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San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo has laid more than 2,000 tons of dirt in the Frost Bank Center

Rodeo says it takes volunteers seven hours to make sure dirt is set

SAN ANTONIO – The Frost Bank Center is almost ready for the rodeo.

On Monday, more than 70 trucks full of dirt began to roll into the arena for the upcoming San Antonio Rodeo & Stock Show.

The more than 2,000 tons of dirt was initially purchased in 1988 in Charlotte, Texas.

Bernie Ramirez, chairman of the Operations Committee for the San Antonio rodeo, says it’s no easy task to set every year.

“It’s very important for the dirt to be consistent, for the animals to have good footing out there. You don’t want them slipping out there. As far as the contestants go, they need to be able to have a soft landing, so to speak," he said.

Volunteers spent about seven hours preparing the ground for the rodeo. They will spend five hours removing it after the events are over.

Ramirez said the team combines dirt with sand, salt and other ingredients to achieve the desired consistency. The dirt is then filtered and adjusted every year.

“So basically, we have some clean dirt, if I can say clean dirt,” Ramirez said.

The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo kicks off on February 6. For more information on tickets and events, you can visit the rodeo website.

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About the Authors
Devan Karp headshot

Devan Karp is a GMSA reporter. Originally from Houston, Devan fell in love with local journalism after Hurricane Harvey inundated his community and reporters from around the state came to help. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Trinity University. Devan's thrilled to be back in San Antonio covering the people, culture and news.

Adam Barraza headshot

Adam Barraza is a photojournalist at KSAT 12 and an El Paso native. He interned at KVIA, the local ABC affiliate, while still in high school. He then moved to San Antonio and, after earning a degree from San Antonio College and the University of the Incarnate Word, started working in news. He’s also a diehard Dodgers fan and an avid sneakerhead.

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