The Extraco Events Center, home of the Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo, is the center of entertainment in Central Texas. In the early 1950s, Mclennan County voters elected to put $1.2 million towards a new entertainment and agricultural venue, culminating in the construction of the iconic Coliseum and surrounding grounds in 1953.
In August 2010, officials announced that Extraco Banks signed a long-term naming rights deal, officially changing the name of the grounds to the Extraco Events Center. “Extraco Banks has a long history of being a great community partner for the complex”, said Wes Allison, President and CEO of the Extraco Events Center.
In 2021 the BASE at Extraco opened and expanded the grounds with a 55,000 square foot multi-purpose facility. Having the BASE allowed the facility to pursue a completely different type of event, and in doing so allowed the Extraco Events Center to become the largest and most diverse event center in the Mclennan County area. In 2023, the grounds expanded further by demolishing the old Paul Tyson football field grounds in order to work towards developing that area as additional parking and another possible future facility site.
Today, the center's mission to produce events for education, entertainment, and agricultural experiences while giving back through youth scholarships. Together, the 3 facilities host over 300 events annually, with over 420,000 attendees and provide an economic impact of $47 million for the Central Texas area.