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ASHLAND — Everyone deserves a chance in the show ring.
Eleven exhibitors at the Ashland County Fair got theirs Saturday morning through a new opportunity to be part of the Junior Fair.
Ashland County 4-H members know the work that goes into preparing an animal for the ring. This time, they weren’t just showing their own animals.
They were helping someone else get their first chance.
The Ashland County Fair hosted its first Your Greatest Showman event at the sheep pavilion. 4-H members were paired with kids with disabilities and special needs to learn the ropes and experience the fair’s show ring.
“We started planning in February,” said Audra Schoen, one of the event’s organizers.
Three practices took place throughout the summer at the Webers’ Farm and Kelly and Clay Myers’ Farm before bringing everyone to the fairgrounds for another practice. The final get together helped families learn what to expect before show day.
Allie Heckman, a Junior Fair Board member and one of the event’s organizers, helped bring the idea to Ashland County.
Heckman got the idea after watching her cousin Austin, who has special needs, participate in a similar show in another county. She already had five years of experience showing goats through 4-H and an interest in working with students with special needs.
“I just wanted everyone to be able to have the same kind of opportunities that we do,” Heckman said.
The program gave participants a chance to work with rabbits, poultry, goats, sheep and dairy cattle.
The show also gave the 4-H mentors a chance to experience the fair from a different perspective.
Schoen said she wanted Junior Fair Board members to take on the responsibility of learning how to work with the participants while also building relationships.
“My goal was to connect the Junior Fair Board kids with the responsibility of learning this, but also to have a great time with individuals with special needs,” Schoen said.
The program received grants from the Ashland County Community Foundation’s Youth IMPACT Council to help fund T-shirts, prizes and other event expenses.
By the end of Saturday’s show, every exhibitor had a ribbon and a reason to celebrate.
Assistant Superintendent of Wayne and Ashland County Board of Developmental Disabilities Ken Kelly said he has attended plenty of events during his 26 years in service, but Saturday’s show stood out.
“I don’t have a lot of expertise in this field, but today was one of the best times I’ve had in 26 years I’ve been doing this job,” Kelly said. “It was incredible to watch the faces and the ability of everybody within this room.”
He thanked the families, volunteers and 4-H members who helped make the event possible.
Mayor Matt Miller and State Rep. Melanie Miller also attended the show. Melanie Miller shared her connection with the attendees.
She has spent the past two years learning how to show animals herself with help from 4-H students.
“I had a wonderful 4-H student, like each of you has today, guiding me in this pavilion and rings that made me feel comfortable, even when my animal didn’t do what I wanted it to do,” Melanie Miller said.
The experience reminded her how much mentors can help new exhibitors feel comfortable in the ring, she said.
For a first-year event, it was enough to leave the organizers already thinking about next year. They hope to bring Your Greatest Showman back to the Ashland County Fair and involve even more participants and mentors.
The exhibitors left with ribbons in hand, but the awards were only a small piece of what they took home.
The ribbons mattered. But so did the chance to earn them.
See more photos from Your Greatest Showman:
