Are you thinking about showing an animal this next year? Are you not sure what is all involved? If so, then mark your calendars to be at the Bell County Expo Center November 2-3 for the 28th annual Holiday Classic. What makes this show unique? The Holiday Classic is completely free to families to attend with all expenses being paid through local sponsorship. In addition to being free, each exhibitor leaves with an item (neck rope, bucket, gift certificates) and can enjoy a free steak supper at the end of day one.
The Holiday Classic is open to all 4-H and FFA youth and specifically marketed to the 21 counties in District 8: Bell, Bosque, Comanche, Coryell, Eastland, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Johnson, Leon, Limestone, McLennan, Milam, Navarro, Robertson, Somervell and Williamson. However, youth outside of District 8 are welcome and also attend annually. Youth attendance in 2018 was 829 participants; we average feeding 1200 people dinner on night one.
4-H and FFA families bring their cattle, lambs, swine, and goats to learn more about the responsibilities that are attributed to exhibiting livestock. During the two-day program, experts in livestock and youth development provide educational, hands-on training for attendees in both group and individual settings. After the educational program, youth have the opportunity to exhibit their projects for practice and receive advice on how to manage their animals. Youth are provided the opportunity to practice what they have learned the day before, and it is in a “show setting.” The target audience is youth and families that are in their first three years of participation in showing animals. However, many families come back each year to learn the latest information from our panel of expert speakers.
If interested, this year’s event will be held November 2-3, 2019 at the Bell County Expo Center. Barns open at 6AM, workshops start at 1PM on Saturday. Contact the Bosque County Extension Office for more information https://bosque.agrilife.org/.
