As we prepare for our 168th annual Wayne County Fair and learn of the devastation and destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey in the Gulf Coast region of Texas, we are reminded of how much we have to be thankful for here in Wayne County. As such many people have been asking about how to support the people of Texas that have been impacted by the storm.
The American Red Cross, FEMA, and other agencies are providing critical disaster assistance in many ways and it’s natural for our thoughts to go first and foremost to the people who have lost lives, been injured, or simply lost everything they own. However, the more we examine the disaster caused by Hurricane Harvey we also realize that Texas has youth just like our youth in Wayne County that participate in livestock shows at fairs all across Texas. Many Texas 4-H and FFA members have been hit hard by this storm. Many have lost their livestock, hay, tack, feed, and other important supplies related to raising and showing livestock.
With this in mind there will be two special opportunities to support Texas 4-H and FFA’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Funds at this year’s Wayne County Fair. The first will be by supporting the Jr. Fair Pie in the Face Auction. This annual event features an auction in which the public can bid on members of the Jr. Fair Royal Court (Fair King, Queen, Prince, and Princess) and a local “celebrity.” The winning bidders get to place a whipped cream pie in the face of whichever person they “bought.” All of the funds raised from this year’s Pie in the Face Auction will be split with half going to the Texas 4-H and the other half to the Texas FFA Hurricane Harvey Relief Funds. The Pie in the Face Auction will take place on Sunday September 10, 2017 at 7:00 pm in the Coliseum.
The second opportunity for support will be through our Wayne County Junior Fair Livestock Auction. Over the years the 4-H and FFA members that have sold livestock projects through the auction have been generous supporters of our Wayne County 4-H and FFA scholarship funds and 4-H program funds. In 2001 in the aftermath of 9/11 our 4-H and FFA youth livestock exhibitors also stepped up in a big way and contributed more than $25,000 to the American Red Cross through the livestock auction. They also donated funds through the auction to Hurricane Katrina victims. Now this year as the recovery process begins in earnest our youth will have yet another opportunity to learn about giving back and paying it forward by supporting their fellow 4-H and FFA members in Texas.