This little piggy went to the stock show
Victoria Juarez dries her 300-pound Yorkshire pig after giving her a bath during the opening day of the 2019 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo on Thursday.
Just before noon Thursday, 16year-old Victoria Juarez lovingly dried her freshly bathed 300pound purebred Yorkshire swine as she rested in her narrow pen at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.
“We got this,” she whispered to the gilt. “We’re going to do this.”
The teen lavished the pink pig with affection and encouragement in a routine she’s had since September, when she started raising Cow — yes, the pig’s name is Cow, an inside joke with a friend, Victoria said.
The San Antonio show, at the AT&T Center and Freeman Coliseum on the city’s East Side through Feb. 24, will be the first time the 8month-old female pig has competed. Victoria said she’s excited about her livestock project’s prospects.
“It’s a great experience,” said the junior from Medina Valley High School, acknowledging she’s a little nervous but has confidence in her porcine partner. “You learn a lot about the animal. You build a connection with them.”
While the swine barn had been bustling with activity since the predawn hours, it was later Thursday when the lights came on at the high-flying, twirling carnival rides and the 70th annual stock show was officially underway.
The aroma of roasted corn and grilled chicken drifted outside where lines of guests stretched from the food booths into the walkway near the swine barn, filled with squeals and grunts.
Youngsters wearing cowboy hats and chaps were striding through the grounds, tiny hands holding on to a grandparent or other adult, hankering to stop by fanfavorite attractions, including the petting zoo and pony rides.
There’s so much to see and do: a wide variety of entertainment on stages around the fairgrounds; agriculture learning centers; Cowboy Boot Camp to teach kids how to milk a cow, pan for gold and learn to lasso; and all kinds of vendors in addition to the carnival and the open-air food court.
New shows this year include the Trickline Collective, a group of athletes performing tricks on 2-inch nylon webbing, and the Scales, Tails and Teeth exhibit, including a wide-eyed Eurasian eagle-owl, a Nile crocodile and a fearsomelooking mata mata turtle.
“They came to see reptiles they normally don’t get to see,” said Brandon Posey, 30, of the crowd gathering near the animals.
The rodeo events and the nightly concerts at the arena bring in large crowds every day. Bareback riding, saddle bronc, barrel racing, team roping and other events excite the fans as cowboys compete for national honors.
And lest anyone think it’s all wild west rough-and-tumble, the Cowboy Church service on Sundays at the auction barn offers visitors and participants a chance to take a spiritual break.
An estimated 2 million people attended last year’s stock show and rodeo, and officials are expecting at least as many this year for the 18day event, said spokeswoman Lauren Sides.
For a full schedule of events and tips if this is your first rodeo, go to sarodeo.com
Putting on a stock show is no easy task, and the event wouldn’t be possible without the 6,000 volunteers who work year-round, said David Guion, one of the rodeo’s assistant vice presidents and himself a volunteer. He encouraged people to follow rodeo events beyond the February show.
“We’re a volunteer organization that emphasizes agriculture and education to develop the youth of Texas,” he said. “They come from all different aspects of the community, everything from being a volunteer on the fairgrounds to being part of over 40 committees.”
Back at the swine barn, kids from across Texas squeezed around each other, flicking thin pig switches to guide their animals into and out of their pens. The smell of fresh sawdust and pungent pig feed filled the barn as adults and children jostled for space.
Many young competitors were curled up in low-slung chairs, catching up on sleep after rising at 5 a.m. to care for their hoofed charges.
The swine competition started Thursday and continues today. Goats, rams, lambs, steer and dairy cows will have their turns in the days to come. In all, more than 70,000 animals will come through the grounds before the show ends.
As Victoria finished preparations for Cow’s big day, her mother, Amy Juarez, 41, watched proudly.
“This is her life,” Juarez said. “And this is the future of agriculture right here in this barn. A great way to support them is to come out to the rodeo.”