Shows Again Stable Of Event
Giant fans were blowing on cattle to keep them cool in the barn as youths and their families washed, dried, and brushed them to prepare for showing.
Although the atmosphere in the barn was busy, everyone was calm and driven because the “kids out there are doing this from the moment they wake up in the morning,” said Mary Repair. “This is like their super bowl.”
This was the scene on Friday morning at the Virginia Horse Center, the second day of the Rockbridge Regional Fair and Expo, as the 4-H/FFA livestock shows were about to get underway.
For many of the members of the 4-H Stockman’s Club, what they do has been “carried down through generations: the art of showing,” said Megan Sheets, Rockbridge County 4-H Extension agent. “A lot of the older 4-H kids will help the younger ones.”
It’s a legacy that continues through families and the community. One such example is the Repair family. Donald Repair showed livestock for 14 years and his father showed before him. His children, Olivia and Nathan, are in the Stockman’s Club and Poultry Club and showed cattle and chickens this year.
Olivia Repair, age 12, said “my dad taught me” when she spoke about showing cattle. She has also been showing chickens since she was 5.
She and her younger brother Nathan, age 9, were both born and raised on a beef cattle farm in Natural Bridge. They started as Clover Buds in 4-H, which is when they first started showing livestock. Since then, they have raised chickens, hogs, dairy cattle, and, of course, beef cattle.
They both showed beef cattle this year and Olivia showed their dairy heifer, Maple, for which she won the Junior Dairy Showmanship in her class. Olivia said “getting [Maple] into position and keeping her still” was the hardest part.
“I tip my hat to all of them,” the livestock competition judge, Ethan Jackson, said.
Children who were as young as 6 were showing livestock: hogs, sheep and goats, cattle, and chickens. For some of the children, the animal they were showing was larger than themselves but they were still able to show a “consistent and efficient manner of moving while the livestock circle the ring,” Jackson said. -Jane McDonald, co-president of the Rockbridge Regional Fair & Expo, felt that “overall, we are very pleased [with last week’s fair]. The response from the community has been very positive.” Among the events and exhibits, the farmer’s market was “a big hit.”
The regional fair recorded steady attendance and exhibitor participation during this year’s event. The quilt show drew 583 visitors, while the expo featured 98 exhibitors with 226 exhibits entered.
Youth programs remained a highlight. The 4-H/FFA Livestock Show and Sale included 30 exhibitors from Rockbridge, Amherst, and Botetourt counties. The Poultry Show featured 11 exhibitors from Rockbridge, Botetourt, and Loudoun counties.
New draws on Saturday added to the activity. Both the farmer’s market and the FFA Toy/Vendor Show brought in a steady stream of visitors during the final day of the fair.
“Overall,” McDonald said, “we estimate between 3,500 and 4,000 people attended throughout the week, reflecting strong community interest and engagement across multiple events.”
