The 2013 State Fair of Texas® is breaking records with exhibitor entries in the livestock show and the excitement is equally as high.
For Goliad High School senior, Mccalley Cunningham, this year’s State Fair is filled with excitement because it will be her last time to show in Dallas.
“This show is the first of my last shows for my senior year,” Cunningham said. “I am really looking forward to getting out in the show ring.”
For Cunningham and her sister, Landry, showing market goats is a family bonding experience that they wouldn’t trade for the world. Their father, Mark Cunningham, said that raising livestock has taught his girls their way of life.
“They are hardworking, dedicated and always willing to lend a hand to someone in need,” Mark Cunningham said.
The Cunningham family, as well as other market lamb and goat exhibitors, kicked off the show with an 8 a.m. move-in on Monday, Sept. 30.
“The thrill of being in the ring is what the showing experience is all about for the girls,” Mark Cunningham said.
The Cunningham girls and other youth exhibitors eagerly await their time in the show ring for a shot at the champion title.
“My number one goal during my senior year would be to win a major show in Texas,” Mccalley Cunningham said.
Goat exhibitors will start off the show at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2 in the west livestock judging pavilion. The market lamb show will start 30 minutes after the goat show.
The top 36 goats and 44 lambs will be in the State Fair’s Youth Auction of Champions on Friday, Oct. 4.
The State Fair is excited about the great set of market animals this year and the funds they will raise. Exhibitors receive a capped amount from the auction and the excess goes to the State Fair’s scholarship funds.
The scholarships are given to students in the surrounding Fair Park area high schools and Texas 4-H and FFA members across the state of Texas.