MILTON-FREEWATER — The youth agricultural fair known as the MF Jr. Show closed out its 70th — or so, no one is quite certain — anniversary on Sunday, May 11, with market sales of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs raised largely by 4-H and Future Farmers of America members.

Leaders said this year’s event had robust participation, with Milton-Freewater youth representing a third of those who turned out. Hermiston and Pendleton chapter members accounted for 36 participants, 19 came from Athena and Weston and several from the Washington side of the state line.

The site on property on Highway 11 north of town sees activity from Sunday to Sunday for the mid-May for Jr. Show. During the week the event draws big crowds from around the region, many families choosing to stay at the adjacent campground the entire time.

Like a traditional county fair, Jr. Show includes competitions for home-sewn clothing, trap shooting, photography, horticulture, crafts, tractor driving, chickens, rabbits and more. Food vendors on the grounds help complete the feel of a full-blown fair.

Board President Ron Benjamin had said the nonprofit Jr. Show is enthusiastically supported by the surrounding agricultural community and  that shows up the most when the livestock gets sold in the final hours — many animals fetch far more than market value as generous bidders chime in.

Over the years those profits can mean serious money to boost a college fund or to invest in a business, Benjamin said.