Mentors assist their partners in the Wood County Fair’s Ring of Dreams during the sheep show Thursday. The event allows people with developmental disabilities show rabbits, goats, pigs, beef feeders and lambs.
The Ring of Dreams livestock show made its second annual appearance at the Wood County Fair Thursday night in front of a packed crowd.
The event, which was inspired by a similar one at the Henry County Fair, allows individuals ages 5 and up with developmental disabilities to show an animal in a good, fun environment while making friendships with their mentors.
Event creator and organizer Amanda Barndt was very pleased about the turnout this year, which saw a 47% increase from just one year ago.
“It was phenomenal,” she said. “It’s the only show where nobody is going to leave in an upset mood. (At) every livestock show, there’s going to be a loser. At this show, no one is a loser. Every single person is a winner.”
The initial event had 42 participants and 25 mentors. This year, those numbers increased to 54 and 45, respectively.
“We’re super happy to have that kind of reception, that kind of happiness,” Barndt said. “The crowd loves it. The participants love it. The junior fair loves it. It’s incredible to see.”
One of the second-year mentors, Emma Reid, loves the event. She was one of the first people to go through the interview process last year.
“I just love that we’re able to do this for these people,” she said. “Just them being able to show our animal and us being there with them … we put so much into this. It’s just great to see them out there loving and enjoying every moment. They’re smiling the whole time. They love it.”
Another mentor, Grace Dickson, was really touched this year when her participant, Tommy Rich, told her that it’s really nice that they include people with disabilities in the event.
“That touched me a certain way,” she said.
Rich, who also sang the national anthem prior to the event and showed a beef feeder, said that his favorite part of the event was having so many people come together.
Asked if he has a lot of friends at the event, Rich said: “Now I do.”
Show categories included rabbits, goats, pigs, beef feeders and lambs.
During the show, Bowling Green High School’s agriculture education teacher and FFA advisor Stephanie Conway served as the judge. She asked each participant their name, what they’re showing, what their animal’s name is and if they’re having fun.
“The numbers from last year to this year are incredible,” Reid said. “There was definitely a lot of spectators from last year who didn’t know if they wanted to do it. They were a little scared. This year it’s amazing how many more people wanted to do it.
“Even different animals. They went from rabbits and chickens to something like cattle. That’s just crazy. They get so confident. One girl showed pigs last year and said she didn’t really like it but wanted to try something new. I just love their willingness to try it.”
Barndt, who serves on the Wood County Farm Bureau, plans on continuing to grow the event as around half of this year’s participants were new. She said the community support has been vital to its success, as well.
“My only goal is to continue to offer this show in Wood County,” she said. “I think it’s incredibly important to let all of these individuals have the opportunity to show an animal.
“A lot of these participants got to show a different animal this year than they did last year. And we also brought a bunch of new faces to our show.”
The Ring of Dreams handed out memorial keepsake picture frames for participants this year, which BGSU helped with.
Participants also received coupons for lemonade, slushies and hamburgers, and Barndt’s family helped supply medals for every participant.
This year, Barndt and her crew partnered with the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities to sponsor the entire day.
From 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the fair hosted a bunch of special events for individuals with developmental disabilities. They were able to get into the fair for free and experience several activities such as fairground tours.
For fans who weren’t there and want to check out what the Ring of Dreams is all about, the event was streamed and can be viewed on their Facebook page, Ring of Dreams Livestock Show – Wood County.
For those interested in helping with next year’s event, Barnes can be reached at [email protected].
