Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo(TM) Officials Announce Major Rodeo Changes, Four 75th Anniversary Stars

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo(TM) Officials Announce Major Rodeo Changes, Four 75th Anniversary Stars

HOUSTON, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials announced today an exciting new concept for the RodeoHouston(TM) format and an increase in rodeo prize money to bring the total purse to $1.275 million. Officials also announced that Country Music Hall of Fame member George Strait will open the 2007 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Tuesday, Feb. 27. To close the Show, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members and hometown favorites ZZ Top will rock the finale Sunday, March 18. Traditional country superstar Alan Jackson will perform Thursday, March 8, and country's hottest new group, Sugarland, will take the stage Monday, March 12. Officials also announced great new ticket options for the 2007 Show.

ENTERTAINERS

"We are thrilled that we have such strong musicians from very different genres of music to help us open and close our 75th anniversary celebration. This is a milestone event for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and these two performers are the perfect match. Texas and Houston legends George Strait and ZZ Top will help make this a year to remember," said Leroy Shafer, chief operating officer of the Show. "It's always great to have George Strait, ZZ Top and Alan Jackson back, and Sugarland will add a great touch of new country to our stage."

RODEOHOUSTON SUPER SERIES: IT'S A REVOLUTION IN RODEO

Champion cowboys and cowgirls will be competing for a total rodeo purse of $1.275 million, an increase of more than half a million dollars over previous years. This increase makes RodeoHouston the world's richest regular-season PRCA rodeo.

The 2007 RodeoHouston will feature five Super Series rodeos, each with two preliminary rounds and a championship round. The top four competitors of each event from RodeoHouston Super Series I - V will advance to a RodeoHouston Super Series Semifinal. The top four from each RodeoHouston Semifinal advance to the RodeoHouston Super Series Championship, with the remaining six getting a second chance in the RodeoHouston Super Series Wild Card. The top two competitors from each event of the RodeoHouston Super Series Wild Card will advance to the RodeoHouston Super Series Championship. Each of the 10 contestants in the RodeoHouston Super Series Championship will ride once, with the top four riding again that afternoon for the event champion title. Each RodeoHouston Super Series Championship event champion will receive $50,000, in addition to his or her previous winnings, and all winnings will count toward the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

"We're revolutionizing the sport of rodeo," said Skip Wagner, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo president. "We're going to make it easy for our spectators to follow and to get involved in who's winning. And with the money we're awarding, we're also giving six cowboys and a cowgirl an almost guaranteed shot at the National Finals."

On the final night of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Xtreme Bulls returns to the RodeoHouston arena with 40 top cowboys competing on the world's toughest bulls.

Weekday performances begin at 6:45 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday performances, with the exception of the RodeoHouston Super Series Championship, begin at 3:45 p.m. The Championship, Saturday, March 17, begins at 3 p.m. Each performance starts with the grand entry, followed by action- packed rodeo, miniature chuck wagon races and the heartwarming calf scramble, and ends with the concert entertainer.

MINI-SEASON TICKET PACKAGES

For the first time, RodeoHouston fans can purchase one of two nine- performance Mini-Season Ticket packages, with seats located in the loge level of Reliant Stadium. A pair of Mini-Season Tickets can be purchased for less than $350, guaranteeing the same great seats for nine action-packed, star- studded performances.

Two packages are available for Mini-Season Tickets:
* Opening Night Package - This package includes the opening night (Feb.
27) performer, George Strait, as well as the Monday, March 12,
RodeoHouston performance featuring Sugarland. Additional dates
included in the Opening Night Package are March 1, 4, 6, 7, 10, 15 and
17.
* Finale Package - This package includes the final afternoon (March 18)
performer, ZZ Top, as well as the Thursday, March 8, RodeoHouston
performance featuring Alan Jackson. Additional dates included in the
Finale Package are Feb. 28, and March 3, 5, 9, 13, 14, and 16.

Black Heritage Day, Friday, March 2, and Go Tejano Day, Sunday, March 11, can be purchased in addition to the Mini-Season Tickets, if available. The full 2007 RodeoHouston entertainer lineup will be announced in early January, and individual ticket sales will go on sale at that time.

Season Tickets, for all 20 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo performances, and Mini-Season Ticket packages are on sale now. Call the Show's Ticket Office at 832.667.1080 to guarantee your seats for 2007 RodeoHouston.

BOOT SCOOT 2007

In an effort to bring awareness of the 75th anniversary of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Western Heritage Community Challenge Committee is selling 6-foot tall boots which will be painted, decorated and placed throughout the city of Houston. The boots will then be transported to Reliant Park to be displayed during the Show. Boots can be underwritten starting at $2,000. For more information on Boot Scoot 2007, call 832.667.1200.

AGRICULTURE * EDUCATION * ENTERTAINMENT * WESTERN HERITAGE

The 2007 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo runs Feb. 27 through March 18. The Show is a Section 501(c)(3) charitable event, committed to benefiting youth, supporting education, and facilitating better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentation. Since the Show's beginning in 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has contributed more than $200 million to scholarships, research, endowments, calf scramble participants, junior show exhibitors, the Rodeo Institute for Teacher Excellence(TM), School Art participants, and other educational and youth programs.

Source: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

CONTACT: Clint Saunders of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo,
+1-832-667-1200, or saunders@rodeohouston.com

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