Earlham Echo

August 15, 2023

­­One of the most anticipated annual events of the Iowa State Fair is the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show. Every year for the past 40 years, sponsors from across the state of Iowa select an exhibitor and a celebrity to represent their steer during the show. This year, 14-year-old Jenna Jones from Earlham was selected to show her steer, Oakley, along with Lindsey Burrell, WHO 13 News Anchor.

There’s a lot of pressure any time you show an animal, but when you do it in front of a packed house at the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion, the tension is amplified that much more. Jones, a freshman-to-be at Earlham School, just embraced the process.

“I was really excited. I’ve been preparing him since last September,” said Jones. “Only 24 in the whole state get to do this. I was really overwhelmed that I was chosen to do this.”

Had there been an award for ‘Most Rambunctious Steer,’ Oakley would have won easily. Shortly after he entered the building, he took a short gallop through the ring, displaying his speed and power to the big crowd. Jones and Burrell quickly got a handle on the situation, though, and got Oakley calmed down.

“He gets a little nervous, and it showed when he was in the show ring,” said Jones. “But Lindsey handled him really well and I’m pretty proud of myself for teaching her all the things she needs to know. We handled it pretty well, I’d say.”

Burrell, a South Carolina native, joined WHO in January of this year as an evening anchor/reporter. As a former runner up to Miss South Carolina in the Miss America Organization, she’s no stranger to being in front of a crowd. But her first time working with a farm animal as part of the show was eye opening.

“There’s a lot to it. It’s a lot more than a lap around the ring,” she said. “Hand position, where you put their feet. And then if you have Oakley, who has a mind of his own. He was kind of calling the shots out there! That was scary, fighting a 1,400-pound animal. But I realized, you just have to show him you’re not afraid. You have to fight back.”