The American Royal

The American Royal. . , Kansas Citians may have hung up their cowboy hats for business suits, but we’re still mighty proud of our “Cowtown” past. In fact, we celebrate it every year with one of the oldest livestock shows in the country – The American Royal., Established in 1899, The Royal began as a modest Hereford cattle show in a tent. But, by 1921, The Royal had grown so large; Kansas City gave the show its first 7.5-acre building. One of the show’s early-featured equestrians was Tom Bass, born a slave, who went on to train horses for Teddy Roosevelt, Will Rogers and Buffalo Bill., Today, it takes four massive buildings to house all of the American Royal’s activities, which include everything from horse shows to rodeos to petting zoos. In recent years, this major fall event has drawn audiences of 250,000+, as well as the hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls form all over the country who come to participate in the best calf-ropin’, bronco bustin’, horse trottin’ contests around. The Royal also features nightly performances by the country’s top names in music., Each year, the event kicks off with the largest barbecue contest in the world, which sends mouth-watering aromas all over the city. There’s also a parade of livestock that struts its stuff right past downtown offices. Anyone for a cattle drive?