A new event that will celebrate Ohio agriculture, Ohio communities, and Ohio children is planned for the 2019 Ohio State Fair.
The inaugural Dean’s Charity Steer Show will be held from 2–4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30, at the Voinovich Livestock & Trade Center at the Ohio Expo Center and State Fair.
The event will be hosted by Cathann A. Kress, vice president for agricultural administration and dean of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
“This will be an exciting event to bring together our community to celebrate agriculture and kids, both for our 4-H youth development programs as well as youth benefitting from the Ronald McDonald House,” Kress said. “All proceeds from the show will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio.”
Thirteen celebrity exhibitors, most of whom have no livestock experience, will not only show a steer, but will also compete to see who can raise the most money for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio. Each exhibitor will be paired with an experienced 4-H livestock family and their steer, and practice with them before entering the show ring.
Families and Ohio 4-H members will represent the counties of Athens, Carroll, Fayette, Geauga, Highland, Huron, Licking, Miami, Pickaway, Putnam, Tuscarawas, and Wood.
Celebrity exhibitors, in addition to Kress, will include Matt Barnes, WCMH-TV Channel 4 anchor; Mark Berven, president and chief operating officer of Nationwide Property & Casualty; Bobby Carpenter, former Ohio State and NFL football player, and Anthony Rothman, sports talk hosts for “Carpenter and Rothman” on 97.1 FM The Fan, Columbus; Jay Edwards, small business owner from Athens County; Clay Hall, sports director for Columbus’ WSYX 6/Fox 28 TV; Woody Johnson, host of “Woody and the Wake-Up Call” on WCOL-FM 92.3, Columbus;
Clark Kellogg, former NBA player and lead CBS Sports college basketball analyst; Rick Malir, chief executive officer and co-founder of City Barbeque; Bob McElligott, sports broadcaster for the Columbus Blue Jackets; Shelley Meyer, former first lady of Ohio State football and instructor for Ohio State’s College of Nursing; Bob Peterson, public servant and eighth-generation farmer from Fayette County; and Adam Sharp, executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.
“Every dollar we raise means families can stay together only steps away from their hospitalized child during one of the most stressful times of their lives,” Kress said. “Last year, more than 4,500 families were provided 82,000 nights of lodging by the Columbus Ronald McDonald House, the largest Ronald McDonald House in the world.”
The facility provides a home-away-from-home for families facing a child’s illness and hospitalization. Located across the street from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the Columbus Ronald McDonald House provides not only lodging, but also meals, a place to rest, laundry facilities, an exercise room, informal gathering areas, and activities for siblings of hospitalized children.
The Dean’s Charity Steer Show, which will be an annual event, will be coordinated by CFAES, the Telhio Credit Union, and the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association.
To learn more and to donate to your favorite celebrity exhibitor, visit give.osu.edu/deanscharitysteershow.
