North Texas State Fair and Rodeo Read online

  Three

  IT’S GATHERIN’ TIME

  DRIVING ON (1960S–1990S)

  This chapter begins with the 1960s, a turbulent decade for a nation that found itself at war overseas amidst protests against that war. The fair association continued to struggle to maintain interest in county fairs during these times.

  From the 1960s until August 1984, the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo operated under the Denton County Agricultural Fair Association. This agreement remained in place for almost 25 years. In August 1984, the fair began to be led by the North Texas State Fair Association (NTSFA). This change allowed the group to have more universal recognition among other fair associations. In the 1960s, the Denton County Rodeo Association sold their equipment and facilities to the NTSFA.

  When Bob Powers joined the fair association in 1971, he provided his professional skills as an accountant and his enthusiasm as a community leader to promote the fair’s activities. Powers’ dedication and service inspired many others to devote themselves to making the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo (NTSFR) one of the best events in the region.

  James Roden took over the helm in 1973 as president of the association, a position he held for 10 years. When Wally Reed, former board president, passed the gavel to Roden, they ushered in a new era of leadership under a paid employee. Over the next 17 years, Roden faced several difficult decisions about how to keep the fair an economically viable venue during a time when many fairs and rodeos experienced waning interest. Roden dealt with these concerns and managed to keep the NTSFR moving forward.

  On August 16, 1982, fair stock certificates were converted to membership certificates, and in 1986, the association became a 501(c)(3).

  In June 1986, as part of the Texas Sesquicentennial Wagon Train, 87 covered wagons camped overnight at the Denton County Fairgrounds.

  Also in 1986, the fair association dreamed of moving to a 125-acre plot off South Locust Street, near Denia, and building a $10 million complex with a 7,000-seat coliseum. Those hopes crumbled when fair officials failed to sell the current 21-acre fairgrounds.

  In 1987, the fair was expanded to a nine-day event—to include two weekends—and continued to grow at a steady rate over the next 10 years. In 1996, the fair association purchased an additional 11.5 acres to accommodate the need for additional parking.

  SELLING THE DENTON COUNTY RODEO ASSOCIATION. H.M. and Marjorie Pitner, as founders and board members of the DCRA, which built the rodeo arena at the fairgrounds, were instrumental in selling the contents of the fairgrounds—including the rodeo arena, seats, chutes, metal barn, concession stand, and equipment—to the North Texas State Fair Association NTSFA for $12,000 in 1964. This money provided for many needed improvements to the fairground facilities. (Courtesy of NTFR.)

  WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS. During the 1960s, the Lions Club of Denton partnered with the fair. Members of the club took tickets at the carnival and at the gates. Lions Club member Harry Owens, pictured here in the livestock barns, later formulated a plan with rodeo chairman Weldon Burgoon to add a youth rodeo event, “21 and Under,” to the program to increase attendance. (Courtesy of DCOHC.)

  PARADE PREPARATIONS. In the 1971 photograph at left, Rex Cauble (left) and Carnie Marsh, North Texas State Fair and Rodeo parade chairman, are standing in front of the fair office making final preparations for the parade. Cauble owned two upscale Western wear retail stores called Cutter Bill’s Western World, named after his famous cutting horse, Cutter Bill. Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes was the 1971 grand marshal and rode Cutter Bill in the parade. The photograph below reflects the immense efforts of the parade committee and community. The North Texas Fairgrounders led the parade around the square displaying the six flags that have flown over Texas. (Left, courtesy of DRC; below, courtesy of NTFR.)

  BEST OF THE REST. In the above photograph, the 1971 Youth Stock Grand Champion Hereford winner, John South, is shown with, from left to right, Odis Lowe, Perry Burns, and Tim Reeves. South went on to become the Denton County assistant extension agent from 1971 to 1973 before moving to Decatur to serve 14 years in Wise County. He retired in 2001 after 14 years in Fort Worth serving as the Tarrant County agent. Fair Hall, shown in the background, was used for women’s exhibitions when this photograph was taken. Dr. E.D. Fyke is shown in the below photograph with his grand champion Shetland Stallion. (Above, courtesy of DRC; below, courtesy of NTFR.)

