Rodeo Season Alights with Record-Breaking (and Vibrant!) Trailblazers To-Do

Rodeo Season Alights with Record-Breaking (and Vibrant!) Trailblazers To-Do

Brigitte Kalai, Alicia Smith and Deborah Duncan

A WHOPPING 2,100 people showed up to toast the 25th annivesrary of the Trailblazers Awards Luncheon and Fashion Show, one of the Houston Livestock and Rodeo's most successful events.


There was no shortage of cowboy boots, hats or fashionable fringe at the Hilton Americas-Houston, where the fourth-floor ballroom was transformed to display the splashy, colorful "Paint the Town" theme. The event offered a chance for supporters to applaud all of the Trailblazer honorees over the years, plus the class of 2025, which included Beth Briscoe, Christy Stern, Lisa Schutzenhofer, Michelle Verbois, Rainey Janke and Teresa Jordan.

The fashion show featured spring styles from Saks Fifth Avenue, and took place against a vibrant backdrop and light tubes hanging from the ceiling. KHOU's Mia Gradney and Len Cannon emceed the program, which had Rodeo representative Pat Mann Phillips and Trailblazer honchos Wendy Lewis Armstrong and Ann Massey give remarks to the crowd.

In the past decade or so, the Trailblazer ladies have supported education and literary in Houston with two programs: Rodeo ROPES (Reading Opens the Path to Education Success) has collected and distributed 620,000 children’s books through the nonprofit Books Between Kids. The group also created SPURS (Students Pursuing Unlimited Reading and Writing Success), a program that organizes a writing competition and leads Rodeo Read Along, a weekend storytime on Rodeo grounds.


Alison Cravey, Heather Kolos, Kim Price

Vanessa Kriegel, Roxy Sanford, Heather Lebure, Amanda Baldwin

Charity Stone, Lisa Schutzenhofer, David Stone

Susannah and Edd Compton, Matt Perrien, Susan Whller Scott

Christina Greene McAllen and David McAllen

Stedman Grigsby, Breston Hall, Kirby Janke, Ryan O'Smith

Darlene Dye, Kelly Larkin, Terry Agris

Cynthia Wolff, Heidi Rockecharlie, Karen Payne, Elsie Eckert

Stacy Behringer, Christy Maloy, Allison Smolik, Jaclyn Diaz

Erin Jackson, Katie Clapp, Autumn Jackson, Stacee Howse

Sandra Crook, Jennifer Hoff, Denise Blonde, Kathleen Mach

Romeo Saenz, Chris Miller

Heidi Turney, Nicole Lasseter

Lesley Briones, Cinthya Reade, Nina Altuve

Robin Young Ellis, Tina Bradley, Dominique Bartholett

Honorees Lisa Schutzenhofer, Beth Briscoe, Christy Stern, Michelle Verbois, Teresa Jordan, Rainey Janke

Rachel Regan and Jayne Johnston

Jan Rountree, Susan Coburn, Chelsea Coburn

Jim Wynne, Pat Mann Phillips and Keith Steffek

Megan Strickland and Sheryl McAndrew

Kristina Somerville, Julia Morales and April Salazar

Kirby and David Lodholz and Ann Massey

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