Hog Blog

`The horny toad business is wonderful'

When your specialty niche is horny toads, Fort Worth has got to be part of your marketing plan.

Tom McCain, 64, carved out his first horny toad in 1976 when he was recovering from injuries he sustained as a Marine in Viet Nam. ``The horny toad business is wonderful and it’s a lot safer than being a Marine,’’ he said Saturday.

His Horny Toad Connection booth has been a fixture at the Stock Show for 15 years and McCain said he’s ``planning on another 15.’’

The Albuquerque, N.M, entrepreneur said he only shows his hand-made collection of horny toad pins, figurines, necklaces and ear rings at the Stock Show, the Texas State Fair and the New Mexico State Fair. ``But it doesn’t matter, at the shows or on my Web site, TCU Horned Frog fans are my best customers.’’

The horny toad industry appears to be recession-proof. ``I’m doing better this year than last,’’ he said. ``Fort Worth loves horny toads.’’

(Photo by Joyce Marshall)

— Steve Campbell

Justin rancher specializes in old-school cowboy duds

On his fifth try, Gary Place finally snagged a coveted exhibitor’s booth at the Stock Show.

 His Lone Star Cowboy Gear booth featuring vintage Western clothing is crammed into a closet-sized cubicle in the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibit Hall. There's not even enough space to display his popular wide-brimmed cowboy hats. But the Justin rancher isn’t complaining. He says sales of his period wear have been even better than he expected.

With a big mustache, an even bigger hat, round period spectacles, suspenders, striped pants and cowboy boots he looks like he just sauntered in off the 1880’s Texas range. And with such a tiny booth, he’s basically outfitted himself to be part of the exhibit. But we doubt many old cowboys sported as much silver and turquoise jewelry.

Jay Seymour, assistant manager of special events at the show, said Place’s friendly persistence and unique old-school cowboy duds is what landed him a spot. There were only 21 openings for one of 200 exhibitor slots this year and more than 180 would-be vendors applied for a booth, Seymour said Saturday.

Place started out peddling Old West vests with distinctive wide lapels and banded-collar cowboy shirts at trade and gun shows. He also has a booth at the Montgomery Street antique mall and a Web site, lonestarcowboygear.com. ``This old stuff is new again,’’ he said.

Just across the aisle from Place is Wood Stock N Sticks, where Richard Black, another first-time exhibitor from Boise, Idaho, is selling walking sticks and canes. Black said he didn’t even know he was getting into the show until three weeks ago. It’s his first big show anywhere and so far he said it’s ``going well.’’

Black said he and his wife left Idaho 18 months ago to become full-time house and pet sitters. That gig has taken them all over the country and his wife is now on the job at a home in San Antonio.

(Photo by Joyce Marshall)

— Steve Campbell

Less feed, more beef

Despite the name, they do not come from the northeastern United States and they do not eat pears.

Maine-Anjou cattle, which will be shown at the Stock Show Sunday, originated from French and English breeds and take their name from the Maine and Anjou River valleys in France.

These large beef cattle (which are used for beef and milk in Europe) did not come to North America until the late 1960s. In the breed’s homeland, they are usually red and white cattle. In this country, most are black.

“What sets Maine-Anjous apart is their feed efficiency – they take less feed to make a pound of beef. And that’s important in this economy,” said James Davis, a Maine-Anjou breeder from Maypearl. “Their beef also tests high for tenderness.”

For more information about the breed, visit the American Maine-Anjou Association’s Web site, www.maine-anjou.org.

Punch Shaw 

IMAX movie will put you back in the saddle

If you fail to get enough of the real thing at the Stock Show, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has brought back an IMAX movie that is a horse loverʼs dream.

``Ride Around the World,'' a 2006 large-format film that traces the evolution of working horses from their roots in North Africa to a spring round-up on the famous 6666 Ranch in Texas.

The 45-minute documentary is filled with thundering hooves and near-infinite Western vistas -- sort of a cross between National Geographic and The Western Horseman. Thereʼs no plot, but the filmʼs images and well-crafted soundtrack are more than enough to keep viewers holding on tight as cowboys and vacqueros herd cattle around the globe.

