CultureMap Video

Squeal with delight! Video of Rodeo pig races features our own Hamye West

The competition is fierce at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. And no, we're not referring to the bull riding or steer wrestling contests. More than just roping, riding and live music concerts, Rodeo Houston is also home to Kids Country, located in the heart of the carnival-area.

Kids Country offers activities from mutton bustin’ and pony rides to one of our favorite events, the pig races.

Thanks to our little piggy, you can watch the entire race from the contestant’s perspective (see video above.)

If you’ve never been to a pig race, you’re in for a treat. First divided up by size (the smallest porkers weigh in between 10-15 pounds while the more voluptuous pigs weigh up to 30 pounds) and gender, a group of perky pigs line up at the starting gate.

Fans of all ages go wild as the piglets, with pop culture-inspired names (think Miranda Hambert, Kelly Pigler, Lady Hoga, and Hammah Montana), race down a 150-foot track towards the finish line. And they do it all in the name of Oreo Cookies; there's a bowl full waiting at the finish line.

We strapped a GoPro to our CulturePig, whom we affectionately named Hamye West. Thanks to our little piggy, you can watch the entire race from the contestant’s perspective (see video above).

Fun for the entire family, the pig races run eight times daily.

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Bye-bye, banks

Bank of America closes branches across U.S., including 1 in Houston

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Banks are closing brick-and-mortar locations as online banking takes over.

Houstonians who use Bank of America will soon have one fewer location to handle financial matters in person.

The financial center at 10101 Westheimer Rd. will close on April 25, 2025. Other Houston locations remain open for now; it's easy to check their status at bankofamerica.com. Closing locations are marked with a blue triangle.

Text accompanying the alert gives instructions to safe deposit box holders: "To make an appointment to access your safe deposit box during regular business hours, email us your full name, address and phone number at: safebox@bofa.com."

These alerts pop up a few months in advance; one at Dallas's Snider Plaza (6901 Hillcrest Ave.) warns now that it'll close on March 4, 2025. Two locations in San Antonio at Ingram Park (6401 N.W. Loop 410) and Marbach Road (1515 S.W. Loop 410) are closing December 6. The Lamar location in Fort Worth (2000 E Lamar Blvd. Ste. 100) will close on December 10, 2024.

Banks have to report financial center closings to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) 90 days in advance. The San Antonio closures were announced in a bulletin for the week of July 21, 2024.

According to some news sources that have been following recent closings, this is a fat-trimming process as more people are doing their banking online.

According to trade publication American Banker, Bank of America led the pack in Q3 of 2024, with 41 locations closed. However, over the last 12 months, its 91 closures were outpaced by U.S. Bank with 98, and Wells Fargo with 181.

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