DENVER — Colorado State University (CSU) professor Dr. Temple Grandin will serve as Grand Marshal for the 2023 Stock Show Kick-Off Parade.
Grandin will lead the traditional drive of cattle, horses and wagons through the streets of downtown Denver to kick off the 117th National Western Stock Show on Thursday, Jan. 5.
In addition to serving as a professor of Animal Science at CSU, Grandin is a prominent author and speaker on autism and animal behavior and was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2017.
"I am honored to be the Stock Show parade grand marshal," Grandin said. "I encourage everybody to visit the Stock Show and see all the animals. The National Western is an ideal place where kids can get off their electronic devices and discover that real animals are more interesting. I also want to invite everyone to visit the new Temple Grandin Equine Center at the CSU Spur Vida building while at Stock Show."
The parade begins at 12 p.m. outside Denver's Union Station and marches twelve blocks down 17th Street to Glenarm Place.
Back for the first time in 24 months after the pandemic, the Stock Show Parade was canceled in January 2022 due to frigid temperatures.
"It is a great honor to have a legend, visionary and dedicated animal scientist like Dr. Grandin kicking off our Stock Show parade," National Western Stock Show President and CEO Paul Andrews said. "The impact Temple has had on the welfare of livestock, the science of animals, and her unique approach to equine therapy for both horse and human is unprecedented in today's world."
"We are beyond grateful that Temple continues to educate the youth of America as a professor at Colorado State University, author, and speaker. She embodies the values of agricultural education on which the Stock Show is founded."
The public is also invited to the first-ever Stock Show Fair at McGregor Square on Thursday, Jan. 5, from noon to 2 p.m. There will be a photo opportunities with a Brahma bull from Kodiak Ranch, McNicholas Miniatures therapy horses, western royalty and a food market.
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National Western Stock Show Kickoff Parade
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