POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Polk County Youth Fair is happening all week at the Stuart Center in Bartow, located at the intersection of E. Clower Street and US Highway 17.
- Polk County Youth Fair going on this week
- Located at E. Clower Street and US Highway 17
- List of events going on at the fair
More than 2,500 students from Polk County are participating. Clayton Keene, President of Bok Academy’s FFA, was one of the hog show contestants.
“My whole family has always been apart of Agriculture. I’ve always wanted to show hogs and to tell you the truth, I love hogs out of everything. It's just, it's awesome,” Keene said.
The competitions range from hog, steer, and dog shows to live stock auctions and even a whip-popping contest.
(Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Claytor/Spectrum Bay News 9)
Paul Webb, President of the Polk County Youth Fair, said the fair teaches the youth about the agriculture industry.
"It teaches them hard work, teaches them responsibility,” Webb said. “It teaches them that sometimes agriculture is a profitable business but sometimes its hard to make ends meet. There are students who the other day checked these pigs in and unfortunately some of them didn’t make weight. And if they don’t make weight they have to go home.”
One of the most exciting events of the fair is the hog sale on Tuesday.