Members of the Texas County Fair Board are busy year round in their efforts to promote youth-oriented activities related to agriculture and farming.
This year, the volunteer group is looking forward to organizing and hosting a new event or two and, of course, another version of the county’s biggest ag-event: The Texas County Fair.
This year’s fair is set for July 25-28, and fair board chairman Darren Ice said the new exhibition building adjacent to the livestock barns at the Houston Area Chamber of Commerce Fairgrounds will by then be equipped with air conditioning.
“People will have a place to cool off when it’s hot,” Ice said, “and the cakes on display should be in pretty good shape.”
This year’s fair will feature dairy breeding stock shown by members of an area Missouri Holstein Association group.
“There will be more dairy animals at the fair than in the past,” Ice said.
New this September will be the “South Central Breeder’s Classic,” a show for breeding stock that will run the same day as the fair board’s annual fundraising banquet and auction.
Ice said fair board members are glad to volunteer their time and services in the name of helping young people.
“What we do gives the kids something to do and stay out of trouble,” he said. “But it also teaches them valuable lessons they don’t learn anywhere else, like how to take care of animals and how to talk to their buyers. And they learn a lot about responsibility, like getting their feed and how to pay for things.
“One of the main reasons I like doing this is seeing the kids grow. I’ve done it long enough now to have seen some of them go from being real shy and not wanting to talk to their buyers, me or other people too – after they’ve done it for four or five years in a row – to being more confident and carrying on by themselves. It’s neat to see the kids change like that.”
For the first time since 2016, this year’s fair will run in conjunction with activities and attractions at the chamber’s Old Settlers Reunion.
UPCOMING EVENTS
• Jackpot Show – June 3
• Texas County Fair – July 25-28
• South Central Breeder’s Classic and Fall Fundraiser – September 15.
“I think it’s a great thing for the community,” Ice said. “It will give everybody something to do; if they’re not interested in animals, they can come out and see what’s going on in the arena or enjoy some carnival rides. There should be something for everybody.”
For more information, call Ice at 417-260-0471.
TEXAS COUNTY FAIR BOARD
OFFICERS
• Chairman – Darren Ice
• Vice Chairman – Curtis Rouse
• Secretary – Tiffany Hines
• Treasurer – Emma Hohenberger
• Co-Treasurers – Renee Ice and Traci Enfield
• Show Secretaries – Renee Ice, Karri Keller, Abby Gaither
DEPARTMENT SUPERINTENDENTS
• Agriculture Mechanics – Curtis Rouse
• Beef – Garry Allen; co-chair – Rodney Preheim
• Dairy – Abby Ice; co-chair – Karri Keller
• Home Economics – Betty Baney; co-chair – Sherri Allen
• Horticulture/Flowers – Betty Baney; co-chair –Sherri Allen
• Sheep – Abbe Sprouse; co-chair – Dawn Sprouse
• Goats – Diane Colville; co-chair – Tanner Enfield
• Swine – Rachel Brotherton; co-chair – Jonathan Collins
• Rabbits – Traci Enfield; co-chair – Sherri Lay
• Poultry – Ted Witte; co-chairs – Brittany Witte and Bennie Cook
• Youth Coordinator – Robert Enfield
• Cook Shack – Dawn Sprouse