The museum and its Omnimax theatre are located just a lariat toss away from the Stock Show at 1501 Montgomery St. This film, and others, will be shown daily during the Stock Show. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and children, and the museum can be accessed without purchasing Stock Show admission. For times, visit www.fwmsh.org or call 817-255-9300.

Punch Shaw

From ice to nice this weekend

``Stock Show weather'' is Fort Worth speak for cold, wet and nasty. Like this week's mean ice storm, it's the stuff that January is made of around here. But with forecast highs of 69 Saturday and 61 Sunday, vendors, particularly outdoor food booth operators, are hoping for the season's biggest crowds this weekend.

Sunday, Jan. 18 was equally balmy and 73,000 showed up. Since 2000, the 90,000 mark has been topped twice, both on the third Saturday of the show. By contrast, slightly more than 15,000 braved the ice Tuesday and Wednesday.

If you want to beat the crowds, make your plans for Monday. Over the last nine years, the lowest attendance has always fallen on the third Monday of the run. Last year, just 8,200 attended that day.

Through Thursday, the total head count was 385,000, 12,000 ahead of the 2008 pace.

Steve Campbell

Rabbit group prepping for the big time

  There was a line of people waiting to register their rabbits for the Mini Rex Rabbit Show this afternoon.

But that was nothing compared to what the Texas Mini Rex Rabbit Club expects to see at the end of March, That's when the group is scheduled to host a National Mini Rex Convention at the Will Rogers Center.

"We've been preparing for over a year," said Jon Rentschler of Fort Worth, the group's president. "It's going to be a big show."

Rentschler said he's expecting about 250 enthusiasts to bring about 2,400 Mini Rex rabbits to Fort Worth, so those with Leporiphobia might want to stay away.

Mini Rexes, known for their small size and incredibly soft fur, are a relatively young breed, first bred less than 20 years ago, Rentschler said. They're incredibly gentle and usually don't weigh more than 4.5 pounds.

Purebred Mini Rexes are mostly enjoyed as pets or as show rabbits, Rentschler said.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr.)

-Aman Batheja

Are purebred cattle recession proof?

If you've got a few thousand dollars handy and some space in your backyard, you may consider checking out one of the cattle sales today and tomorrow.

Purebred Simmental, Angus female and Charalois cattle go on the auciton block today. Tomorrow, Maine-Anjour go on sale.

While commercial beef prices have taken a hit from the soft economy, purebred owners say their wares are holding up fairly well for now.

"There's optimism," said Gary Emberson, who raises Chianini cattle in Nowata, OK. “A return on investment of 5 percent is better than you’re going to see in the stock marke or CDs or your local bank.”

Owners have looked with cautious optimism at the sales at the National West Stock Show in Denver earlier this month, where sales were pretty good.

“I think you can see all around you, the barns are full,” said Edward Davis with the Davis Bros. Cattle Company in Maypearl. “The cattle industry by and large is a part of what works here in America,”

So what would constitute a good sale price at this year's Stock Show? Depends on the breed but several owners said an average of $5,000 per head would suit them just fine.

-Aman Batheja

A baker's dozen of pure cuteness

Like those octuplets in California, a multiple birth of tiny, pink bundles of cuteness are drawing plenty of interest at this year’s Stock Show.

Thirteen two-week-old piglets have become the favorite attraction at the FAA Children’s Barnyard, where kids stream in all day to see livestock up close.

More adorable photos of the family are after the jump. Click on each photo for a closer look.

International experiences

The Stock Show took on an international air today, with nearly 300 students from the Fort Worth school district's newcomer's school turning out in force.

The students are from a host of backgrounds, including Mexico, Honduras, Burma, Iraq, Vietnam and Guatemala, among others.

They were given tours and treated to a special reception before heading off to the events.

-Dianna Hunt

Herds of children on the way

The open walkways and dearth of shoppers at the Fort Worth Stock Show exhibit hall Thursday morning was deceptive.

"There are going to be a lot of kids here later," one vendor moaned, rolling her eyes.

With the icy weather on Wednesday, school groups canceled their trips to the Stock Show and rescheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday. Today's schedule was already packed, with 2,000 children roaming the barns. 

That will mean about 1,500 kids each day, instead of the 800 that had been expected. And that could mean a busy day at the petting zoo, as well as the exhibit hall.

-Dianna Hunt