<b>By SARAH AUBREY<br>
Indiana Correspondent</b> </p><p>

DENVER, Colo. — Though frigid weather loomed over much of the show’s 15-day run, the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) – annually since 1906 in Denver – recorded its second-highest attendance to date with more than 670,000 visitors.<br>
Notably, the event, known among breeders as the “granddaddy” of all livestock shows, recorded its largest opening day and the show’s largest single-day attendance. The most visitors ever recorded occurred in 2006, during the show’s 100th anniversary celebration, with more than 725,000 pouring through the gates.<br>
The 2008 show is also the 11th consecutive year the NWSS has recorded attendance of more than 600,000
annually. For exhibitors of livestock, NWSS represents one of the major opportunities for competition and bragging rights during the show season.<br>
“I think most (exhibitors) come because we are a premier show that represents 18 breeds of cattle. The best blood lines are marketed at the National Western,” explained Kati Anderson, media and public relations manager for the show.<br>
“Winning the National Western can add thousands of dollars in value to an animal or a ranch’s breeding program; there’s a lot of prestige in a title from the National Western.”<br>
The NWSS operates with the mission to “preserve the western heritage through education” and strives to promote youth events such as the auction of 95 head of livestock through the Junior Livestock Auction each year. <br>
Champions are named in divisions such as steer, lamb, hog and goat, with animals fetching as much as $100,000 and most of those dollars going home with the youth exhibitor.<br>
About 10 percent of each sale is contributed back the NWSS scholarship Trust. In 2008, about $150,000 was added to the fund, which is used to award 74 scholarships to colleges and universities.
The big money is not reserved, however, simply for young people. Beef cattle sales top the areas where money changes hands from one exhibitor to another.<br>
“Approximately $6 million (is generated). There are 20 livestock sales during the National Western. We annually host about 11 national shows for purebred cattle, and we are one of the few shows that maintain a strong commercial heifer show and sale,” Anderson said.<br>
Even with the potential to win big or sell a high-dollar animal, NWSS is still a long drive for much of the nation’s livestock producers. Anderson said stock men and women keep coming back for myriad reasons.<br>
“We are the only show that maintains a carload and pen show in a stockyards venue … we still use the historic Denver Union Stockyards.<br>
I think Denver is different from other shows because we maintain closer ties to our western heritage and the foundation of our event,” she said.<br>
“All of that combines to give Denver a mystique and legacy that other shows have tossed away.”