BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — Some of the people behind the horse and livestock shows at the Maryland State Fair are celebrating decades of coming to the festival.
The Stiles Family, who own the Spring Valley Farm, has been showing cattle at the fair for 100 years
Allen Stiles told WMAR-2 News how it all started.
“My father had some friends that had jerseys which are the brown cows here, and he said they have higher butter fat so we should get some of those. So, he got his first jersey in 1926. And he was in 4H, and he took her to the state fair," Stiles said.
Days working with the cows and making sure they’re ready to present themselves is hard work, but it's a labor of love that keeps them coming back.
“We meet a lot of people, we’ve made a lot of friends through the years.”
He said today's economy is not easy on small family farms like his, so they've had to adopt some niches to stay afloat.
“We sell quite a few animals to other people that show all over the country.”
Across the way, another familiar face and voice at the fair is celebrating a milestone.
Horse show announcer, Bob Shirley has worked at the state fair for 80 years.
It all started when he was 11-years-old and his father was a Clydesdale breeder.
“We came to the fair and I was very fortunate that they needed an office boy and I got that position," Shirley said.
Then he worked up to where he is now.
Like the Stiles family, what brings him back every year is the people.
“I do so enjoy here, one of the wonderful things is I see so many people that I’ll only get to see once a year," he told WMAR-2 News, “Who knows how many more years I might be able to do this at this point? We’ll find out.”
He joined the Stiles family in vowing to keep their legacies going for as long possible.
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