Youth showcase their cattle at West Tenn. State Fair
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SOUTH JACKSON, Tenn. — The West Tennessee State Fair is wrapping up Sunday evening, but there is still plenty of fun to be had. One of Saturday’s big events was the Junior Beef Show. The show ran all afternoon Saturday and showcased different breeds of cattle and the kids who presented them. The cattle were either raised or bought by the participants who spent months preparing for Saturday’s show. Will Kemp and Emily Adkerson competed Saturday and are both in third grade. “I’ve been preparing since March,” Kemp said. “I’ve been waiting for this fair all year. It’s been really fun,” Adkerson told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News. The show’s judge, Scott Watson, has been around cattle his whole life. He says he grew up raising it and then went on to teach high school agriculture classes. The main thing he looks for is the way the kids present their animal and not themselves. “The kid that presents the animal where the kid stays out of the way where the judge can see the animal and present it to the best of its ability,” Watson said. One who did present their animal to the best of its ability is 17-year-old Chas Rowlett. He took first place Saturday in the senior showmanship competition. “I hadn’t won it in the last few years, but this is my last year showing so I’m glad I stepped up and won it this year,” Rowlett said. Rowlett said he has been working with his animal all summer to prepare. Since it is his last year competing, he is happy he left with a win. In addition to the sportsmanship contest, the animals also competed against each other based on age and classes.
