Coconino County Fair Livestock Shows Go Virtual
The following is a letter written by Arizona 4-H and Coconino County Parks and Recreation, producers of the Coconino County Fair. It was sent to 4-H exhibitors on July 31, 2020.
Dear 4-H Exhibitors,
The Coconino County Parks and Recreation Department and 4-H Cooperative Extension Office have made the decision to move forward with virtual livestock shows and Clubwork exhibits at the 2020 Coconino County Fair. The decision comes after over 8 weeks of information gathering, planning, and meetings with partners such as Coconino County Health and Human Services, Fair Superintendents, and the Northern Arizona Junior Livestock Association.
A shared value for Coconino County Parks and Recreation and Arizona 4-H is ensuring youth have a safe space in which to grow and learn. Both Coconino County Parks and Recreation and the 4-H Cooperative Extension Office feel that in-person livestock shows cannot be operated safely while maintaining current Federal, State and County guidelines. Additionally, 4-H's newly released guidelines for in-person 4-H activities calls for protocols such as requiring all events to have the County Extension Director approval one month prior to its date. This approval would be preceded by several two-week periods of declining positive tests, flat-to-increasing number of tests distributed, and a low-to-zero spread. It is evident that neither the timeline, nor the public safety requirements needed to achieve a safe in-person event will be met by the timeline for the 2020 Coconino County Fair.
The platform chosen for these virtual shows is Walton Webcasting’s Cyber Stock Show, found online at https://www.cyberstockshow.tv. We believe this will provide the best experience for the exhibitor, as it allows for us to offer Showmanship Classes, the presentation is unique, and the production value is head-and-shoulders above the competition. Specific guidelines for signing up will be sent out early next week.
4-H Exhibitors, including Clubwork, will enter their projects into the Coconino County Fair at http://www.CoconinoCountyFair.com/Entries beginning on Monday, August 3. Entries need to be submitted online by August 7, 2020. The 2020 4-H Fair Book will also be available at that address beginning Monday. Once entered and verified, the Cyber Stock Show takes over to help get the best possible media to be used for judging.
The Northern Arizona Junior Livestock Association has also moved to a virtual experience this year. NAJLA will send out specific instructions on how to participate in their ShoWorks Virtual Auction shortly. Updates will be sent through the 4-H e-mail list, the NAJLA Website (NAJLAsite.org), and the Northern Arizona Junior Livestock Association Facebook Page (Link).
We will continue to update you through correspondence such as this, but we also encourage you to visit our new Coconino County Fair Facebook Page (facebook.com/CoconinoCountyFair) for updates and as an easy way for you to communicate with us.
Thank you and let us know if you have any questions or need assistance with your entries.
Sincerely,
Ricky Conway
Coconino County Fair Manager
rconway@coconino.az.gov
Joshua Farella
4-H Assistant In Extension
farella1@email.arizona.edu