It's time once again to dust off your cowboy boots.

The 27th annual edition of the Augusta Futurity begins at 8 a.m. today at Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center, with the $100,000 Amateur for 5-6-Year-Olds go-round.

That event kicks off a busy day. The $20,000 Non-Pro go-round begins in the early afternoon. The finals of the two events will begin at 6 p.m.

More than 600 entrants are expected for the 10-day show, which culminates with the Futurity Open finals Jan. 28.

Last year, the futurity attracted 671 entries from 31 states and Canada and Italy. It was the second consecutive show featuring a $1 million purse, and another $1 million purse is expected this year.

There are eight official events and three non-official. Two of the non-official events are the Western Horseman Open and Non-Pro finals, which will be held Jan. 27.

The prestigious Western Horseman Open offers the largest winning check during the show's duration. Last year, the open champion took home $50,000; the non-pro winner earned $30,001.

Another popular event is Friday night's fourth annual Extra Inning World Championship bull riding competition. The event, which begins at 8 p.m., has sold out every year.

During the first weekend of the show, the futurity will hold its annual Wrangler Family Fun Fest.

The free event will run from noon to 3 p.m. on the civic center's Seventh Street plaza. There will be pony rides, a petting zoo, a western town, music, clogging and contests for the cutest cowboy and cowgirl between the ages of 2 and 8.

Later that night, families of any size can watch the competition inside the arena for only $10 per family.

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.