Marshall Mecham
The 81st annual Eddy County Fair is set for July 21-25, and 17-year-old Bailey Trujillo said she is ready.
Fair participation
Trujillo will participate in several events during the week, including livestock shows and singing performances.
Before the fair, Trujillo will ride on the Artesia FFA float in the Eddy County Fair Parade at 7 p.m. Friday, July 17. The parade begins at Bulldog Bowl and ends on Second Street.
After that, the events she is participating in will be held at the Eddy County Fairgrounds, beginning with livestock and prospect yearling check-in from 7-10 a.m. Monday, July 20. Later that night, she will sing “My Jesus” and “Goodness of God” during Cowboy Church at 7 p.m.
Trujillo will participate in the Market Goat Show at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. She will then make a quick turnaround for the Prospect Yearling Class at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 22. She also will participate in the Market Lamb Show on Thursday, July 23, 15 minutes after the James Hamilton Breeding Sheep Show, which begins at 3 p.m.
The 4-H and FFA Awards Presentation will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, July 24. The fair will end with the 4-H and FFA Junior Livestock Auction at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25, when Trujillo will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Preparing for the fair
The sheep Trujillo will show are Honey, Louie, Duffy and Wendy. The goats she will show are Big Time, Bulldog, and Bean. The yearling she is showing, Stewy, belongs to her friend Samuel Fodge, who is training the horse for the fair.
Trujillo has been training her goats and sheep in the mornings and evenings. She said judges will consider several factors.
“Goats are judged on their masculinity, performance and how well they look,” Trujillo said. “We wash the goats’ legs on Monday and Friday. We wash the sheep’s legs on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. We break it up into multiple days because washing 12 animals for 30 to 45 minutes each can be a lot.”
Trujillo said preparing for the fair is a long process.
“It takes a lot of mental preparation because it’s a hot, long and stressful week,” Trujillo said. “I’ll be very busy because I’m singing, showing and in the parade. There’s also a check-in to make sure our animals are the weight we want them to be.”
Adversity
Trujillo also has lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissues and organs. She said the condition is a challenge, but she has pushed through it.
“I was diagnosed when I was 13,” Trujillo said. “It’s taken a big toll on my life, especially with all the work I do. However, I know there are people with worse conditions out there, so things could be way worse. God has truly blessed me with everything he has given me, so all I can do is be grateful at the end of the day.”
Marshall Mecham covers sports for the Artesia Daily Press. He can be reached at (915) 232-1793 or on X, @mecham_marshall. Mecham serves with the New Mexico Local News Fellowship, which places emerging journalists in newsrooms across the state. Learn more at www.newmexicolocalnewsfellowships.org.