By Shane Mead | Reporter
The Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo, held at the Extraco Events Center from October 3-13, is an annual non-profit fair that gathers roughly 200,000 fairgoers per year. It also gathers multitudes of animals, varying from sheep to sea lions.
The fair has, but is not limited to, carnival games and rides, rodeos, live music, many different food options and multiple animal attractions, such as their petting zoo, sea lion show and Extreme Dogs stunt show.
The petting zoo features goats, sheep, cows and deer, as well as a llama, alpaca, zebra and camel. Visitors were able to observe the animals for free and feed them by hand for only a few dollars.
Upon entry, employees informed guests that one of the goats had recently given birth, and visitors were able to view the mother and her young from a distance.
Extreme Dogs showcased their dogs’ talents with tricks varying from flying disk catching to high leaping and even a timed race through a miniature obstacle course.
Organizers prefaced the dog show by informing audience members that they promote dog adoption as they travel the country performing. They explained that many of the dogs performing were adopted, and urged audience members to look into doing the same. “Pets first, performers second” was their motto.
“I think that’s very important,” said Dylan Skelton, an audience member from Waco who works in the dog care industry. “That’s something close to my heart. I used to volunteer at the local humane society so I always think it’s better to adopt.”
The sea lion show, meanwhile, was kicked off with an introduction to the two sea lion performers, one of which, Lily, was rescued as she was unable to care for herself because of ocean pollution.
This was followed by a brief lecture on ocean pollution given by the host, in which Lily demonstrated taking care of beaches by grabbing a plastic bottle with her mouth and throwing it into a recycle bin.
While the sea lions performed tricks like jumping through hoops, doing handstands with their front flippers and playing the trumpet, the host continued to teach the audience about sea lions. She explained that sea lions use their whiskers to detect fish as well as how they can be differentiated from seals by looking at their ears and the way they waddle.
“It’s good for the younger kids to be ready for when they grow up and are more conscious of sea animals,” said Jason Ellis, a Waco attendee.
Ellis said it’s a good opportunity for kids in the local area to be taught about and shown animals that are uncommon in central Texas.
“They’re in Waco, Texas. We’re not near the coast,” he said. “Unless they go visit SeaWorld or something, they’re not going to see sea lions.”
According to the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo app, the animal attractions will be held every day until the fair ends on October 13.
