RAPID CITY, SD – Among the many, many events and venues offered by the Black Hills Stock Show every year, one thing was missing. Until now.
The inaugural “Show Rite Youth Beef Show” will premier Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 in the Rushmore Hall of the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center (to be rebranded The Monument after the first of the year.) Black Hills Stock Show Livestock and Marketing Coordinator Amanda Kammerer is excited about the possibilities.
“So far we’ve had great feedback and great interest – a lot of interest actually – from Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska,” she shares.
The open show is open to youth 8-21 years of age. Heifers and steers born in 2019 are eligible. Divisions will be by exhibitor age, beef breed along with heifers by age and steers by weight. It is sanctioned by the South Dakota Junior Point Show Association but does not require exhibitors to be a member of the association. There are also no restrictions based on 4-H or FFA membership.
“The Black Hills Stock Show has never offered a youth show,” observes Kammerer. “In this first year, I think one thing that will really help is that we don’t overlap with the Sioux Empire show in Sioux Falls. That could make it easier on families who would like to compete in both events. Plus, there is substantial added money to our inaugural event which should be an incentive.”
Black Hills Stock Show General Manager Ron Jeffries says that as organizers studied the expansion of the civic center, they understood the challenges but also the opportunities.
“When the Central States Fair started to look at the construction and what that means – not just from today’s stock show but two or more years down the line – we knew a couple of things were going to change,” says Jeffries. “One, the two-day horse sale would need to move in its entirety to the Kjerstad Event Center on the fairgrounds.” He adds, “Secondly, there would be a space to fill in Rushmore Hall. Amanda Kammerer, our livestock and marketing coordinator put together a fantastic idea for a youth livestock show.”
For her part, Kammerer believes the “Show Rite Youth Beef Show” is the beginning of something great at the Black Hills Stock Show.
“I think this first year out will be a big year, probably bigger in terms of numbers, than any of our breed shows,” she says.
Entry forms will soon be available on line and at the Central States Fair office in Rapid City. For more information, contact Kammerer at 605-721-9030 or email: [email protected]
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