A legacy for the children

A Youth Fair is one of rural America's most enduring community traditions: young people, from elementary school through high school, raise livestock and create art projects over months, then bring them to compete, auction, and earn scholarship money that goes directly back into their futures. The Needville Youth Fair has been doing exactly that since 1956. Dustin Smith, the fair's current President, and Brian Meuth, its Vice President and Livestock Chairman, spoke about what the fair means to Needville, why it takes a whole community to keep it going, and what Ørsted's support has made possible.

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I was born and raised in Needville. I showed animals in this exact same barn. Both of my kids showed here. Some of the founding board members who started this fair in 1956, their great-grandchildren are still showing here today. That is what this place is

We are strictly here for the kids. There is no monetary profit for any of us. Every dollar raised through our livestock auction, our creative arts auction, our scholarship fund, it all goes directly back to the children. Last year we had around 165 livestock entries and over a thousand creative arts entries. Our livestock auction brought in just over half a million dollars. Our creative arts auction brought in another $105,000. All of that went back to the kids to fund their next project, their college, their future.

It is a 365-day-a-year job to keep this running, even though the fair itself only happens two weeks out of the year. Insurance, facilities, planning, growth. None of it is small, and none of it is free. We cover Needville ISD and Damon ISD, our sister community to the south. We have approximately 25 board members, all volunteers. We give out scholarships every year. And we are growing.

That growth brings real responsibilities. New neighborhoods are coming in around Needville. Two new elementary schools are being built. Those kids are going to want to be part of this, and we are already planning how to make room for them. A lot of kids moving in from subdivisions do not have the space to raise a steer or a hog. So people like Brian open their barn after their own kids stop showing, and take in four or five other kids' animals so those children still get the chance. That is just how this community works. You figure it out, and you do not let a kid miss out if you can help it.

Ørsted has been a part of helping us keep up with all of that. Their support started small and grew, and this past year their $30,000 donation helped us fund new fans, new concrete under the steer area, a new auction stand, and a new sound system. Facilities that these kids use, that this community uses. It is pretty remarkable when a company of that size steps up the way most people only expect small local businesses to do. It sends a message. When our community sees Ørsted's name on those banners, they know that support is going directly to their children.

To any community with a similar fair and a solar project coming nearby, our advice is simple: reach out. Don't be afraid to ask. The relationship we have built with Ørsted has been one of the best things to happen to this fair in recent years, and we are just getting started.