MILTON-FREEWATER — For the past five decades, the annual M-F Jr. Show that takes place at Pioneer Posse Grounds off Highway 11 has loosely resembled a county fair.

For the better part of a week in May, about 300 kids from Umatilla, Union, Morrow and Walla Walla counties exhibit animals, sewing, cooking and other projects for their FFA chapters and 4-H clubs.

Families bring RVs for the duration, vendors sell fair-style food, impromptu volleyball games welcome all players and younger children are free to run in packs.

But not this year.

This time the Jr. Show has gone virtual, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the adults in charge hope kids can recoup their costs through online sales.

The event, traditionally scheduled around Mother’s Day weekend, had to be mostly canceled less than a month before its scheduled start, M-F Jr. Show board President Ron Benjamin said last week.

“This decision was not an easy one and was debated over multiple meetings,” Benjamin said. “It’s just devastating when you think about it. Not only for the kids and their families, but for all the volunteers in this community. They work together, a real collaborative effort, and it brings the kids a good learning experience. And it also brings in money to support these programs.”

The M-F Jr. Show is rooted in the early 1940s, when area farmers allowed their children to show off the family livestock once a year. The event found its long-term home in 1973 and became an important date on many calendars.

To the uninitiated, the Jr. Show looks like a simple livestock sale. For folks who have been involved, the event can be life changing.

Jenny Rencken, who has led the 4-H Blue Mountain Livestock club together with her husband John for the last 26 years, helped seven club members prepare for the 2020 show, only to see it shut down.

Rencken said she understand the board had no choice.

“I understand why they did it. I was part relieved, but at the same time, the kids will be missing out on so much, and it’s an experience they’ll never be able to make up,” Rencken said.

“It’s sad, but it had to be done.”

In addition to nearly a week of various 4-H and FFA exhibits and showings, the M-F Jr. Show includes activities that strengthen bonds throughout this agricultural community.

“The dance is the biggest event,” Rencken said. “That’s where I met my husband 26 years ago, at that dance. You make so many memories there … everybody comes together, the food is great. That’s all going to be missed.”

Fun — and romance — aside, the livestock sale can puts hundreds of dollars into a kid’s pocket.

The initial purchase of an animal might cost as much as $1,500, according the Linda Miller, who oversees the weighing of animals for the Jr. Show — profit is determined by weight — then there’s the cost of feeding that pig or goat or sheep or cow for six to seven months.

“It’s quite a lot of money, but then you can get a lot of money,” Miller said. “In the end, you can put a good amount in the bank to pay for things like some of your college tuition. My granddaughter got about $5,000 from shows all together. When you take that away, you’re losing a lot.”

The Jr. Show board, however, is hoping digital technology will salvage the crowning moment for participants, who range from grade-schoolers to high school seniors.

Benjamin estimates more than 100 animals have been registered for the online show, far more than he saw coming, he said.

“We weren’t expecting much more than 65 at first. This has all really been a challenge,” Benjamin said.

Kids choosing to participate had until Friday to submit a 60-second video of themselves presenting their animals as they would at a normal show — white shirt, black pants and slicked-down hair.

Their entries included photos and information for show judges, such as estimated weight and a narrative of how they raised their animal, Rencken said.

In the real-world show ring, children must display showmanship, patience and confidence under a judge’s gaze, in hopes of nabbing a ribbon and making the best sale, she said.

This year, all that must come across via video.

Entries have come in with positive feedback from 4-H and FFA kids, board members have found.

“I was concerned at the beginning some families might not be able to do something like this, but there haven’t been any complaints along those lines,” Benjamin said. “Again, this community is so great. If someone didn’t have internet or a camera or a computer, someone else would have said, ‘Here, come on over and use my computer.’”

It’s been an adjustment, but also a chance to develop a skill everyone is going to need more, he added.

“My granddaughter made a video, and she really seemed to enjoy doing it. It’s really not as difficult as some people might have feared going in. And we’ve waived all the deadlines to give them more time.”

Eleventh-grader Nichole Rencken, secretary of McLoughlin High School’s FFA chapter and a Jr. Show veteran, decided to forego the virtual experience and found a buyer for her market swine.

Mac-Hi sophomore and FFA vice president Emma Leber, however, said she had fun recording her pig, Joseph.

“I was thinking the show was going to be canceled, so I was happy that they decided to do something virtual so the kids could still sell their animals,” Emma said. “It was kind of difficult because normally you’re showing your pig in a pen.”

Joseph was not very cooperative, she said, but it did not diminish the moment.

“I thought it’d just be a picture of the pig, but it’s fun to see you can still show your pigs, and they can judge off that.”

Jr. Show has always been for the youth, and this year is no different, Benjamin said. “We’re determined to make the kids successful and help them sell their projects.”

Folks who regularly make donations to support the program have continued to do so, he added.

“It’s amazing what we’ve put together in such a short time. The money’s down, but not very much. I think once we can get back to normal, next year is going to be as good as it’s ever been.”