San Antonio is a unique city for many reasons, but at the beginning of November, the city displays one of it’s truly authentic cultural occasions--the Day of the Dead.  The Dia de los Muertos is a Spanish event which celebrates the ancestry of families by communing with those who have passed on.  In San Antonio, there are many concerts, art shows, and carnivals around the city which offer a way to experience an event that doesn’t exist in most parts of the country.

On the surface, communing with the deceased may seem like a creepy or macabre event marked by skeletons, skulls, and other ghoulish symbols, but the holiday is actually a cheerful celebration of the lives of the deceased and is meant to praise, rather than to gloomily ponder our existences.   Indeed, the event is an artistic celebration as much as anything, marked by singing, parades, costumes, the eating of candy and sweets, and the building of alters.  The Day of the Dead can be thought of as Halloween with a purpose.  While Halloween is little more than a time for the kids to dress up like the latest cartoon character and ask for candy, the Day of the Dead offers to opportunity to dress up and eat candy too, but at the heart of the event is a bringing together of the family--both alive and dead--in a celebration of this life and the next.

San Antonio supports a strong and varied artistic community, and the Day of the Dead is one of the spectacular and influential times of the year.  Galleries, cultural centers, and even restaurants and bars all across town (and throughout Texas) will have displays, showings, poetry readings, and other Dia de los Muertos-inspired events during the celebration.  Cemeteries are popular locations to visit, as many people spend the holiday having a picnic at a loved one’s graveside, decorating headstones with flowers, and eating ‘dead bread’, sugar skulls, and other delicacies. 

Some of the other celebrations around town include:
Market Square, November 2--Come by to see more than 30 altars created by tenets, schools, and merchants, and with musical performances.
El Sol Studios, November 2, with the exhibits on display throughout the month.  Features altars by some of San Antonio’s well-known artists, and also a procession.
Say Si, November 1, exhibits on display throughout the month.  Stop by to see folk art, arts and crafts workshops for the entire family, food, live music, dance performances, altars, silent auctions, loterias, and much, much more. 

Most events around the city are free, but some do charge admission and require tickets, so be sure to plan ahead and make sure that tickets aren’t required.  The Day of the Dead is one of San Antonio’s most interesting and unique celebrations--a bit of Mardi Gras mixed with Halloween.  So, get your ‘dead bread’ in the oven, your sugar skulls ready, and your face paint kit out, and get ready for the festivities, San Antonio!

The Great State of Texas plays host to 5 College Football Bowl games for the 2007-08 season.

In Ft. Worth, on the 31st of December, Pac 10 and Mountain West Conference features California and the Air Force Academy compete in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.

San Antonio action this year showcases the Valero Alamo Bowl. The game is set for December 30, 2007. Texas A&M and Penn State Nittany Lions battle it out.

The Brut Sun Bowl, El Paso classic, sees this years teams, the South Florida Bulls and the Oregon Ducks. The Sun Bowl first started in 1936 continues with this years kick-off on Dec 31, 2007.

December 28th marks the start of the Football Bowl Games in Texas. The Texas Bowl being played in Houston starts off the bowl season with TCU and Houston.

The New Year's Day game kicks off in 2008 in Dallas with Cotton Bowl. 72nd annual Cotton Bowl will be the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Missoui Tigers.

The college football regular season has finally twisted and turned its way to conclusion, and the bowl games are finally set.  Needless to say, for all fans of the game, the year has been one of the strangest on record.  San Antonio is one again set to host the Alamo Bowl, which will feature Penn State versus Texas A&M.  The match-up should be an interesting one, with coach Joe Paterno coaching in what could be his last game (when you are still coaching at 128 year old, every game could be your last), and is his 500^th career game.  On the other sideline, the Aggies will be managed by interim coach, Gary Darnell, who will be filling in for the fired Dennis Franchione.  A&M has named former Green Bay Packers’ coach and current Texans’ coordinator, Mike Sherman as head man, but he will not take over duties until after the NFL season wraps up. 

 

The two teams have met before at the dome, the Alamodome that is, as Penn St. took the Aggies apart 24-0 in 1999. 

 

A&M is coming off a lackluster 7-5 season overall, but did end on a high note, beating arch-rival Texas 38-30 in Coach Fran’s last game as an Aggie.  The Aggies have certainly had their ups and downs this season, but getting a win over Penn State would be a nice way for the team to get an 8^th win for the year, and to start preparing for 2008.

 

Before the season, Penn State was expected to contend for the Big 10 title, but although they did win 8 games, and put together some terrific games—a 38-7 mauling of Wisconsin, and a 27-7 victory over Iowa—the Nittany Lions were never in contention for the title. 