  THE POWER OF SERVICE. Bobby “Bob” Calvin Powers (1932–1995), shown here in his signature white North Texas State Fair ball cap, joined the fair association in 1971 and was appointed director in charge of the first barbeque cook-off in 1975. Renowned barbeque cook Ed Bradford was one of the three cooks in the inaugural contest. Powers served as vice president of the association, and in 1980, he became the treasurer for the fair. (Courtesy of NTFR.)

  A TRIBUTE TO A BELOVED BOARD MEMBER. Bob Powers was at the fairgrounds when he suffered a massive fatal heart attack in 1995. In the photograph at right, Glenn Carlton, NTSFA board member and rodeo chairman, bows his head in tribute to Bob Powers during a riderless horse ceremony held at the beginning of the rodeo. (Courtesy of DRC.)

  HONORING BOB C. POWERS. Powers’s wife, Gloria, and the fair board of directors created the Bob C. Powers Scholarship after his death to assist high school graduates with tuition at a junior college or university. Since that time, 10 annual scholarships have been given to deserving students. As further acknowledgement of Powers’s contributions to the fair, the Bob C. Powers Administration Building was dedicated in his honor in 2005. At right, Powers’s sons Michael (left) and Troy (right) are shown inside Bob’s namesake building holding the plaque that is now mounted on the outside. (Both, courtesy of NTFR.)

  JAMES RODEN, FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. James Roden was president of the Denton County Agricultural Fair Association (DCAFA) from 1973 until 1983 and served as president of the Texas Association of Fairs & Events (TAF&E). On June 16, 1981, the board amended the original articles of incorporation to officially change the name of the corporation from DCAFA to the North Texas State Fair Association (NTSFA). Roden, the first paid executive director of the NTSFA, served from 1983 until January 2000. (Courtesy of NTFR.)

  PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE. In 1986, James Roden sought a one-percent increase in Denton hotel occupancy tax funds to assist with securing a site and constructing a multipurpose exposition center on 125 acres in Denton’s Denia area. Shown looking at the plat of the proposed location are Weldon Burgoon (left), Newton Rayzor (center), and Roden. The exposition center never came to fruition because the current fairgrounds property failed to sell. (Courtesy of DRC.)

  RODEN’S CHILDREN’S BARNYARD. James Roden delighted in having a children’s educational area that included cow-milking demonstrations, chickens hatching, suckling piglets, and other farm animals in a lifelike agrarian setting. He understood the importance of youth involvement, including junior livestock shows such as those affiliated with FFA and 4-H programs. Roden poses above with costumed young dancers who performed on stage and a piglet from the children’s barnyard exhibit. The 1985 photograph below shows an unidentified child hugging his beloved Charolais heifer. (Above, courtesy of NTFR; below, courtesy of DCOHC.)

  PLANTING PECAN TREES FOR POSTERITY. As shown in the above image, Kathy Orr (left), a member of the North Texas State Fair Association’s board of directors, along with “Pinky” Harpool (center) and Stanley Lovelace, both members of the agribusiness committee of the chamber of commerce, planted a pecan tree outside the fair office in 1982. Harpool Seed donated the tree. The pecan tree is native to Texas and is the official state tree. This same pecan tree still shades the Bob C. Powers Administration Building and has provided pecans for many delicious pecan pies for fair officials. (Above, courtesy of DRC; left, courtesy of NTFR.)

  DISPLAYING THEIR WARES. It takes about four days to set up the commercial exhibit area and two days to decorate the exhibit hall. Volunteers and hired laborers secure structures for display areas and divide the building into co
mmercial exhibit booth space for vendors. The number of vendors has grown to more than 80 over the years. Since the earliest days of the fair, the arts and crafts area has served as an important venue for women to show off their handiwork and compete for ribbons and premiums. Today’s creative arts department is divided into needlework, arts and crafts, home-canned food, antiques, and junior entries. (Right, courtesy of DRC; below, courtesy of NTFR.)

