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Indiana State Fair’s Sale of Champions receives makeover

 

 

 

By STAN MADDUX

Indiana Correspondent

 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The 2014 Indiana State Fair youth will be recognized through an elaborate gala and monetary awards that celebrate achievement, scholarship and hard work at the Celebration of Champions.

Formally known as the Sale of Champions, the program will be moved back inside the newly renovated Coliseum. The new name is more fitting, perhaps, given the gala-like recognition ceremony that will include spotlights and a Jumbotron-like screen to show youth appreciation for their efforts and dedication in raising champion animals through the 4-H program.

Another major change for the event is the competitors taking part in the Celebration of Champions no longer have to go out and raise the money that contributed toward the amount of cash prizes awarded to the top finishers.

The Indiana State Fair Foundation is now coordinating all fundraising for this event and has accepted donations from individuals and companies that wanted to be a special part of this memorable occasion.

Justin Armstrong, vice president of the Indiana State Fair Commission, said the change was made after most exhibitors across the state revealed the real payback for their efforts was more than just a chance at prize money. "We clearly understood the show, the pageantry, the honor for their hard work was really what was important to these youth," said Armstrong.

Previously, youth competing at the state fair had to go out and collect the money used in cash prizes, but that left little or no time to bask in their successes of becoming a champion at the State Fair level. Many times these exhibitors would have to approach the same donors who already gave once at the county fair level.

"Here they worked their tails off for the year. They win, and then they got to stop what they’re doing, go back home and raise funds. They didn’t get to savor the moment," said Armstrong.

The State Fair Foundation has raised funds from corporate and private sponsors to provide the prize money. Armstrong said sponsors won’t be lined up until sometime in July but the goal is to offer at least as much prize money as before when the youth exhibitors had to go out and raise those dollars themselves.

The prize money will also be more evenly distributed based on a pre-set formula, not influenced by how much cash one winner was able to bring in over another.

When it was the Sale of Champions, the awards were presented in more of a beef auction-type setting in which cattle and other livestock were actually bid for and sold during the awards presentation. An auction during the Sale of Champions has not occurred for many years, but the atmosphere for recognizing youth was still auction-like, with not much fanfare.

Now, with the more than $60 million renovation of the Coliseum, the awards will be moved back into the arena to provide youth with a resounding "pat on the back" during a stadium type atmosphere. Armstrong said participants will be illuminated by spotlights during the program and get recognition in other ways, such as being shown on the two large screens of a new scoreboard.

"It will be a full-scale event," said Armstrong.

To make sure the event is spectacular, he said help has been sought from a professional event planner. There also could be appearances by Gov. Mike Pence, Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and a high-ranking representative from the Indiana Department of Agriculture, who all attended last year’s recognition event.

"We’ll have a high-profile celebrity audience as well, to receive these youth," said Armstrong.

State Fair officials made the change after touring the state and receiving feedback from youth participants in all regions. "For these children who were competing and winning, it wasn’t the checks they brought up as most important. It was the recognition," he added.

Gene Matzat, an educator with the Purdue University extension office in La Porte, said he likes the switch toward putting more of a congratulatory focus on the efforts of youth. "It’s kind of the epitome of the work they’ve put into their project,’’ said Matzat. "It’s going to hopefully lessen the attraction to the big money and put it on the work of the kids."

The Sale of Champions was inside the Coliseum, but last year’s Celebration Awards was in the youth show arena because the Coliseum was undergoing renovations. Armstrong said the judging of the cattle and other animals including hogs, sheep and goats will occur during the State Fair, with awards to follow. People in the Coliseum will also be allowed to walk among the animals.

Hopes are high the changes will be a hit among participants and spectators, but some tweaking of the festivities, as with any new event, is expected in years to come. "We’ll just have to see how it’s received by the ones being celebrated with that process," said Matzat.

7/30/2014