground or onto the metal fences around the arena. Cowgirls tied calves with pink lassos or galloped their horses around black barrels for the fastest time. Meanwhile, attendees twirled popcorn, sipped cold Cokes and whiskey, and exclaimed “wow” and “oof” as competitors narrowly avoided hoof heads, toppled barrels, and successfully tied up cattle.
A bachelor party was revving up a group of young men in the stands, and kids were competing in a tag-team race to pull a tug from a calf running in the arena. The energy that night kept me on the edge of my seat. I thought to myself, this is the America I want to raise my kids in.
The Cowtown Coliseum Rodeo demonstrates what it means to be a patriot, and if you're in Fort Worth or need a reminder of why you should be proud to be an American, we recommend making time to visit.
Tickets for the Cowtown Coliseum rodeo are on sale year-round. online.
