GREENFIELD — An event organized last year to give young people a chance to show their sheep after national shows were canceled during the pandemic was such a success that it is coming back for a second year.
The second Youth Sheep Expo is set to run from July 28-Aug. 1 at the Hancock County Fairgrounds.
“This show evolved from one of the largest junior shows canceling (in 2020); it’s called the All-American Junior Show,” Lloyd Arthur, one of the event’s organizers, said. Six children in Arthur’s family, including his own two kids, raise and show sheep. “It felt like something needed to happen for my kids and all the kids across the country.”
Arthur, a longtime superintendent of sheep events at the Hancock County 4-H Fair, teamed up with Debbie Vansickle, who runs the supreme showmanship event, to work on bringing a substitute event to Hancock County. They put together the event in about three months and ended up being host to over 1,300 sheep at the county fairgrounds last year.
During the event, Arthur said, he was frequently asked by those in attendance if they were planning on doing the expo again in 2021. Eventually, he said, the participants coming up to him began just assuming there would be a second event. Arthur said he and Vansickle wanted to take the time to catch their breath, but by the fall, they had decided to do it again.
“This year, we’re going to keep building on where we were last year,” Arthur said. Last year, the event saw competitors from about 13 states. He’s hoping that without the travel constraints caused by COVID-19, families from even more locations will be able to come.
The junior open show will accept child and teen participants of all ages from anywhere in the country; membership in 4-H or another organization is not required. The event will feature four rings for competitions, and sheep will be held in every livestock barn at the county fairgrounds, plus the Pioneer Building.
Judges at the event will include Mark Johnson, a sheep and lamb nutritionist for Purina; Cruz Nichols, co-owner of Ringside Sheep Magazine; and Tor Sorrensen, a frequent sheep competition judge who manages the Southern Arizona International Livestock Association.
The event will also include vendors, and food will be provided by several local 4-H clubs.
The sheep expo received a grant for $15,000 in funding from the Hancock County Tourism Commission. The commission also hopes to offer an additional $15,000 from a specific fund dedicated to the county fairgrounds, since the 4-H fair did not request any funding this year, but is still discussing the matter with the county agricultural association. Members said they were optimistic about the event’s potential to draw business to local hotels and restaurants, some of which received a significant boost in business during last year’s event.
Arthur said total costs for the event will run to about $65,000, the largest portion of which will be spent on cash awards for participants.
“Our goal at the end of the day is that we have zero in our checking account and everything’s paid for,” he said.
Entries for the expo are due on July 1, although late entries will be accepted for an increased fee. Information and an entry form can be found online at youthsheepexpo.weebly.com, as well as on the Youth Sheep Expo Facebook page.