BY LARRY DUPEE
Special to the Times
LAKE BUTLER — It’s that time of year again! Spring is in the offing and it is time for the annual livestock shows and sales. Young people from all over the area, members of their local chapters of FFA and 4-H, are putting the finishing touches on their animals, getting ready to demonstrate their expertise in both raising and training the best possible animal they can.
In Union County an organization has been developed to allow county residents, and others, to have their own show and sale, rather than shows combined with nearby Bradford County, as had been done in past years. The Union County Livestock Association is prepped and ready for the coming show and both the people who have worked to raise their animals and those who will buy them are eagerly awaiting the event.
This year, the third for the UCLA event, the Union County Fair will begin on March 14 and run through March 19, 2022. According to Luke Harlow, Union County IFAS Extension Agent, the entries are up this year from past shows. He said that about 136 exhibitors are expected who will show (and in some cases sell) about 178 animals.
The schedule for the week’s events will be as follows:
March 14
Table Setting Contest – 4:30 p.m.
Apple Pie Contest – 7 p.m.
March 15
Weigh in – 4-7 p.m. (with exhibitor meeting to follow
Rabbits/Poultry Check In – 4-7 p.m. (Pre-registration is not required)
March 16
Skill-a-thon – 10 a.m.
Cattle Breed Show – 6 p.m.
March 17
Exhibitor Fun Day – 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. (lunch provided)
Swine Show – 6 p.m.
March 18
Livestock Judging Contest – Check in – 8 a.m.; Contest – 9 a.m.
Steer Show – 6 p.m.
March 19
Goat Show – Check-in – 8 a.m.; Show 9 a.m.
Buyers’ Luncheon – 12 Noon
Swine and Cattle Sale – 1 p.m.
The event will be held at the Union County Agricultural Education Center, located across from the O.J. Phillips Recreational Center off SR-121. Questions about the events may be directed to the Union County IFAS Extension Office at (386) 496-2321.
