4-H special needs BeYou Livestock Show back at fair for second year
Kathy Smith, left, Kylie Ramirez, Paul Baker, Ryan Troyer and Karen Hunter enjoy the festivities at last year's inaugural 4-H special needs BeYou Livestock Show at the Holmes County Fair.
Last year West Holmes High School FFA member and Holmes County 4-Her Kylie Ramirez took a unique idea and waded into the Holmes County Fair not knowing what to expect for her BeYou Livestock Show, a chance for those with special needs to experience the joy of showing an animal at the fair in front of a crowd.
As she enters year two, Ramirez has a much better handle on exactly what needs to happen and what she and her volunteers can expect, but this year’s event came with a huge twist.
As spring turned to summer, COVID-19 brought everything to a halt and left the annual Holmes County Fair in a lurch. The Senior Fair Board had to wait and wonder whether or not they should forge ahead with the fair. That meant Ramirez’s plans also were up in the air.
However, as restrictions lessened, the fair board gave the go-ahead for the fair to take place, and Ramirez, who never stopped preparing as though she would be hosting the second annual BeYou Livestock Show, was more than ready to get rolling on her project.
Ramirez, a freshman at Ohio State ATI, where she is studying community relationships, said it was like walking on pins and needles as she waited for the fair board’s decision.
“This whole time, I have been watching and waiting and seeing other festivals and fairs getting canceled,” said Ramirez, who on top of the show is serving as the current Holmes County Junior Fair queen. “I thought for sure I would have to do something virtual, but I kept planning for just about every outcome because I just wasn’t sure what would happen with the fair.”
Prepared for the virtual show, Ramirez was rooting hard for the real thing at an actual fair and got her wish.
One of the big differences this year was her inability to do a lot of the leg work that helped her raise funds for the event. Last year she was able to get into schools and visit businesses to help raise funds. This year the schools were closed and were not an option, and she felt as though asking businesses that might be struggling during the COVID-19 shut-down months was not an option.
Fortunately, she did her work last year, raising funds to cover her expenses this year, just in case something happened.
Something big did happen, so she was happy she prepared and grateful to the many who gave last year.
Because of the virus, there will be some unique guidelines associated with the event, just as there are with the fair itself.
“It should be as close to last year as possible, with masks, sanitizing and social distancing in place,” Ramirez said. “But that is nothing that is different than the rest of the fair.”
The special needs livestock show, a unique opportunity for special needs people age 5 and older to participate in a livestock show specially designed for them, will take place Saturday, Aug. 15 at 11:30 a.m. in the main show arena at the fairgrounds at Harvest Ridge.
Special needs livestock shows have been around for a number of years, but one had never been a part of the Holmes County Fair until last year. Ramirez said the idea for bringing the show to Holmes County came to her while she was tending the National FFA Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. in 2018.
Ramirez said throughout the conference those in attendance were encouraged to build leadership in their own communities and to become advocates about what they believed in.
Ramirez wanted to do something to recognize special needs people and wanted to combine the thrill of showing an animal at the fair with her passion for serving others.
“I really felt that a livestock show for people with disabilities would be awesome,” Ramirez said. “That first year took a ton of developing a curriculum and finding volunteers to put in place to help, but it was all worth it.”
What made it more worthwhile was when she went on the internet and googled other special needs events like she was planning. The smiles she saw on the faces sold her on the idea. When she saw those smiles at last year’s Holmes County Fair, she knew she had struck gold.
Ramirez said her travels around the state attending other fairs as the Holmes County Fair queen saw her promoting the event, and other royalty members from other counties congratulated her and asked her to help them get one started in their home county.
“It was humbling to hear people talk about how incredible the opportunity was for those with special needs,” Ramirez said.
Those with special needs can show any one of a number of animals that will be made available to them, which will include most of the show animals other than the larger animals. The event will be wheelchair accessible, and participants can bring in an aide should they need one. The event also will include a petting zoo in which the owner of the animal will be on hand to talk to the participants and let them pet their animals and get an up-close view.
“We want special needs people to see there are no limits on what they can do, and that includes exhibiting livestock at shows,” Ramirez said.
Anyone wishing to make a donation or with questions about signing up for the event may do so by calling Ramirez at 330-275-5832. Participants need not be from Holmes County. The event is free to participants. Anyone wishing to donate also may send a check to the Holmes County Ag Society with BeYou in the tag line.