Elvis draws credit for record crowd

The Port Arthur News
March 10, 1970

HOUSTON (AP)-The 38th annual livestock show and rodeo has ended and observers sav Elvis Presley just get a lion's share of the credit for its success this year.

When the show came to a close Sunday night officials announced that rodeo attendance this year surpassed 400,000 for the first time, reaching 400,658.

Although Presley appeared at only six of the 15 performances of the rodeo in the Astrodome he accounted for more than half of the total attendance, drawing 43,634 at one performance, a single program record.

The previous high of 380,000 fell Sunday afternoon when 17.811 turned out to send the total to 386,874. The Sunday night crowd numbered 13,784.

Rodeo cowboys competed for a purse of $104,780, largest on the rodeo circuit. Stan Harder, a Scottsdale, Ariz., cowboy, picked up $3,000 in the calf roping event as his 26,6 average led all contestants.

Ace Bern of Modesto, Calif., was expected to take top money in the bareback riding competition with his average, and Spanky Brown of Wiilburton, Okla. should do the same in the brahma bull riding.

John W. Jones of West Morro Bay, Calif., won the steer Wrestling event and Mel Hyland of Port Kells B.C.. Canada, was the top money winner in the saddle bronc riding.

Livestock show officials also expressed satisfaction. Exhibitors took home more than $I.5 million as a result of sales during the first 10 days of the show.

The biggest prices came during the sale of animate shown by junior exhibitors in which record prices were paid for all of the youngsters' champions.

Courtesy of Francesc Lopez