UW Joins as Partner of 2018 National Western Stock Show

The University of Wyoming will have a strong presence at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver in January, including a “UW Night at the Rodeo” and a booth in the stock show’s Expo Hall.

Under a new agreement between UW and the NWSS, the university is an official partner of the 16-day, nationally recognized Western heritage and entertainment event that begins Saturday, Jan. 6.

“UW Night at the Rodeo” is Wednesday, Jan. 17, with the university receiving special recognition during the 7 p.m. rodeo performance. A limited number of discounted tickets are available for purchase through the UW Alumni Association (UWAA) at wyoalumni.uwyo.edu/rodeo17.

Before the Jan. 17 rodeo, a UWAA reception is scheduled from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the NWSS Activity Pavilion, with snacks and a cash bar provided. All alumni and friends are invited. For more information, call (307) 766-4166.

The UW booth in Expo Hall, which opens at 9 a.m. each day of the NWSS, will feature interactive experiences, including access to UW’s new virtual tour and other information about the university and its programs.

UW also sponsors:

-- The NWSS Catch-A-Calf Contest, which takes place during rodeo performances Jan. 12-14. In the NWSS’s longest-running program of practical beef cattle management, young contestants scramble in the arena to each catch a calf, which he or she commits to feed and then exhibit as a market steer a year later.

-- The NWSS Commercial Female Sale, set for 2 p.m. Jan. 17, where over 200 head of bred and open heifers will be sold.

-- And, the NWSS Processing Tent north of the Stockyards Arena, where all animals shown or sold in the stockyards must pass through to be processed.

Nearly 700,000 people attended the 2017 NWSS, which is billed as the premier livestock, rodeo and horse show in the nation, serving agricultural producers and consumers throughout the world. Established in 1906, the NWSS is one of Colorado’s pre-eminent tourist destinations, featuring one of the world’s richest regular season professional rodeos, one of the country’s largest horse shows and Colorado’s largest Western trade show. The show strives to strengthen American agriculture through enrichment programs and youth education in livestock, equestrian, farming, ranching, animal awareness and appreciation.