For the next 10 days you don't have to go West to enjoy the Western lifestyle - not with the Augusta Futurity coming to town for the 26th straight year.

Highlighting the Futurity are the hundreds of riders and great animal athletes from across the United States and Canada who converge on the Civic Center each January to compete in the largest cutting horse competition east of the Mississippi. For the second year in a row, they'll be vying for a whopping million-dollar purse.

The Futurity, which features eight official events, is always looking to generate more fun and excitement in its competition, and so last year, the Silver Anniversary, it added a popular new feature that's back on the agenda this year. It's the Western Horseman Cup finals, a winner-take-all, one go-round event slated for Jan. 28 that's open only to last season's top-earners.

There are a number of other highly popular auxiliary events, including bull riding, which was added a couple of years ago. Scheduled for Friday, the rodeo competition will be bigger than ever, says event organizer Kenny Thomas of USC-Aiken. The prize money has tripled and competitors are by invitation only.

The Augusta Futurity has excited cutting horse fans for a quarter of a century, but thanks to the efforts of Futurity manager Pete May, his staff, the city of Augusta and up to 100 volunteers, it has become something more than that. The Futurity has broadened into a 10-day Western flavored celebration with a multifaceted appeal to attract families and visitors from all over the Southeast.

Indeed, this is where the Old West meets the Old South, so don't overlook the Western Expo vendors selling a full panoply of Western goods, many available in the South only during the annual Futurity.

Not to be overlooked either are the Champions' Club, the more than 60 stalwart businesses and sponsors whose annual dues provide the financial backbone that make the Futurity possible.