Weston County fair stirs excitement

Fair week is right around the corner for Weston County exhibitors. The anticipation to step out in the ring and show off months worth of hard work is building throughout the community, and many exhibitors are working harder than ever for the week they look forward to most every summer.

Whether it is livestock, horses or even dogs, participants in Weston County are beyond excited to kick off fair week.
First-time exhibitor Tyler Stith states, “I am most excited for showing off my two heifers, which I have been working with all year, and I’m excited to show off what I have built on all year.”

Tyler has received countless hours of mentoring throughout the process of pre- paring his projects for fair week, including one-on-one instruction with family members and attending showing camps.

Tyler’s excitement motivates him to continue being a competitive force in coming years.

Aidan Butler, another Weston County fair exhibitor, will also make a showing at Weston County Fair, but he has taken abit of a different route with his current project – his dogs.

Aidan has been showing dogs at the fair for five years now. He explains showing dogs is quite different than livestock, but nonetheless, is still exciting.

“I am most excited for our new puppy, Bandit. This is his first year showing, and he’s taken to training very well. With his mix of border collie, he is well versed in treats and is easily tantalized by them, and he is learning commands exceptionally quickly,” Aidan says.

Weston County Fair rundown

The Weston County Fair will kick off on July 17 and wrap up July 28. Jam-packed with events, this year’s fair will be better than ever. With the theme of “Summer Days, Country Ways,” the schedule will include the following.

July 17 will begin with fashion, quilting and knitting judging and continue on to the carcass contest. Many beautiful pieces can be seen at the fashion contest.

July 22 will kick off the official fair week with a community favorite – the parade, which will include floats from many local businesses, groups and chapters with all kinds of candy thrown out.

July 24 will showcase horse and cat show exhibitors, and the night will wrap up with the public fashion show.

July 25 will showcase exhibitors for the dog show, and round off the night with horse show awards from Monday.

On July 26, the Weston County Fairgrounds will start to get busy and crowded with people. The livestock check in and weigh ins will begin early in the morning. Rabbit exhibitors will showcase their projects, and swine exhibitors will take to the ring later that night.

July 27 is set for most of the livestock shows, including sheep, goats and poultry. The night will conclude with the robotics showcase.

July 28 is the biggest night of the fair and will host several shows and a community BBQ. Shows will include the beef show, pocket pet show and the round robin contest. Concluding the night will be the community junior livestock BBQ, with the junior livestock sale immediately following.

Fair support

With fair quickly approaching, emotions and competitive spirits are running higher than ever. Exhibitors are working three times as hard to get their animals ready for the show ring.

The community continues to be a huge force for Weston County Fair and for many other county fairs across the state of Wyoming.

So, regardless of where a person lives, they should go out and support their local exhibitors and offer recognition of the hard work they have put in to something they are excited and passionate about.

Don’t forget to encourage young exhibitors to keep participating in the fair and to stay involved in the agriculture industry.

Preslee Fitzwater is an intern for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.