Latest news with #WesternHeritageClassic
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Countdown at the Taylor County Expo: Crews race to finish in time for West Texas Fair & Rodeo
ABILENE, Texas () – It's a race against time at the Taylor County Expo Center, with the Texas High School Rodeo kicking off this week and the West Texas Fair & Rodeo just a couple of months away. Taylor County Expo Center expands parking lot repaving project The Expo is undergoing a $4.5 million parking lot upgrade, and as construction progresses, some drainage problems have been discovered. Water drains slowly near the round building. The solution — a 350-yard drainage flume that will direct water into the ditch along East South 11th — will be built. At the same time, construction will begin on the Expo's largest parking lot, located just east of the center. Crews are hoping to complete the work before the fair arrives. Western Heritage Classic weekend begins at Taylor County Expo Center The drainage flume will also involve tearing down a fence and rebuilding it after the work is done. Crews say as soon as the Texas High School rodeo leaves town, they will tear down the fence and get to work. They have approximately a 75-day window to complete the drainage and the parking lot. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Busy Weekend in Abilene: Mother's Day, Western Heritage Classic, and Graduation
ABILENE, Texas () – Every hotel room in Key City is fully booked. Vice President of the Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau, Robert Lopez, explains that three major events occur the second weekend of May. 'Travel and tourism is peak season right now. As things warm up here in Abilene, travel picks up. Events start happening. This weekend, with it being Mother's Day and graduations at the universities, and then you add Western Heritage Classic to that mix. It's really hard to find a hotel room in Abilene this weekend,' said Lopez. With about 40 hotels and about 3,800 hotel rooms fully booked. Others are using alternative booking options like Airbnb or hotels outside city limits. Lopez adds that many significant events take place in the summer and encourages those who need hotel accommodations to book early. 'Just to put it into perspective, in 2024, tourism generated $567.7 million for the local economy and employed 3,790 hardworking Abilenians. So, just the economic impact and the number of jobs that the hospitality industry produces for Abilene is one thing. But tourism also contributes $16.4 million in tax revenues for the city. So, if you kind of equate that without tourism, well, I'll say it this way, tourism saves each household in Abilene $640 in taxes,' explained Lopez. The Western Heritage Classic attracts approximately 30,000 attendees and generates around $1.7 million for the local economy. Chairman Jeff Gore explains that this event brings in people from across Texas and beyond. He is pleased to see that multiple events are taking place on the same weekend, allowing attendees to visit the Western Heritage Classic and learn about Western history. 'Texas was built on the back of the cattle business in this in this part of the country especially. And we want people to know that. We need people to understand that, so we don't ever get away from that, because as long as people want hamburgers and steaks, there needs to be ranches and there needs to be cowboys,' shared Gore. 'Texas was built on the back of the cattle business in this in this part of the country, especially. And we want people to know that. We need people to understand that, so we don't ever get away from that, because as long as people want hamburgers and steaks, there needs to be ranches and there needs to be cowboys,' shared Gore. 'Texas was built on the back of the cattle business in this part of the country, especially. And we want people to know that. We need people to understand that, so we don't ever get away from that because, as long as people want hamburgers and steaks, there needs to be ranches and there needs to be cowboys,' shared Gore. From the rodeo to chuckwagon competitions to vendors, Gore explains, even if you don't like anything Western, the event is able to bring people together. 'But the thing about Western Heritage Classic, to me, is that there's something for everybody. There is no event like this anywhere in the world. There's a bunch of ranch rodeos, there's a bunch of horse shows, and there's a bunch of trade shows with Western gear and Western apparel,' added Gore. You can find the Western Heritage Classic Event Schedule here: WHC Event Schedule Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
