Horses paced on the deep pad of dirt spread across the floor of the Caesars Superdome Friday afternoon, listening to a sound check booming from the enormous concert stage.
The Superdome doors would open in just a few hours to welcome fans to the Hondo Rodeo Fest, a combination of championship riding and roping, and country rock.
Nearby, Gov. Jeff Landry, Mayor Helena Moreno, Hondo Rodeo CEO James Trawick and other officials gathered for a press-conference officially announcing the three-day country and western entertainment extravaganza. Like an Old West poker game, all of the participants were betting big that a typically rural attraction could succeed in an urban center like New Orleans.
Trawick surely had the most in the pot. He wouldn’t say exactly what it cost to produce the mega event, but he laughingly said “it’s expensive.” Landry had tossed $2 million in from from Louisiana’s Major Events Fund. And Moreno was all-in on an event that could bring thousands of visitors to the cash-strapped city.
Landry, wearing a white Stetson, appeared delighted by the prospect of a big-time championship rodeo in the Bayou State.
“People say, ‘I can’t believe the governor likes rodeo,’” Landry said. “I just want you all to know I grew up with an uncle named Cowboy. My mom, she loved to ride, and she taught me to ride.”
The governor pointed out that many of the country’s pro cowboys and cowgirls come from Louisiana. But they don’t have a big-time rodeo on their home turf.
“Guess what,” Landry said, “that ends today.”
The governor thanked Trawick for taking a chance on New Orleans because “this rodeo and the things that surround rodeo represent everything that is great about Louisiana.”
The sport, he said, “is about family, about fun about faith and our country.”
The press conference took a comic turn when Moreno said the governor’s office had invited her to gallop into the Hondo Rodeo on horseback carrying a flag.
Which she joked, made her wonder if the governor “was trying to get rid of me.” In fact, Moreno said, she loves riding, and Landry said he had confidence in her riding ability after seeing her do so during Carnival.
Moreno pointed out that New Orleans has a large horse-riding community, that becomes especially evident during second-line and Carnival parades. Moreno said she hopes that at future Hondo Rodeo Fests in New Orleans, local riders can somehow be involved in the show.
Speakers at the press conference said they hope that future Hondo Rodeo Fests in New Orleans are in the cards.
At the end of the press conference, Trawick showed his hand.
“Formally,” he said, “I would like to conclude with the fact that we do plan to come back in 2027.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
