Over 65 years ago, Stamford’s late, great agriculture teacher Weldon Holbrooks started a livestock show for his Stamford FFA chapter to exhibit their projects locally. The show was first held on Stamford’s downtown square, but ultimately settled in a new facility on the Texas Cowboy Reunion grounds. Students from Lueders-Avoca and Paint Creek would eventually join in to create the Tri-Area Livestock Show.
When I was young, I recall the animals housed outdoors in ancient quarter horse barns prior to showing. Shortly before I bought my first pig, a new addition to the barn allowed the animals to be kept indoors. Tri Area has always been competitive (it has produced grand champions at every major show in Texas), but Mr. Holbrooks’ first priority was to create opportunities for kids to give kids. If there was not a category for a student’s project, he simply created one. That created a spirit of flexibility and collegiality that today’s volunteers work to uphold and expand. In 2010, the facility was christened the Weldon Holbrooks Show Arena to honor the creator of this fine legacy.
Tomorrow (January 8), students of all ages will again exhibit their projects. In a move that would surely make Mr. Holbrooks proud, agricultural mechanics projects are now included with livestock. The exhibitors will compete in an insulated show barn with concrete floors, aluminum pens, and new bleachers, and a cake auction will raise at least $20,000 to continue the improvements. Mr. Holbrooks’ magnificent vision for the youth of the Stamford area lives on!
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Mayor, this is such a great legacy! My little boy, who is 7 and has Down syndrome, is “showing” today with some high schoolers who volunteer their time in the Nueces County Livestock Show to help students with special needs also participate. I’m not crying. It’s just dusty in this here show barn.