Livestock Special Awards Show celebrates 20 years
It’s impossible to talk about the N.C. State Fair Livestock Special Awards Show without talking about longtime participant Mike Smith. Smith started attending livestock shows with his nieces in the 1980s as they exhibited livestock in the youth shows. But as he traveled with his family to livestock events across the state, Smith, who has Down Syndrome, never had the opportunity to participate in a show. He helped behind the scenes by keeping the stalls clean. At the 1996 N.C. State Fair, Smith was given the opportunity to walk a goat through the show ring before the shows started. A…