Oklahoma Youth Expo Brings Students From All Over The State To OKC Fairgrounds

To say that the state fairgrounds have gone to the animals would be an understatement, with over thirty thousand animals all on display for over $300,000 in scholarship money.

“We have exhibitors from all seventy-seven counties that come here to Oklahoma City for the Oklahoma Youth Expo,” said Kass Newell executive vice president for the Oklahoma Youth Expo.

The 7,500 children are showing hogs, cattle, sheep, and goats, for the ten-day event. “The world’s largest junior livestock show, so we only have junior exhibitors at this show,” said Newell.  

This show is strictly for Oklahoma students. “There are also other states that are trying to mock what we do here in the state of Oklahoma and that’s awesome,” said Newell.

“For kids in the livestock industry, I guess you could say that this is kind of like our state tournament,” said OYE exhibitor Kate Sherrill.

And though it’s spring break for most kids, for these kids it’s what they have worked all year for. “On a normal day at home, I usually get to bed at about eleven o’clock, and I wake up at six or five thirty,” said OYE exhibitor Kinsley Brown. 

For the ten days of the expo, it means a lot less sleep. “For me, I got up this morning at three o’clock so I could be here at the barns by four, so I could have the heifer in the chute by seven forty-five,” said Sherrill.

There’s a lot of training for the animals and more skin and fur conditioning products than most humans use in a lifetime. “Training the hair to go a certain way, so that when it’s show time, and you put it that certain way, it looks the correct way,” said Brown.

Even the pigs are given multiple baths during the competition, and a special conditioner to look their best. “You can use conditioner, or like really just anything to make them look really shiny,” said Brown.

All in hopes of winning it all. “So, we’ll bring the kids out in a limo, there’ll be lights, fireworks a lot of action going on, and then we’ll bring out each of the species and select a grand champion in each of those,” said Newell.

“It’s open to the public, it’s free to attend and free parking, and we invite everyone out to see the hard that all of these exhibitors have put in throughout the year,” said Newell.

An exhaustive ten days for everyone involved. “When this is over, we do it all back over again,” said Sherrill.

The expo runs through Friday, March 22. For specific show times and other information visit www.okyouthexpo.com