The 3rd Annual Derek Casto Memorial Horse Show was held last Saturday, April 9, at the Winfield Riding Club. This is the first year that the event, which is part of the Putnam County Fair, has been held at this location. For the first two years of its existence, the show took place in late June at the fairgrounds in Eleanor, prior to the fair itself. However, the fair board decided that this year the show would take place at the Winfield Riding Club, which is a more suitable facility for showing horses. Unfortunately, the weather for the event was not the best, with drizzling rain and temperatures in the 40’s.
The horse show was open to both children and teens involved in the 4-H program as well as members of the community, and featured a total of thirty-nine classes. Crowd-pleasing classes included competing against on stick horses and attempting to balance an egg on a spoon while riding horseback. The event also featured a pet show to begin the competition.
The 2021 Putnam County Fair Queen, Alisa Grady of Buffalo, presented ribbons to the winners.
“It is important for the youth to come out to these shows,” said Andrew Parsons, vice president of the fair board. “It shows responsibility on their part to take care of the animals.”
The show was named in honor of Derek Casto, who was a former president of the Putnam County Fair board. Casto, who was very involved in the local horse scene, passed away in 2018.
The Putnam County Fair will be held this year from July 8 through 16 at the Eleanor fairgrounds. A new event at the fair this year is a craft show featuring the work of local artisans. The fair board is also polling people to see if there is interest in lawnmower derby races and pulls. To participate in the poll, check out the fair’s Facebook page.
The Putnam County Fair pageant, which is open to all county residents and offers classes for ages 10-21, will be held on Sunday, April 24, at Pumpkin Park in Milton.
The fair will also be holding the Shamrock Shuffle, a 5K fundraiser organized by the fair board and the Bee Ridge Bears 4-H club, at 9 a.m. on May 7 at the fairgrounds.
