Sevier County youth are busy preparing for the first step toward the State Exposition by participating in the County Livestock Show. It is scheduled for Wednesday evening, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sevier County Fairgrounds. The Sevier County Livestock Association will be sponsoring the county event, with a cookout provided for all exhibitors and their families along with livestock association members. The public is invited.
One of the activities at the show is the Skillathon, which gives youth the opportunity to showcase the skills and knowledge they learned from their beef or sheep projects. A skillathon will be held for adults as well. Skillathons are a series of learning stations where youth demonstrate knowledge about livestock management and products. 4-H members may be asked to identify breeds, meat wholesale cuts, feed ingredients, animal body terminology and equipment used to show and manage beef or sheep.
Youth learn critical thinking skills by solving problems and interpreting medication and feed labels. The information is available from 4-H project manuals, supplied curriculum and information from junior livestock conferences.
For many 4-H youth, summertime means show time, usually marking the beginning of the livestock show season. This month, about 600 youth will show beef and sheep in the Tennessee Junior Livestock Expositions. Tennessee Junior Beef Exposition will be held at the state fairgrounds in Nashville, on July 14-18, and the Tennessee Junior Sheep Exposition is set for July 29 – August 1, at Hyder-Burks Arena on the Tennessee Tech University Campus in Cookeville.
Skillathons are part of the Premier Exhibitor Recognition Program. Youth compete for college scholarships, award belt buckles, savings bonds and animal purchase certificates.  This program emphasizes blue ribbon youth as well as blue ribbon livestock. More information about these opportunities can be obtained by calling 453-3695.

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