Fair on, though exhibits getting all the attention

Ellie McGinley, 10, of East End, gives Willow, an English Angora rabbit, her final sprucing up before judging starts on Tuesday at the Southeast Arkansas Fair and Livestock Show. (Pine Bluff Commercial/Byron Tate)
Ellie McGinley, 10, of East End, gives Willow, an English Angora rabbit, her final sprucing up before judging starts on Tuesday at the Southeast Arkansas Fair and Livestock Show. (Pine Bluff Commercial/Byron Tate)

Tuesday was rabbit day.

Today is for sheep and goats.

Such are the makings of the Southeast Arkansas District Livestock Show.

No cotton candy. No caramel apples. No screams of being turned inside out on the Tilt-A-Whirl.

The things that attract a lot of people to the fair are not there, but in a diminished but businesslike manner, the work of the fair goes on, driven by volunteers who revel in the details of a homemade print dress, the peach jam of perfect consistency and how much that 4-H member knows about their pig.

And even that part of the fair was at risk of not happening.

"We were just about not going to have a fair," said Mary Ann Kizer, Jefferson County Extension agent for consumer sciences.

Part of the problem was the summer spike of covid that put a big question mark on whether it would be safe to bring people together in one place.

The other problem, which became more pressing than covid, perhaps, was a lack of funding.

Because of a change in state law, money was not transferred to district fairs, like the one in Jefferson County, which represents 17 counties, fair officials said. Instead, the money went to county fairs. That left many district fairs unable to operate. There was some construction money that could possibly have been used, officials said, but that money was already earmarked for needed repairs at Hestand Stadium.

Greg Bolin, president of the South Arkansas Livestock Association, said fair organizers waited as long as they could, hoping there would be enough money to put on the fair, but in the end, they announced the cancellation.

"Then I got a call from Simmons Bank," Bolin said. "They said they would like to give us the $25,000 we needed to put on the fair. We wouldn't be doing anything right now if Simmons Bank hadn't come through."

Other fair officials chimed in on that point.

"We weren't planning on anything," said Anita Chase, secretary for the livestock exhibits at the fair. "Thanks to Simmons Bank we are able to have what we are having, and we are very thankful."

In the large rooms on the east side of the fair complex, tables and stands were set up, holding a variety of entries from artists, craftspeople and enthusiasts. Photographs, paintings, baked goods, preserved foods, creative stitchery, crocheted and knitted items, and even handmade dolls had all been judged and were ready for pickup.

That "show and go" theme runs deep through this fair. Most years, items are left up for several days so that fair-goers can admire all the handiwork. But since the public isn't invited to this part of the fair, as soon as the person's category has been judged, the entrant can take it home.

"Usually we have things here all week long," said Debbie James, the main assistant for Home Economics and a member of the fair board. "But there's no one out here to see them."

Overall, entries are down, officials said, sometimes not by a lot. But the quilt entries, for instance, were off by three-fourths, said Patsy Brown and Dianna Winfree, two volunteers who were watching over the few quilts that had been submitted.

The two had each made a quilt to be donated to a veteran through a national program called Quilts of Valor. At Brown's urging, Winfree took the one she'd made out of a pillowcase, and she and Brown unfolded it and held it up. That particular quilt is going to James' son, Christopher Phillips, who served in the Army.

"Normally, we have a ceremony," Winfree said as she refolded the quilt. "But with covid, we just aren't able to."

Horticulture entries are also off this year, said Dot Hart, a master gardener who oversees them, adding that things could have been worse.

"Everything's down," she said, pointing out some of the plants that were judged by staffers from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

One of the reasons for the reduction in entries was covid. With infections up, fewer people wanted to get out, officials said. And the fact that the fair only had some livestock entries last year and nothing else has also put a damper on entries, they said.

But the show does go on.

Outside, on Tuesday, youngsters pampered their rabbits in preparation for showing them.

Ellie McGinley, 10, of East End, stood over Willow on Tuesday, combing her impossibly white and airy fur that made it difficult to determine which way Willow was facing -- until her pink ears perked up.

"I just like the fluffy ones," Ellie said with a big smile when asked why she decided to raise this particular rabbit, an English Angora, whose fur is used in high-end sweaters, according to Ellie's mother, Jodie McGinley. "I thought they were fun."

Ellie, a member of 4-H, has had success showing Willow, winning the showmanship award twice in Grant County and once at the district level. Her winnings have included a big fancy belt buckle, which she was wearing. That award, Jodie McGinley said, is more about the youngster and how much they know about their animal than it is about the actual animal.

The 4-H experience is part of growing up in the McGinley family. Other than Ellie, there's older brother Walker, 12, who helps keep Willow as clean and white as she is, and little sister, Charlee Kate, 6, who has her own rabbits to show.

"We just wanted to give them some responsibilities, something other than watching TV," said their father, Jesse McGinley, whose Grant County Extension Service agent brother, Brad McGinley, was a few steps away.

Jodie McGinley agreed.

"Watching someone so young take care of and be responsible for these animals is really satisfying," she said. "They have to stand there and talk to those judges and answer questions. There's no way in the world I could have done that at age 10."

And even though the fair this year had no carnival rides, those will be along shortly, according to Bolin. He said he received a call from the company that operated the carnival at the recently closed Grant County fair, and company officials said they could be in Pine Bluff next week.

"So even though our fair will have ended, there will be rides on Oct. 6, 7, 8 and 9," Bolin said.

Bolin also thanked the other entities that contributed funding to make the fair possible. Relyance, Stone, Connect and FBT banks each gave $500; Super 1 Foods gave $2,500; the Trinity Foundation gave $3,000; and Tractor Supply donated a variety of items, he said, while the Jefferson County Farm Bureau sponsored a lunch, which was catered by Red Lobster.

"We really appreciate all the help that everyone gives us," Bolin said. "We could not put this on without them."

For those wanting to see some of the livestock exhibits, the public can attend that part of the fair. Friday is judging for cattle, hogs and chickens, and Sunday is for dairy goats. For details, see the fair website at http://www.seardistrictfair.com.

Volunteers multitask on Monday as they take a break from handling entries to the Southeast Arkansas Fair and Livestock Show and take time to prepare mailouts for the Extension Service's annual pecan and peanut sale. (Pine Bluff Commercial/Byron Tate)
Volunteers multitask on Monday as they take a break from handling entries to the Southeast Arkansas Fair and Livestock Show and take time to prepare mailouts for the Extension Service's annual pecan and peanut sale. (Pine Bluff Commercial/Byron Tate)

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