Stock show fundraising starts

By Sam Waller

Shackelford County FFA and 4-H members are in the final month of getting animals ready for the county stock show, and members of the Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Association are doing their parts to make the event a success.

Members of the association met Dec. 7. to discuss plans for the show, which is scheduled for Jan. 20-22 at the county show barn.

“We went over our procedures and making sure everybody said what they would do during the show,” association president Bronco Askew said. “Our April meeting is when we do all our planning for the next year, and a lot of people forget between then and now.”

The annual cleanup day will be Saturday, Jan. 15 starting at 8:00 a.m.

“We urge students to come help because it is their show,” Askew said.

Albany FFA advisor Chris Beard said all livestock projects are now in the hands of the exhibitors.

“We’ve got all animals purchased,” he said. “We got rabbits in and validated. Now we’re just feeding the animals and waiting on our cleanup day.”

One concern for Beard is making sure animals are properly tended, especially if cold weather hits.

“As Christmas holidays start, I want to remind the exhibitors that they need to check their animals daily,” he said. “If there’s cold weather and ice, they need to make sure all the animals have water. They need to bust the ice and have fresh water every day.”

In addition to feed and water, Beard stressed the need to exercise and weigh animals as well as check their overall health.

“If an animal is sick and a kid needs help, contact me,” he said.

Fundraising

The association is soliciting donations and holding raffles to raise money for the show.

With more than 175 participants, the stock show is the largest extracurricular activity for Shackelford County youth. All donations go to cover the show’s expenses, such as ribbons, belt buckles, supplies, and premium money. Excess funds will be distributed to all participants through the bidders pool.

Donations may be mailed to Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Association, Attn: Molly Cauble, PO Box 2439, Albany TX 76430. Checks should be made payable to Shackelford County Youth and Livestock Association.

Raffles for a shotgun and a processed hog will augment the donations. The processed hog is being donated by Jerry Lancaster of Deep Creek Processing in Moran.

“That money goes to the bidders pool to help raise money for the kids’ bids,” Beard said.

4-H Preparations

Shackelford County extension agent Kelsey Bell is busy helping 4-Hers get their projects ready.

“I’ve been taking entries for the county show and making sure they’re completed,” she said. “I’ve been trying to check on 4-H projects at least once a month.”

Bell said she expects to hold the January meeting before the show, but she hasn’t finalized plans yet.

“Saturday, Jan. 15 is the cleanup day at the county show barn,” Bell said. “That will be our community service project for January.”