Children, teenagers and adults were at work Thursday on the Auxvasse Lion's Club grounds preparing for the upcoming Callaway County Youth Expo. For event organizer Tommy Lee, one of the expo's biggest lessons begins with cleaning, maintenance and general set up before the event's July 7 start date. That lesson, he said, is responsibility.
"I think there's an education here everyday," Lee said. "When they show up here, responsibility is high on my list."
Through the hard work the youth put into the expo, Lee said they come out more mature and develop into "nice young men and women." During recent preparation days, the children and teens have been ready and willing to lend a hand and Lee said that's what the expo is all about.
"To me, it's all about the kids," Lee said. "It's 100 percent about the kids."
The youth expo kicks off on Tuesday at 1 p.m. with its first event - the 4H fashion revue - and the events continue until Saturday, ending with the livestock and ham sale at 7 p.m. On July 7, the public is welcome to participate in the Color Walk through downtown Auxvasse to the Lions Club Park. Last year, participants wore light clothing, mostly white, and volunteers through colored powder on the walkers, giving their clothes color.
The kids pedal tractor pull and children's small animal show, two popular events for small children, will be back again this year. With both events, Lee said each child is honored with a ribbon.
"It's unbelievable what those ribbons mean to those kids," he said.
Children and teens will also have an opportunity for recognition in the 4H Royalty Contest, which takes place Wednesday at 2 p.m. They will show their love for 4H while demonstrating their knowledge of the program. Royalty interviews start at 1 p.m. Livestock shows will go on throughout the expo.
Makinley Brooks, 16, is a member of the New Bloomfield Cruisers and plans to show her steer again this year. The bucket calf show starts 6 p.m. on Friday, July 10, and the market beef show will follow. Youth will show off again on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the breeding beef show. Looking back on her 4H experience, Brooks echoed Lee's sentiment about how the program teaches young people responsibility.
"It gives you a whole lot of opportunities in life and it makes you ready for the real world with responsibilities," Brooks, who also will showcase her photography, said Thursday while hanging up a sign.
Brooks attended the 2014 Missouri State Fair and decided, along with her friend Devan Musgrove, 18, of Fulton, to bring an element from it to the upcoming youth expo. They are introducing the Teen Super Farmer Contest on Thursday, July 9, at 4 p.m. Events in the obstacle-course style competition include: pen building, post driving, hay bail tossing and egg gathering.
Musgrove said the 2015 expo will be the best one yet. Additional activities, like the Teen Super Farmer Contest, mean more fun. The teen pedal tractor pull is another new event added to this year's expo. Youth ages 13-18 are eligible to participate, Musgrove said.
He hopes kid-friendly activities, such as the bounce house, bow and arrow and pellet rifle shooting and arts and crafts attract more families. The fact that everything but the food is free, he said, is the most attractive aspect of the youth expo.