It's time to get over those post-holiday blues. The Augusta Futurity gets under way this Thursday and runs through Jan. 31. This year is special, marking the silver anniversary for the largest cutting horse competition east of the Mississippi.

There are a million reasons why Futurity fans should be excited about the event's 25th year, starting with the first-ever $1 million purse and a near-record 658 entries. Riders and horses from all across the United States and Canada will be competing.

The Augusta Futurity has for years excited fans of great riders and animal athletes, which cutting horses certainly are, but organizers are always looking for ways to enhance the event - to, in effect, broaden the entertainment into a 10-day celebratory Western-flavored festival with a multifaceted appeal to attract families and visitors from all points throughout the Southeast.

This year, for instance, a fun-filled Western Culture and Food Festival has been added that opens on opening day. This new attraction, in front of the Civic Center, includes cowboy gunfighters; American Indian cultural performers; country, bluegrass, salsa and Southern rock concerts; and Western, Mexican and traditional food vendors.

The Western festival builds on two other hugely popular first-weekend events - bull riding competition on Friday and the Horse and Carriage Parade next Sunday. The latter may be the largest display of horse-drawn vehicles and mounted riders in the Southeast.

Prominent throughout the 10-day period wherein the Old West meets the Old South is the Western Expo - vendors selling a full panoply of Western goods, many available in the South only during the annual Futurity.

In the days ahead, watch for a lot more about the Futurity, cutting horses and companion attractions in The Chronicle, including a special section Friday.

This 25th anniversary year is also an appropriate time to applaud the 79-member Champions Club. These stalwarts' annual dues provide the financial backbone that not only makes the Futurity possible, but makes it one of the top competitions of its kind in the country.

Not to be overlooked, either, are the Futurity's staff, captained by manager Pete May, the city of Augusta and the 100 or so volunteers without whose help and hard work the show could not go on.