Rodeo announcer Andy Stewart has emceed the Waller County Fair’s marquee event since it became a professional rodeo in 2011. He understands the community, the livestock and the contestants, which makes him a valuable piece to the event.
(PHOTO BY PEGGY GANDER)
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – When the Waller County Fair Board opted to make its marquee event a PRCA rodeo, they entrusted the sounds to announcer Andy Stewart.
Fifteen years later, he’s still the voice of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1-Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Waller County Fairgrounds in Hempstead. There are plenty of reasons for it, from Stewart’s energized approach to his job to him just being part of the family.
“Everybody there takes a lot of pride in what they do, and I appreciate working for people like that,” said Stewart, a 10-time nominee for PRCA Announcer of the Year. “They take pride in having a good show, and they definitely have a good show. Even before they covered that arena and made all those changes to it, they had a good show.
“Covering that arena was huge, and it just adds to that rodeo.”
Stewart has seen the changes. He was there in 2011, when the fair board added the professional moniker to its longstanding rodeo. With that, the best cowboys and cowgirls in the world started making regular appearances in Hempstead.
He has announced it all with a slight hint of Louisiana twang. It’s not quite as pronounced when he’s on the microphone, but it’s powerful and charged.
“Andy’s energy just adds to our rodeo,” said Paul Shollar, co-captain of the rodeo committee. “Everybody in Waller County loves Andy. He is the voice of our rodeo.”
Stewart has plenty of accolades, highlighted by having been one of the emcees at the 2019 National Finals Rodeo. His style has been shared with dozens of rodeos annually.
“I think the big thing is how I connect with the audience, to draw them into the rodeo and make them feel like they’re part of what’s going on,” Stewart said. “I always say I like to talk with the audience. I try to transfer that from the microphone to be able to make that connection with the people in the crowd and take them on a ride, an emotional roller coaster throughout the performance.”
It’s a process that works. He studies the contestants and the livestock. When it comes to Waller County, he has an inside track because he works several events with the rodeo’s livestock producer, Pete Carr Pro Rodeo.
“With an impressive lineup of animals Pete has, with his company being so well represented every year at the NFR and the crew he has, it makes my job so much easier,” Stewart said. “I know the product I have to sell is going to be good, and I know it’s going to be run well. The production is going to be unbelievably smooth, so there are tremendous advantages that come with working with Carr rodeo.”
It reverberates inside the arena and across the faces of the fans who attend the three nights of rodeo at the Waller County Fairgrounds.
“If you look at those grounds, you can see the improvements that they’ve made, and you can understand the quality of everything around there has definitely increased,” he said. “Hats off to that committee for a great job.”