Goats strutting their stuff on the runway in “haute couture” came to Dripping Springs this weekend at the Dripping Springs Ranch Park and Event Center. The Goat Couture runway show showcased fashions worn by goats, some of them reluctantly, in seven categories.
The festival opened with a goat stampede followed by a friendly competition among Hays and Blanco County first responders, mayors and commissioners. Singer songwriter Jillian Hudson performed live, opening the show with the Star Spangled Banner.
Contestants were judged by actual Hays County Judges, persuaded by show producer Milena Christopher, a Hays County attorney who is the founder and chair of the Law Offices of Milena Christopher Charities, Inc.
The event was inspired by a similar one in San Francisco that Christopher and her family saw on a recent vacation. After seeing the California version, Christopher said she knew immediately that, “We needed this in Dripping Springs.” Her husband reluctantly agreed, she said, and more than 2,100 tickets were sold to the inaugural event. Proceeds will benefit seven Future Farmers of America chapters in Blanco and Hays counties. Christopher hopes this will become an annual tradition.