HEMPSTEAD, Texas – The Texas Music genre has taken the hearts of millions of fans, many of whom are proud Texans themselves.
Now there’s a big-time Texas Music showcase to help push a final salute to this year’s Waller County Fair and Rodeo with concerts by Josh Ward and Cody Canada & The Departed on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Waller County Fairgrounds in Hempstead.
“The folks around here love Texas country, and we’ve built our concert series with that in mind,” said Clint Sciba, president of the Waller County Fair Board. “We’re excited about all the acts we have, but I’m thrilled that we have The Departed as part of a fantastic Saturday in Hempstead.”
Canada has been part of the scene for several years. Also known as Red Dirt Music, Canada was the front man for Cross Canadian Ragweed, then joined band mate Jeremy Plato in developing The Departed. Now they’re tearing up the highways in order to celebrate their brand of music with fans all across the country.
“I think it’s going to be a great way to finish an awesome final Saturday,” Sciba said.
Some of the awesomeness will feature a Waller County salute to the military, which is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. – just ahead of the junior livestock auction, which will begin at 1 p.m.
“We’re very proud to be able to salute our military and to bring awareness to the fallen soldiers that have served our country so well,” he said. “It’s vital to me that we recognize the sacrifices these people have made to protect us and to make our country so great.”
The timing of the salute is perfect. The junior livestock auction is a well-attended affair that recognizes the hard work put in annually by the youth who show their animals at the fair. It takes months of hard work to prepare animals for the various shows that take place over the course of the expo, and the youth receive the benefit.
“That day, our carnival kicks off at noon and runs to midnight, so we’ll have a lot of things everyone can enjoy once they get to the fairgrounds,” Sciba said.
That includes the final performance of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event, which will feature many of the top contestants in the sport. In addition to the numerous world champions who are scheduled to qualify – including eight-time titlist Fred Whitfield of nearby Hockley, Texas – the rodeo will feature regular qualifiers to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, including Clint Cannon of Waller, Texas, and Cory Solomon of Prairie View, Texas.
The rodeo also will feature many top contestants, like Bobby Mote, who has won the bareback riding world title four times; eight-time world champion Joe Beaver; three-time world champion Rocky Patterson; two-time world champion Scott Snedecor; world champion Kappy Allen; and dozens of National Finals qualifiers.
“We’ve got the best stock contractor in rodeo coming to Waller County in Pete Carr, so we’re going to have the best bucking horses and bulls to go along with the top cowboys and cowgirls,” Sciba said.
“I think our final Saturday is going to be great from start to finish.”