 

The storylines will be deep and interesting in the game.  PSU coach, Joe Paterno, certainly doesn’t have many years left coaching, but the past few years have seen him do what many thought was impossible, which was to turn the program around.  While PSU isn’t contending for BCS slots, the program is in good shape these days, after winning only 7 games in the 2003-2004 seasons.  Coach Paterno is coaching in his 42^nd year, and has won 371 games.  

 

The Aggies are a program looking to the future, after having fired Franchione for a newsletter scandal in which he sold inside information regarding players health and practice habits to boosters, as well as barely winning more than half his games at the school.  Coaching aside, the Aggies have plenty of talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball.  Jack-of-all-trades QB Stephen McGee leads the team in both passing (57.7% completion, 12 TD) and rushing (858 yds, 5 TDs), but also has big, bruising running back Jorvorskie Lane (746 yds, 16 TDs) to complement him.

 

This year’s Alamo Bowl will feature two storied and proud programs from two of America’s finest conferences.  In addition to the action on the field, the Bowl will also host several other events, such as a Pep Rally (Dec. 27, 6:00 PM) at the Arneson River Theater, where players coaches, bands, and cheerleaders from both schools will get together to fire up the fans.  Also, be sure to check out the AT&T Fan Zone at Sunset Station, which will feature more school spirit, multimedia exhibitions, and games for the whole family.

San Antonio is many things: a vibrant cultural city; a growing technological center, and a sporting capital.  It’s also home to a wide variety of shows and contests that are based in the city’s Wild West roots.  The annual San Antonio Rodeo, started in 1950, has long been a favorite of residents of South Texas, and has grown in popularity such, that today over 1 million people attend each year.  In the 40s, the Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum was built to house the rodeo and show, and served this capacity well until the AT&T Center (formerly known as the SBC Center) was opened in 2003.  Since then, the rodeo has been located in San Antonio’s most modern and comfortable sporting arena.

This year’s event will take place Jan. 31-Feb. 17, and tickets are available through Ticketmaster. 

Although it’s called the San Antonio Rodeo, the event is certainly much more than that.  For over two weeks, visitors will enjoy horse shows, livestock shows, auctions, art contests, lots of amazing food and beverages, and, of course, all the favorite rodeo events. 

For those who aren’t up to speed on all the events that a real rodeo features here’s a brief refresher.

• Barrel Racing:  Times horse riding around a series of barrels.
• Saddle Bronc Riding:  Cowboy versus unbroken horse.  The cowboy must hold on to the horse, as he thrashes around.
• Bareback Bronc: Cowboy must hang onto a rigging strap of bucking horse.
• Bull Riding:  The most dangerous of events. A cowboy must must hang on with only one hand to an angry bull for 8 seconds. 
• Tie-Down Roping:  A cowboy on a horse must throw a rope around a running calf, then dismount and tie three of the calf’s legs together.
• Steer Wrestling:  The easiest event to understand, but much more difficult to execute.  The cowboy must jump off his horse, grab and wrestle a running steer to the ground in a timed event.
• Team roping is an event that cowboys riding horses rope steers for time. The first roper is referred to as the header, the person who ropes the steer's head; the second is the heeler.

The livestock show featured judging of poultry, dairy cattle, beef cattle, Boer goats, Angora goats, breeding swine, heifers, and assorted other of Texas’ and the Unites States’ finest animals. 

One of the rodeo’s most beloved events (especially by younger visitors) is Mutton Bustin’.  During this event, youngsters between the ages of 5 and 7 have the chance to see who can stay atop a running sheep for the longest time.  All participants receive gifts, and one winner will get a belt buckle to commemorate his victory. 

Another favorite is the Xtreme Bulls bull riding competition.  This year’s event will be the 5th in a row, and will be aired on ESPN.  Not only will audience members get to see some of the best riders in the business show their mettle, but the night also features performances by some of the best musical acts in the country.  The event takes place on two nights—the opening Tuesday, and the last Saturday, so don’t miss out!{mosimage}

One aspect of the rodeo, and the Wild West, that is often overlooked, but helps perpetuate the mythology and lore of the life, images, and culture of Texas and the great outdoors, is the art these things inspire. The frontier life and Western Art still holds a powerful place in the annals of Americana, and the San Antonio Rodeo helps keep this spirit alive through its art exhibition, and Western Art Contest.  High school students from the area are invited to submit their work for judging by professional artists, and the top 25 have their works auctioned off, and the earnings are given to the students in the form of scholarships.  Other student-artists are invited to a three-week art workshop in Kerrville, TX, where they are able to hone their skills with professional artists as their mentors. 

The rodeo also features a series of events that are not necessarily associated with rodeos and the West, such as golf tournaments, fashion shows, BBQ cookoffs, and a casino night, so there should certainly be something available for all tastes!  The rodeo is a family event, and children are encouraged to come, and even to take part in many of the events, so everyone is welcome!