Show support for 4-H members

Chalk up another victim of the coronavirus.

Though there will be a Jay County Fair this year — albeit an abbreviated version — there won’t be a 4-H livestock auction.

Few events on the calendar evoke a greater sense of Americana than the livestock auction has over the years.

It’s the culmination of a 4-H member’s year, and for some it’s the last big 4-H experience before they head off for adulthood.

There’s also a financial aspect. The premiums paid by bidders are a real boost to the kids, usually going into savings for college or life after high school. And with the auction canceled, that financial boost is at risk.

That’s why the 4-H Council is looking for a little help from its friends, the folks who usually spend half a day bidding and chatting at the fairgrounds.

Past bidders are being asked to donate to a fund that will provide premiums for this year’s 4-H projects.

The money will go into a pot then be divided equally among the more than 200 Jay County kids taking part in 4-H in this coronavirus year of 2020.

You can help.

Checks should be sent to Jay County 4-H, c/o 2020 Auction, 126 N. Meridian St., Portland, IN 47371.

The auction — with its lively bidding, buzzing flies, joshing and joking — will return next year after we all put COVID-19 behind us. — J.R.