Lots of bull in Denver
Posted by Richard on January 11, 2006
The National Western Stock Show is under way in Denver. This is the 100th year of what’s called "the Super Bowl of stock shows." Yesterday (Jan. 10), they held the stock show parade through downtown Denver. The Rocky Mountain News has a nice online photo gallery, including this great picture of Texas longhorns running through the financial district.
I haven’t attended the Stock Show since my old friend Albert came all the way out from Tennessee with some of his Santa Gertrudis cattle. I guess that was <mumble>teen years ago. Nevertheless, I like it when the Stock Show is in town. You can tell, too, and not just from the news stories and the faint perfume in the air. Lots of advertising is geared toward Stock Show visitors these days — boots and Western wear, dually pickup trucks, gentlemen’s clubs…
I like the Stock Show because it reminds us of something that embarrasses many of the "urban sophisticates": Denver is a cow town.
Not a sheep town — a cow town. Sure, they had sheep in the Stock Show Parade. Horses, too. And people exhibit sheep, pigs, horses, llamas, alpacas, rabbits, chickens, gerbils, and I don’t know what all else at the show. But it’s the cows that are the reason for the Stock Show. Not the sheep or other critters. And it’s the cows that are the reason for cowboys.
Note to Ang Lee: Cowboys herd cows. Not sheep. The people tending sheep are sheepherders or shepherds. Absolutely not cowboys. Try to get that right next time.
There’s more bull coming to Denver tomorrow: the State Legislature reconvenes. I’ll have more to say about that later.
UPDATE: OK, I was confused. The legislative session actually began today. The Gov’s "state of the state" address to the legislature is Thursday. (Actually, I relied on the National Council of State Legislatures, which had it wrong.)
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