The Grand National Rodeo, Horse, and Stock Show is one of the largest
rodeo events in the United States. Held annually in the
Cow Palace
The Cow Palace (originally the California State Livestock Pavilion) is an indoor arena located in Daly City, California, situated on the city's northern border with neighboring San Francisco. Because the border passes through the property, a por ...
in
Daly City
Daly City () is the second most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with population of 104,901 according to the 2020 census. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, and immediately south of San Francisco (sharing its ...
, the annual Grand National brings rodeo to an urban audience. The Grand National is also a county agricultural fair, run by the
California Department of Food and Agriculture
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is a cabinet-level agency in the government of California. Established in 1919 by the California State Legislature and signed into law by Governor William Stephens, the Department of Food ...
.
Events
The usual
4-H club /
Future Farmers of America
National FFA Organization is an American 501(c)(3) youth organization, specifically a career and technical student organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agricultural education. It was founded in 1925 at Vi ...
events of an agricultural fair are held. Sheep, cattle, goats, rabbits, and pigs are judged. The horse and stock barns are open to the public and there are full English and Western horse shows.
In addition to the above events, there are
country and western musical performances, a carnival and the Miss Grand National beauty pageant, whose contestants also typically compete in other competitions at the rodeo. The
ProRodeo Hall of Fame
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, pr ...
inducted the Grand National Rodeo in 2008.
History
The Cow Palace was built to host the first Grand National Rodeo, then known as three separate events: the Grand National Livestock Exposition, the Grand National Horse Show, and the Grand National Rodeo, held simultaneously from November 15–22, 1941. Further events at the Cow Palace were interrupted temporarily by World War II, and the site was used to stage troops; the ten-day rodeo and associated events returned on November 15, 1946. The third Grand National Rodeo was held from November 1–9, 1947.
The rodeo went virtual in 2020.
See also
*
Rodeo
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.grandnationalrodeo.com
Grand National Rodeo queensCalifornia Department of Food and Agriculture, Division of Fairs and Exhibitions
Beauty pageants in the United States
Rodeos
ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees