Saturday made history at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo when the largest crowd in its 102-year history marched in. The show sold 68,610 tickets, beating the old single-day attendance record of 68,357 set in 1999. Huge crowds also filled the 100-acre complex Sunday. Attendance numbers for Sunday were not available.
“It’s only once a year, and it’s the best way to teach our kids what it means to grow up in the West, what people did for a living before us and what a lot of people still do,” said Bill Heller of Colorado Springs, who was attending with this three children Sunday for the second weekend in a row. “The kids just love it, and I enjoy it too.”
The show appears on its way to set a record for attendees, after notching the largest opening day ever on Jan. 12, with 44,616 visitors, beating the 41,000 mark set in 2006, the centennial show.
