Youth ready projects for Coryell County Fair
Colton Christman rises and shines early each morning with the same routine — taking care of his livestock so they are in optimal condition for the show ring.
Christman and other youth are preparing their entries for the 2016 Coryell County Youth Fair which runs Jan. 13-16 at the Gatesville Civic Center. Preliminary competition began New Year’s weekend with the horse show and goat show. Other fair events, including home economics, livestock, poultry and small animals kick off Wednesday leading up to the auction on Saturday night.
Christman, a senior at Copperas Cove High School, shows hogs and chicken broilers and will enter the show with mixed emotions.
“I am excited, nervous and sad,” Christman said. “This will be my third year showing at the fair and I am hoping to end my show career with a win.”
This year, more than 30 members of the Copperas Cove FFA Chapter will compete in the Coryell County Youth Fair partaking in numerous competitions, putting all their hard work and skills to the test. In the home economics competitions, entries are organized into classes that allow competitors to show off their baking, wood-working, metal fabrication, food canning and preservation skills, as well as sewing and weaving abilities. Livestock is classed by animal breed and weight. The animals shown are swine, sheep, goats, lambs, chickens, turkeys, and cattle. Commercial cattle weighed in on Thursday. Home economics entries are turned over to fair officials and judged on Wednesday, Jan. 13 with other livestock weighing in that evening. Home economics entries are open for public viewing on Thursday, Jan. 14, with livestock judging, including cattle, goats, sheep, and rabbits, getting underway the same afternoon. Poultry judging, including broilers, roasters and turkeys, along with goats and hogs are judged on Friday. The auction is the culmination of the event on Saturday evening, Copperas Cove High School FFA Adviser Amanda Anderson said.
“The auction isn’t for making money, but is a reward for all their hard work and time put into the projects they showed, and gives them a boost for the rest of the year as they get to keep their projects for more shows,” Anderson said.
Participants like Copperas Cove High school freshman Tori Schwausch, start their fair projects in the fall and work with them all the way to the day of show.
“We all appreciate the communities support each year. Without them, the show would not be possible,” Schwausch said.
The Coryell County Youth Fair takes place in the second week of January every year and has been going on for over 40 years.
“All of the members look forward to county fair and it is the biggest event of the year,” Anderson said.