  BEAUTY PAGEANT. Longtime fair advocate and board member Melvin Haisler and his wife, Joneen, started the North Texas State Fair Beauty Pageant in 1979. Categories included Little Miss, Miss Teen, and Miss North Texas State Fair. In 1986, Nanci Kimmey became chairman of the contests and added Junior Miss. The contestants are judged on beauty, poise, and personality, and the winner is given flowers, a savings bond, a sash, and a trophy, plus she represents the fair for a year at various community events, including the annual parade. At left, Little Miss Lindsay Knox proudly holds her bouquet and trophy. Casey Krueger (Jones) from Denton was crowned Junior Miss in the late 1980s. She and her husband, Ethan, appeared on The Learning Channel’s program, Quints By Surprise, when they had five babies in 2009. (Both, courtesy of NTFR.)

  RODEO KIDS CLOWNS. The 1988 Rodeo Kids Clown contest attracted several children who dressed up like their favorite rodeo clowns. Moms and professional rodeo bullfighters help these kids to achieve an authentic look by creating costumes that mimic rodeo clowns, who, with their outrageous garb and courageous actions, get in front of bulls to divert them away from unprotected cowboys. Cody Bullock (right) is all dressed up for the judging. Five-year-old Cory Sanders (below), of Aubrey, stands with his father while waiting to enter the contest. Sanders took second place in the five-and-under category. (Right, courtesy of NTFR; below, courtesy of DRC.)

  RANCH RODEO. The Ranch Rodeo has been an important part of the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo since the 1980s. In the Ranch Rodeo competition, cowboys from area ranches vie against each other for bragging rights in events such as team branding, team doctoring, maverick catch-in, team sorting, and bronc riding. Cowboys, like the three unidentified competitors shown below, demonstrate the day-to-day skills required for survival on a ranch in the Old West. Pictured above are, from left to right, (standing) Randy Vaughn, with Copenhagen Skoal; Al Croix, Denton County extension agent; Weldon Burgoon, rodeo chairman; and Darrel Barron, with Copenhagen Skoal; (on horseback) the Ranch Rodeo team of Jerry Blocker, Mike Bullock, Jimmy Brazil, Warren Hudspeth, Joe Powell, and Sam Voss. (Above, courtesy of NTFR; below, courtesy of DCOHC.)

  BOAT RIDES. Carnival or amusement rides provide thrills and spills and are an important part of any fair to provide fun entertainment for children and adults. These mechanical structures either spin on a vertical axis, like the carousel, or ride at ground level, like bumper cars. Other rides defy gravity, like the spindle top or round-up, and yet others move their passengers vertically around a fixed point, such as Ferris wheels. Curtis Erwin (above) is setting up a boat ride in the children’s area. Below, Venus Gonzales is giving an elephant a bath in preparation for opening day. (Both, courtesy of DRC.)

  MULE-PULLING COMPETITION. The mule-pulling contest is an opportunity for proud owners of these sure-footed, intelligent animals to claim bragging rights for whose mules are the strongest and have the ability to drag the heaviest weight. Mule trainer Wade London (pictured below) described these sturdy animals as “cantankerous, but [with] a heart of gold [that] will also kick your head off.” These photographs show teams of mules pulling sleighs of concrete or salt blocks weighing more than twice their body mass. (Both, courtesy of NTFR.)

  A SIGN BY ANY OTHER NAME. A controversy ensued between the City of Denton and the fair association in 1990, when the fair installed a new directional sign within the fairgrounds to point attendees toward Fair Hall. The city claimed that the sign did not meet city ordinances for height restrictions and was an advertising sign, not a directional sign. At right, Mike Gillan, of Starlite Sign Company, works on the new sign donated by Amyx Excavation, A&M Plumbing, and Starlite Sign. Eventually, the fair association prevailed, and the sign remained. James Roden is pictured below with the sign. (Both, courtesy of DRC.)

  HISPANIC HERITAGE AT THE FAIR. The North Texas State Fair and Rodeo parade included the Srita Cinco de Mayo y Princesas float. The 1988 queen was Berenice Long (standing in the image at left). She is pictured with her court of princesses, from left to right, Trini Lopez, Minerva Simental, and Janie Silva. These beautiful young ladies were featured guests during Hispanic Heritage Day at the beginning of the fair. Fairgoers enjoy strolling mariachis, Hispanic musicians in traditional costumes, and a popular Latino performer on the main stage. Bobby Pulido (below), winner of Album of the Year and Male Entertainer of the Year at the 1997 Tejano Music Awards, has appeared at the fair. (Left, courtesy of DRC; below, courtesy of NTFR.)

