C ongratulations to all the youth (and behind-the-scenes parents) who exhibited animals at the 93rd Gillespie County Youth Livestock Show. We recognize the time they dedicated to raising and exhibiting their animals.

The post-holiday weekend of the show is one to turn off the television, video games and smartphones and enjoy some old-fashioned, outdoor entertainment with the Gillespie County 4-H and FFA Livestock Show and Auction, held last Wednesday through Saturday.

Raising show animals is a timehonored tradition, and the hours dedicated to feeding and caring for these animals teaches life skills. Children learn how to present and carry themselves, in addition to learning to be responsible for and prompt their animals.

The livestock show and auction began in 1929 as the “Baby Beef Show and Auction Sale” at Market Square, where the current police substation is located. That show featured 13 Hereford calves exhibited by the Boys and Girls Clubs, a predecessor of the 4-H Club.

In the early 1930s, the show moved to the Courthouse Square. Another move saw the show at “Fair Park,” where H-E-B now sits, and in 1977, the stock show moved to the new show barn at the fair grounds on Texas 16 South.

We can see in person the livestock projects to bid on, and buyers also know that their bids are seen as an investment in that child. Stock show winners frequently invest their winnings in college funds or more livestock.

Last weekend, our youth showed more than 900 animals. Behind them stand parents, relatives, ag instructors and county extension agents who have guided them. See our special section dedicated to the show in this edition.

We send kudos to the Gillespie County Youth Livestock Show Association and the many dedicated volunteers who pull off this show each year. The event provides great preparation for the major livestock shows held around the state in the coming months.