2020 HCFA Ambassadors

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY – In an ordinary world, the 2020 Houston County Fair and Youth Livestock Show would have started on Monday, March 30. Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 version of the fair has been cancelled.

Prior to the cancellation, seven young ladies had been selected to work as ambassadors during the week-long event, to help exhibitors and guests to the Porth Ag Arena by answering questions and providing assistance when needed.

These young ladies would have provided the Houston County Fair Association with the help needed to make the fair operate as smoothly as possible.

The young ladies – in alphabetical order – are:

Howdy, my name is Riley Beaver.  I am a 15-year-old, 9th grade Homeschooler, and a member of the Homestead 4-H club. I have shown both sheep and goats during the past 7 years in the Houston County Fair. I am currently serving my 2nd year as a Houston County Fair Ambassador. To me, the Houston County Fair is growth, friendship, competition, displaying hard work, but most of all, it is community.  The one time a year we all gather together, supporting one another and lifting each other up; we laugh together, we cry together, we work hard, we have fun.  Responsibility, moral integrity, ethics, self-confidence, and perseverance are all qualities that each exhibitor gains from participating in the fair; all qualities that will benefit our community in the future. Even though this fair year did not turn out the way we were all hoping for, I am looking forward to what next year’s fair has in store for all of us.

Hi, my name is Hanna Huffstuttler.  I am a 13- year-old 8th grade at Lovelady Jr. High. I am a member of the Homestead 4-H club and I have participated in the Houston County Fair for 4 years showing Fryer Rabbits.  I have enjoyed the learning process of raising and showing my rabbits, and the responsibility and dedication that goes along with it. Being able to show my projects at the Houston County Fair is one thing that I really look forward to each spring.  This year I have been chosen to be a part of the Houston County Fair Ambassadors; this is a great honor for me.  I enjoy sharing my knowledge of the Houston County Fair to others and teaching them about all the hard work that the FFA and 4-H members do to prepare their projects.   

Hello my name is Sofia Ice. I have been participating in the Houston County Fair for 3 years. In those three years I have shown both hogs and broilers. This was going to be my first year showing replacement heifers. I had so much fun working and learning how to take care of these animals. I feel like any time I have the opportunity to learn something new I should take it. To me, knowledge is the most important tool anyone can have.  Along with showing this is my second year being a fair ambassador. I love this program because I am surrounded by such wonderful people in our community who all work together to make a difference for our youth.

My name is Kami LeBlanc. I’ve been a Houston County Fair Ambassador for two years and I love my job. My projects through the county fair have included beef cattle, a goat, rabbits, photography, and baking. Over the years of participating in the county fair, I’ve learned so much and made so many friends. When I’m not working with animals or helping on the farm, I’m participating in rodeos with my horses. The ambassador program is great because it lets me share with others what the fair means to me. The Houston County Fair is more than just showing. It is learning about yourself while meeting amazing people and becoming a huge family.

My name is Trinity Meadows and I have been a Houston County Fair Ambassador for two years.  I enjoy promoting the fair in our community.  As an Ambassador, we have been able to share about the fair to various community organizations and my favorite is to share with little children that visit the fair on sale day.  This year we were going to have 200 children come through our stations!  This would have been my eighth year to participate in the fair.  The fair means a lot to me and many youth in our county.  It is the one week where we can get together to showcase our animal that we have been working with for the year in front of our family and friends. Raising animals is a commitment – a commitment of time, resources and funds. We become researchers and problem solvers to make sure our animals are at their highest quality when we show fair week. We ration feed, measure out supplements, get the hair just right with shaving, washing and brushing and exercise the areas where our animal might be lacking. Not being able to show this year is very sad to me, but we will be strong and in three more months I will purchase my next year’s goat project and the process will start all over again. It is not the end of the race that defines us, but how we ran the race and we ran it well. 

My name is Haley Phillips. What does the fair mean to me?  I first moved to the Houston County area in May of 2017.  The following school year I enrolled in Lovelady ISD.  I was new to town and the area.  I had spent three years in private online school, and had to adjust to the routine of public school again.  It took me quite a while to find my groove. I joined my local 4H club and slowly became involved in community activities.  In April of 2018 I attended the Houston County Fair for the first time, both as a contestant in the Home and Gardens Photograph contest and as a patron. While at the fair I met so many wonderful people that welcomed me into the community and made me feel as though Houston County was going to be a place I could find the community support to be successful in life.  I made the sale that year with a photograph, and although that was a remarkable moment for me, what I remember the most is how the other fair participants I met were just as happy for me as I was. The support I received from the fair community my first year gave me the confidence to take on a bigger project for the fair in 2019.  My second year in the fair not only did I enter the photograph contest, but I also entered the livestock exhibit with a little lamb I named Outlaw.  I purchased Outlaw in August of 2018, and had absolutely no clue what I was doing, but what I did have was an army of knowledgeable individuals I had met at the fair the year before to teach, mentor, and help me in every way possible.  In 2018 my fair experience truly taught me that team work, is dream work.  I made the sale with Outlaw and learned more than I ever dreamed I would. This year, I will continue to expand my involvement in the fair.  I was selected as a Houston County Fair Ambassador, I will continue to participate in the Home and Garden Photograph project, and I will participate in the livestock portion of the fair showing a lamb and Brahman heifers.

My name is Jamie Welch. I am a senior at Latexo High School and in the fall I will be attending Texas A&M University. The Houston County Fair has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have been showing lambs and goats for 10 years and have been showing Brahman heifers for 3 years. Through the Ambassador program I have been able to watch the up and coming youth of our county grow and mature into amazing showman with the same love for livestock and education as my fellow ambassadors and I have.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].