Behind the scenes, auction bustles with activity

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Each year, local auctioneers and a host of behind-the-scenes volunteers band together to make the closing event of the Vernon County Youth Fair happen without a hitch -- or at least as close to without a hitch as possible.

Jime Ernest has been coordinating the effort for 31 years in terms of the auctioneers, but he's quick to say there are a lot of people who really do a lot of work behind the scenes throughout the fair and in the auction; many of whose efforts are never apparent.

"There's a tremendous amount of planning that goes into the fair," Earnest said.

There's Doug Shupe and a committee who do a variety of tasks in preparing for the sale -- a big job in itself. There's Jessica Medley, who, with the help of others takes care of the accounting. She physically made the sale bill; Jerry Laflen enters information into the computer and prints out the checks. "We really couldn't do it without him," Medley said.

After the auction, the accounting workers make sure the books are balanced, that the animals are on the right trucks and headed toward the right destinations. Medley estimated that this year, the accounting group finished up about 4 a.m., after the sale.

During the sale, Paula Matherly serves as auction clerk, noting who purchased what and at what price, that sort of thing.

"There's a lot involved that you don't see, with the shipping, and the ones going to slaughter," Earnest said.

Most of the livestock sold at the Vernon County Youth Fair auction is a contract to buy; but a few are sold in a "premium" sale, which is basically a donation to the exhibitor, who gets to keep the animal to exhibit again at the Missouri State Fair.

Earnest says there are many who do the work, but they all have one thing in common.

"Everybody does it for the kids. That's what it's always been about," he said, and the auctioneers and other workers all seem to just expect they'll be helping out, and enjoy doing so.

"It's sort of evolved over the years," into a tradition auctioneers expect to take part in; for an evening, they work together, competitors joining with competitors to make the sale go smoothly for the kids. Auctioneers from Kansas have even come over to help, Earnest pointed out.

"There's people who do so much. We just come out and, for a few hours, do what we do; It's been a great pleasure to do this. I think they all feel that way," Earnest said.

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