Utah State Fair event will honor specific groups during each performance
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah State Fair’s primary focus is on celebrating the state’s youth, providing opportunities for many who qualify to show their exhibits during the exposition.
While the focus is on families, entertainment and the festivities, there are ways to help honor those in the community that help build toward the future while also recognizing the past. Utah’s Own Rodeo realizes that, which is why each of the three performances will feature specific beneficiaries over the course of the weekend.
The rodeo is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7, with the final performance at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, in the Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City; tickets can be purchased at UtahStateFair.com/tickets. The rodeo will target three honorees:
Friday will be Patriot Night, and attendees are urged to wear red, white or blue to recognize those that have served, either through the military or by being a first-responder.
Saturday will be Utah Foster Care Night, and purple will be the choice to show support for foster-family guests
Monday will be Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night, and that color is a way to honor breast-cancer research.
“We really want to celebrate all these people during the rodeo to show how much it means to us to have them be at fairpark and to enjoy a night out at the state fair,” said Jacee Lancaster, the livestock director for the Utah State Fairpark & Event Center. “Rodeo is a very patriotic sport, so it’s a natural fit for us to honor those that have served and put their lives on the line.”
The evening specific to the Beehive State is that Saturday, where the rodeo will recognize Utah Foster Care and what it does for individuals and families. The organization “believes every child deserves a safe home with a loving family,” according to verbiage on its website.
“Foster families are part of an extended team of child-welfare experts and other foster families dedicated to the care of abused and neglected children.”
While many youngsters are involved in the various livestock shows and other 4H and FFA exhibits, the rodeo is stepping up to showcase something special close to home.
“That night is big for us,” Lancaster said. “We’ve worked closely with Utah Foster Care to help get the word out. They have an urgent need for foster families, and we believe in what they are trying to do for the youth in our state.”
Children come from varied backgrounds, Utah Foster Care wrote on its website. Most have a history of abuse or neglect, and their ages vary from newborns to teenagers.
“They come from every part of the state and every race, region and socio-economic group,” the organization wrote.
The final performance of the rodeo will be the fair’s way of honoring those that have been in a fight with cancer. While Pink Night is specific toward breast cancer, virtually everyone has been affected by all variations of the deadly disease.
“Pink Night has been part of rodeo for several years, and it’s always been focused on the fight against breast cancer and cancer in general,” Lancaster said. “It’s not just the patients who need our support; the families are also in that fight, too, so we want to honor them and honor what they’ve been through, while also raising awareness and funds for the fight against cancer.”