12 January 2010

HLSR bling-bling

Publicity for the 2010 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has begun. The music entertainment lineup has been announced, ticket sales are poised to launch promptly at 10am this coming Saturday morning, and as I was browsing the website yesterday evening, I stumbled upon the official HLSR paraphernalia online store. Yes, my friends, I am on a quest to update my “look” while attending HLSR this year in order to appear, shall we say, somewhat more official. And one item from the online store caught my attention. It is a Committee Badge. An official committee badge that resembles a sheriff’s badge from an old western movie. But instead of a star, the badge is emblazoned with a spur. I am coveting this badge!

Now I am not quite certain whether to pursue it or not, since in all honesty, I have never served on a committee. But I may make an attempt. Apparently if you served on a committee at some time in the past, you may request and purchase a badge for that prior service. All you have to do is send an email to make this request, specifying the committee and the particular position in which you served.

I do not know how accurate HLSR’s records are back 10 years, or if they really care much about the authenticity of selling a badge to some scammer, like me, who just wants to amp up her rodeo garb with a little official-looking bling.

Worth a try?

9 comments:

  1. I say go for it Diane! However, I must say I your smile will still overshadow that bling bling.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hmmm, I am a bit speechless on this one.....still trying to envision this cute, sophisticated looking blond in cowboy boots and stepping over cow dung.......this might take a while.

    ReplyDelete
  3. the only animal-access mere spectators like me will have will be at the barnyard animal petting pen, which I totally LOVE! I adore the soft baby goats and sheep. Can't get enough. While spectators can walk by the show livestock, the owners are ever present and I don't think you can really get too close. As I recall from last year there was 1 longhorn that agreed to do some photo-ops with passers by, but Cristy wasn't in favor. I'm absolutely going to try to find that longhorn this year! I'll avoid the smelly stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Paul, but I can hardly resist!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh gosh. This event would be pure murder for me! Poor bovines. But I do think a cowboy hat & boots would suit you well. We want pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, post a pic in your cowgirl/rodeo attire,shiney badge and all!

    ReplyDelete
  7. SB - I've struggled with this through the years myself. But have come to the conclusion that the rodeo events themselves are a celebration of cowboy skills heralding back to the American west. If you think about it, the job of the cowboy is to take care of cattle, so even though some of the events appear harsh, I have to believe that the animals are not really harmed. Otherwise, cowboys would have stopped those practices years ago.

    On the other hand, the livestock show is well, the livestock show. We do live in a society where animals are seen as a product, much to the dismay of many. If there is an upside, it is that many of those showing animals are high school students. My boss' daughter is raising a calf. It is a two-year project. She makes 2 trips to her stable every day to care for her calf, quickly becoming a cow. This is an enormous lesson in responsibility of all sorts. The livestock show committee that sponsors this program has rigid guidelines about the expectations for those students participating. She is keeping up with the economics and is also learning a valuable lesson in basic ethics.

    best, Diane

    ReplyDelete
  8. I thought about it last night and decided that it would be best to just be honest & say that I just want to buy one. Maybe I'll get lucky! If I get any good photos (with a longhorn or otherwise) I'll share. The rodeo isn't for another 2 months....

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's good to hear this side of things, always. Lots of kids here are in 4-H, and is does build a great sense of responsibility. I loved reading A Land Remembered, about the old "cow hunting" days in Florida, following a fictional family called the McIveys through 3 generations of old FL crackers.

    ReplyDelete