PRORODEO Sports News February Digital Edition

NATIONAL WESTERN CELEBRATES 120 YEARS WITH OPENING OF NEW FACILITY

By Alex Dodd

T he National Western Stock Show signaled the start of its 120th edition on Saturday, Jan. 10, with the opening of its new world headquarters – The Legacy. The four story 115,000-square-foot building serves as the permanent headquarters of the Western Stock Show Association and positions the

National Western to continue its role as a cornerstone event in Denver and Colorado for the foreseeable future. “This is the culmination of a lot of work,” National Western CEO Wes Allison said. “We started this process in 2014 to really focus on creating a des tination campus here. This is the first phase here with CoBank Arena, The

showcase agriculture and continue to entertain folks here in the Greater Colorado area,” Allison said. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Den ver Mayor Mike Johnston also joined the festivities to kick off the state’s sesquicentennial, commemorating 150 years of Colorado’s statehood. Gov. Polis acknowledged the impor tance of celebrating the rich tradition of ranching and agriculture in the state and the National Western’s significance in the state. “It’s fun for me to be behind the scenes as the governor because I grew up coming to the stock show and I’ve experienced it for decades as a regular customer,” Polis said. “Not only is it the 120th anniversary of the stock show, but it’s the 150th anniversary of our state and the 250th anniversary of the country … We really want to tell the story of Colorado’s farmers and ranch ers across the entire state.” Mayor Johnston said celebrating the start of the three anniversaries at the same time was like celebrating Christ mas in January. “(The National Western) is at the core of what Denver is,” Johnston said. “We are the West. We still love the fact that we’re a big grownup cowtown. So we love that all of the rodeo and agricultural folks in the world come to Denver, Colorado. That’s an important part of who we’ve been and it’s a really important part of who we are.” Allison said the new building projects on the grounds of the National West ern Stock Show position the event for future success. “We’re excited to kick off the next cycle of what we’ll all be and how we’ll grow,” he said.

Legacy and The Sue An schutz-Rod gers Livestock Center.” The Sue An schutz-Rod gers Livestock Center features the 5,000-seat CoBank Arena for livestock exhibitions, room for over 1,400 head of cattle and a new 500-seat “It gives us a place here in the heart of Denver in a historic space to be CoBank Auction Arena.

The National Western Stock Show focuses on honoring our roots, inspiring the next generation, and creating memories that last a lifetime. PRCA photo by Donald Christner

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16 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2026