Listen up, Texas neighbors and beyond. There’s a different kind of rodeo coming to Texas.
From youth to pro, World Extreme Cowboy Association (EXCA) members are tuning up their horses for the 2025 show-me-your-stuff competition October 28 through November 2, in Glen Rose, Tx., hosted by the Somervell County Expo Center https://www.theexpoatglenrose.com.
Entrants, ages eight to eighty-(plus), come from around the world to compete for time, style, and horsemanship with skills intended to blow away the competition–I’ve seen the hats flying! https://extremecowboyassociation.com/world-program-2025.htm. It’s fast. It’s hairy. It’s dusty. And it’s free!
Somervell Expo Center offers a in-house food service for the hungered and a cowboy bar for the parched (those are not free). Early holiday shoppers will want to graze the gift shop for your cow-persons back home…a little something Texas.
There’s more!
Other events include the very popular Passion Play, which runs from early September through November. https://thepromiseglenrose.com/the-promise-2/. It’s worth mentioning, however, a disclaimer: I understand the 2025 event has been suspended due to the 2024 sale of the Texas Amphitheater. It is, however, slated to return in 2026. Just reporting what I find; you might want to check that, or set your 2026 calendar.
Don’t forget Dinosaur country! Glen Rose already sets a record for dinosaur vibe. https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/dinosaur-valley. You could make a week of those sights and hikes, alone.
There are plenty of hotels, RV parks and tent sites along the nearby Paluxy and Brazos Rivers, as well as more than enough great restaurants to entice. Texas heat is lifting, and it’s a pleasant time of year to visit. Bring a sweater or light jacket. You can’t count on the weather one minute to the next.
West Texas? Not quite, but close enough to say you’ve been there.
