Children comb the National Western Complex in search of something for nothing, and they come back loaded.
Wearing a green bandanna scored from the National Guard booth, 12-year-old Taylor Smith of Colorado Springs spread out an impressive pile of loot on the floor of the Expo Hall on Wednesday.
“Oh man, Cody is going to kill me to get this,” he said, speaking of a friend to his younger sister, Jesse, as he held up a black refrigerator magnet from radio station KYGO. “He loves that station.”
Attracting attention is the name of the game and the reason 375 vendors are hawking their wares at the National Western Stock Show.
Children’s attention is the most precious because they come attached to adults, say vendors who were handing out everything from rulers and coloring books to jerky and fudge.
“If you’re here with kids, they’re going to want stuff,” said Michael Trujillo of Boulder, herding his 4-year-old grandson, Kyle, through the maze of booths.
Free candy greeted anyone willing to be approached about golf in Mexico at one booth, and more free candy to hear about Grandpa’s Fudge or a handful of popcorn to consider buying a larger quantity. There are lessons about cookware and juicers, rides on various rocking horses and sniffs of a brew that will alleviate snoring.
Lines formed at the Rocky’s Auto booth. The “Shagman,” Ron Vigil, and “Audra” Winn, from the television commercials, handed out autographs, coloring books, crayons and buttons featuring the faces of the threesome, including “Officer Odell” Stroud.
During the show, the trio will autograph 35,000 Rocky’s caps, each a bright red moving billboard for Rocky’s.
Vigil said the marketing goes deeper. Traffic picked up when the company added the elaborate booth that included funny pictures of the three pitchmen, and studio lighting. There is a marketing angle behind the team itself.
Shagman appeals to children and older adults, he said. Stroud appeals “to the ladies,” Vigil said, lowering his voice and raising an eyebrow.
Audra?
“Boys,” the Shagman said, motioning at her with this thumb as a gaggle of moonstruck preteen guys slowed the line.
“It’s Christmas again,” said Kim-Marie Seay, supervising a flock of 18 children from Fulton Elementary School in Aurora.
There’s more to the show than handing out the free loot, said Angie Cue, the stock show’s commercial exhibits manager.
“I think it’s customer service, and I think they’re here to educate people about products and services,” she said. “We want to make sure it’s a fun expo for families, urban and rural.”
Sosi Bocchibriyan of Town & Country Foods in Centennial offered bites of all-natural beef skewered with toothpicks.
But offering beef to ranchers and cowboys is a dicey proposition.
“These people know beef,” she said. “If I can sell them on it, I can sell anybody.”
Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
