Macey and Max at the Livestock Show

One of my favorite events to cover every year is the Williamson County Livestock Show.   All week, the show barn at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, Texas is filled with kids and the farm animals they’ve worked with throughout the year.   For many of these youngsters, the livestock show is a huge happening, of Super Bowl importance in their lives.     Livestock shows are of course not exclusive to Texas, but the Lone Star takes them to heart better than many.   During my time in Atlanta, Georgia, I don’t recall ever covering one of these for the Atlanta Journal & Constitution.   However, the Williamson County Sun puts it out there as a top contender for space.  It’s significant community journalism, thank goodness.   There will be another livestock show posting soon, but here I’m concentrating specifically on 9-year-old Macey Hilton of Florence, Texas.   Macey was competing for her very first time,  joined by her goat named Max.   Macey and Max have plenty of family support in this venture, including her parents, Nicole and Shane, brother Shane Hilton II, 12, sister Kailee, 10, and the youngest, Danni, 7.  Macey’s older siblings already show animals.  Next year, says mom, Danni will join in the fun.