Published on Wed, 08/26/2020 - 12:00am
On Friday morning, some typical summer sounds could once again be heard at the Virginia Horse Center during this most unusual of summers - the mooing of cattle, the squealing of hogs, and the bleating of lambs, goats and sheep as children showed their animals. Although the Rockbridge Regional Fair was canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, after careful planning by the Rockbridge Livestock Advisory Council, local youths from 4-H and the Future Farmers of America got the opportunity to participate in the livestock show. In late June, after the fair had been canceled, the RLAC, an organization of adult volunteers that put on the livestock show, decided to go forward with the show in a shortened format. The RLAC had been having monthly meetings since March and determined in June that it could proceed with the livestock show if precautions were taken. The livestock show welcomed about 30 participants at the Robert M. Reel Arena, making it a much smaller and shorter show than usual but allowing the youths to show their animals. Rather than taking place over three days, the show lasted about six hours from Friday morning until about 2:30 p.m. The animals were weighed starting at 8 a.m. and then were shown by species and weight. When not showing their animals, participants wore masks, as did their family members, and they socially distanced. Family members were allowed to watch, but there were no other spectators allowed. The horse center security at the front gate conducted temperature checks and questionnaire screening before allowing participants and their families to enter.