  QUEEN AND QUEEN MUM. Becoming rodeo queen has been an ambition of many cowgirls. Codie Counts (at center in the above photograph) was named North Texas State Fair rodeo queen in 1997. Candidates for rodeo queen must compete in the areas of horsemanship, appearance, speaking ability, and personality. Counts is shown with, from left to right, board member Mark Foster, fair executive director James Roden, 1996 rodeo queen Jill Shaw, and rodeo queen coordinator Candice Clark. Clark’s exemplary rodeo queen programs were recognized as a model for many other statewide competitions. Clark (pictured at right) served as rodeo queen coordinator from 1995 until her untimely death in an automobile accident in 2007. (Both, courtesy of NTFR.)

  BARREL RACING. Barrel racing is primarily a rodeo event for women. It combines a horse’s athletic ability and the horsemanship skills of the rider as he or she safely and successfully maneuvers a horse in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels placed in a triangle in the center of the arena. The above photograph shows a racer in perfect form as she speeds around the last barrel. Unfortunately, the cowgirl in the below photograph knocked over one of her three barrels, adding a five-point penalty to her score. (Both, courtesy of NTFR.)

  PROFESSIONAL RODEO COWBOYS ASSOCIATION (PRCA) ACHIEVEMENT. The NTSFR achieved PRCA sanctioning in 1989. The PRCA commands higher purses, which consequently attracts nationally known pro athletes and stock to their arenas. The PRCA endorses rodeos in 37 states and three Canadian provinces. All roads lead to the annual Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. This photograph is of PRCA official Gary Case. (Courtesy of NTFR.)

  STEER WRESTLING. Steer wrestling, also known as bull dogging, seems simple enough. Drop from a horse, grab a steer by the horns, and wrestle it to the ground, stopping the clock as quickly as possible. Timing, technique, strength, and the horsemanship of the hazer (a rider on horseback who guides the steer in a straight path for the cowboy) are necessary for a win. Brian Hudson is shown here wrestling a steer and hoping for a fast time. (Courtesy of DRC at DCOHC.)

  OH, CHUTE! In the early 1980s, the original wooden bleachers were replaced with aluminum seating that held approximately 3,000 rodeo fans. The bucking chutes were updated with WW equipment, and the roping box was moved to the east end of the arena. Twenty separate back pens can now house the rodeo stock that arrives at fair time. The current arena measures 230 feet by 150 feet. (Courtesy of DCOHC.)

  OVERHEAD OF FAIRGROUNDS. This 1984 aerial view shows the existing 21-acre fairgrounds. Pictured are, from lower left (counterclockwise), the carnival, the T-shaped commercial exhibit building, the Kid’s Zone, Fair Hall in the Fun Zone, the livestock barns, and the rodeo arena. The main stage and concession stands are at center. Eleven acres of parking space are north of the rodeo arena. (Courtesy of NTFR.)

  Four

  SADDLE UP

  TRANSITION YEARS (2000–2004)

  James Roden, the first paid executive director of the North Texas State Fair Association (NTSFA), developed the fair into a growing business of livestock shows, rodeos, and commercial exhibits. Upon Roden’s retirement in 2000, Ken Burdick began the process of taking the fair and rodeo to the next level.

>   The Burdick years were some of the most productive years for the fair, with changes that included upgrading entertainment, increasing rodeo venues, enhancing the children’s area, and updating the fair’s facilities. Burdick created the Kid’s Zone so that young boys and girls could experience what it was like to be a cowboy/cowgirl in a safe environment and with animals just their size.

  Burdick brought his experience as an executive with Lone Star Gas, the Denton Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development department, and the Denton Area Teachers Credit Union to the job, as he oversaw more than $500,000 in improvements of fair facilities and doubled the fair’s sponsorship program. Burdick also submitted several applications for Texas Association of Fairs and Events (TAF&E) awards, which the fair won in various categories.