The George Ranch to Lead Fort Bend County Fair’s 90th Anniversary Parade as 2026 Grand Marshal
For generations of Fort Bend County families, the county fair has been more than a date on the calendar. It has been a place where children show livestock they spent months raising, families line Highway 90A for the annual parade, old friends reconnect and another class of young people gets its turn to become part of a tradition much older than they are.
This year, that tradition reaches a milestone.
As the Fort Bend County Fair celebrates its 90th anniversary, another institution closely tied to the county's agricultural roots will take the lead. The George Ranch has been named the 2026 Fort Bend County Fair Parade Grand Marshal, putting more than two centuries of local history at the front of the annual Kick-Off Parade on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
The pairing is an especially fitting one for a fair whose anniversary theme is “90 Years Strong. Honoring the Past, Growing the Future.”
The George Ranch to Lead Fort Bend County Fair Parade Through Richmond and Rosenberg
The 2026 Fort Bend County Fair Kick-Off Parade begins at 9 a.m. Sept. 25 at the Historic Fort Bend County Courthouse in Richmond. The procession will travel west along Highway 90A into Rosenberg, with more than 200 entries expected, including marching bands, floats, equestrian groups, civic organizations and community leaders.
The George Ranch will not simply ride at the front with a sign bearing its name.
A restored Wagonette carriage pulled by Whiskey and Bourbon, The George Ranch's equine driving team, is scheduled to lead the way. Other horse-drawn wagons will carry George Ranch educators dressed in period clothing, while ranch cowboys on horseback and support vehicles distributing informational postcards will round out the delegation.
For a parade that has long celebrated Fort Bend County's Western and agricultural identity, the scene will bring a piece of the county's living history directly onto the parade route.
“The George Ranch and the Fort Bend County Fair have long shared a common mission of investing in our youth while preserving the agricultural traditions that define Fort Bend County,” George Ranch Board Chairman Roger Adamson said. “On behalf of everyone at The George Ranch, we are honored to serve as the Parade Grand Marshal during the Fair's historic 90th Anniversary. We proudly salute the generations of volunteers, exhibitors, and families whose dedication has made the Fair such an important part of our community.”
Why The George Ranch Is So Closely Tied to Fort Bend County History
Long before Fort Bend County's modern subdivisions, highways and commercial centers took shape, the land that became The George Ranch was already part of the region's story.
The ranch traces its beginnings to 1824, when Henry and Nancy Jones, members of Stephen F. Austin's Old 300, settled along the Brazos River in what was then the Mexican territory of Tejas. Generations of the Jones, Ryon, Davis and George families later built one of the state's significant farming and ranching operations.
That legacy eventually extended well beyond ranching.
The George family became known for philanthropy and community investment, and the fair's own connection to that history remains visible today in the A.P. George Pavilion. According to the Fair Association, the pavilion hosts more than 10 livestock shows annually and serves more than 600 4-H and FFA exhibitors.
Today, The George Ranch remains a 20,000-acre working ranch and living-history destination, where visitors can explore historic homes, watch cattle-working and blacksmithing demonstrations and learn about more than 200 years of Texas and Fort Bend County history. The ranch reports welcoming more than 25,000 students and 10,000 other visitors annually. It marked another milestone of its own in 2024 with its centennial celebration as The George Ranch and the opening of a new visitor center.
A Fort Bend County Fair Tradition That Began in 1933
The Fort Bend County Fair's roots stretch back nearly as far in the memories of local families.
The first Fort Bend County Fair was held in October 1933, with the original fairgrounds located along Avenue H between Richmond and Rosenberg. Fair operations were interrupted during World War II, and in 1974 the event moved to its present fairgrounds on Highway 36 in Rosenberg.
Through the decades, agriculture and youth education have remained central to the event. The Fair Association established its scholarship program in 1979 and says more than 1,000 scholarships have since been awarded to Fort Bend County students attending Texas colleges and universities.
That youth focus remains visible throughout the modern fair, from livestock shows and auctions to creative arts, agricultural mechanics, contests and rodeo events.
“The George Ranch represents everything the Fort Bend County Fair strives to celebrate,” Fort Bend County Fair Association President Brian Graeber said. “Agriculture, education, volunteerism, family and community have been the foundation of both organizations for generations. It is only fitting that this remarkable institution helps lead us into our 90th Anniversary celebration.”
What to Expect at the 2026 Fort Bend County Fair
Although the Sept. 25 parade serves as the ceremonial kickoff, the 2026 Fort Bend County Fair season includes activities beginning even earlier.
The Fair's BBQ Weekend is scheduled for Sept. 18-19, while published Fair and Rodeo operating hours begin Thursday, Sept. 24. The anniversary celebration highlighted by the Association runs through Sunday, Oct. 4 at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds, 4310 Highway 36 South in Rosenberg.
For families searching for things to do in Fort Bend County this fall, the schedule combines many of the features that have made the fair an annual tradition: carnival rides, fair food, shopping, livestock competitions, youth events, live entertainment and rodeo.
The 2026 livestock schedule includes rabbit, goat, broiler, steer, swine, lamb and heifer shows, along with an agricultural mechanics project show, livestock judging, the Junior Livestock Auction and Freezer Sale.
Rodeo events stretch across much of the fair schedule as well. Ranch Rodeo, barrel racing, breakaway roping, team roping, calf roping and mutton bustin' lead into the PRCA Rodeo from Oct. 1-4 at the O.D. Tucker Arena. Professional competitors are scheduled for events including bareback riding, saddle bronc, bull riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, barrel racing and breakaway roping.
Families will also find activities away from the arena, including the Ag'Tivity Barn, carnival midway, creative arts exhibits, youth competitions, Fair Queen Contest and other community events. The 11th annual Exceptional Rodeo on Oct. 2 will pair Fort Bend County children ages 3 to 12 with intellectual, developmental or physical disabilities with cowboys, cowgirls and volunteers for noncompetitive rodeo activities.
Live Music Adds Another Layer to the 90th Anniversary Fair
Concerts are also part of this year's entertainment lineup.
The Fair Association's current ticket schedule lists performers including Tyce Delk on Sept. 25, Sawyer Brown on Sept. 26, Josh Meloy on Oct. 1, Pat Green on Oct. 2, Vincent Mason on Oct. 3 and Gary P. Nunn on Oct. 4, along with additional entertainment during the fair and BBQ Weekend.
For longtime fairgoers, the combination is familiar: livestock barns in one direction, carnival lights in another, music coming from the stage and generations of Fort Bend County families crossing paths somewhere in between.
More Than a Grand Marshal Selection
Naming The George Ranch as Grand Marshal does more than recognize another local organization during an anniversary year. It connects two institutions built around many of the same things Fort Bend County continues to celebrate — agriculture, education, volunteer service and the passing of local traditions from one generation to the next.
In a county that has changed dramatically since the first fair opened in 1933, those connections help explain why the Fort Bend County Fair continues to matter.
A child showing an animal this September lives in a very different Fort Bend County than the young exhibitors who came before them decades ago. But when the parade moves through Richmond and Rosenberg, the livestock barns fill and families arrive at the fairgrounds, some parts of the experience remain remarkably familiar.
For the Fair's 90th anniversary, putting The George Ranch at the front of that procession makes the opening celebration as much about where Fort Bend County came from as where it is headed next.
Residents planning to attend can find the complete 2026 Fort Bend County Fair schedule, parade details, event information and tickets through the Fort Bend County Fair Association.
Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more Fort Bend County Fair updates as the 90th anniversary celebration approaches.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
