LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The world’s largest all-breed purebred livestock show is back in Louisville.
Celebrating its 51st anniversary, the North American International Livestock Exposition is expected to draw thousands of attendees and more than 25,000 livestock.
Shelby Pearl, 16, is making sure her heifers are in tip-top shape. Having been around cattle all her life, she's competing in the Junior Hereford Heifer Show.
“It's very different, a lot more relaxed kind of thing, like any other sport," Pearl said. "Definitely competitive, but we love it."
Attending the North American International Livestock Exposition is routine for the Pearl family. They traveled from DuQuoin, Illinois.
“A lot of people come to this one; it's one of the bigger ones," Shelby said. "It's been around for a lot longer than some of the other ones ... Oklahoma has a smaller one, but it's still definitely pretty big."
The expo has drawn attendees from 47 states and Canada.
“It makes it really nice; we’re just about an hour-and-a-half away, around Berea, Kentucky," said Eddie Todd, stall boy with Green Cattle Co. "Makes it special because we travel a lot to Oklahoma City, Kansas, different places. It's always a great show here at Louisville, and they do a good job putting it on."
It's the 51st year the expo has been held at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
“The best of livestock is headed to Louisville, and it's showing off what the breeds, species need to look like, ultimately defining agriculture and livestock for the future,” said Ian Cox, spokesperson for Kentucky Venues and the North American International Livestock Exposition.
The expo is continuing through Thursday Nov. 21, with events each day.
“It's definitely something not a lot of people know about, for sure, because when everybody's like, ‘Why are all the people in town? Well, there's a cattle show; come check it out,’” Shelby said.
Saturday evening, Nov. 16, was the North American Championship Rodeo, which sold out with an expected attendance of 30,000 people.