Virginia Block and Bridle Jackpot officers president Rodney Parson, vice president Holden Headlee, and reporter Layne Lassnick, are students from West Virginia University who will be using the Greene County Fairgrounds on Feb. 22 at 8 a.m. to Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. for their third annual Block and Bridle Bonanza.

“We are a group of young agricultural students who come from diverse backgrounds in the agricultural industry, but we come together to accomplish a common goal,” Lassnick said.

The event is a jackpot encompassing live entertainment, clinics, heifer and steer showing and much more. The group will award the top five overall winners, with the first place winner taking home $1,000.

Lassnick said there are several other contributors that donate their services, other than the WVU Block and Bridle Club, to help make the show possible and successful.  

Cattle will arrive and check in on Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning there will be a Stock Show U Clinic that demonstrates how to better prepare cattle for shows like these. The breeding heifer show will take place at 11 a.m., followed by showmanship classes. In the evening there will be a catered dinner with live music.

“This is something new that we’re introducing for this year to attract more interest,” Lassnick explained. 

The West Virginia University Block and Bridle Club chooses to utilize the fairgrounds because of its size and accessibility to their participants, being less than one mile from I-79.

The club uses the proceeds of the event to fund future events, but this year they will also be contributing a little more.

“This year we will be donating a portion of our proceeds to the family of Autumn Zundel, a young girl who shows livestock and has been facing some serious health problems,” Lassnick said.

Lassnick said the club takes pride in its ability to create an event that improves every year and draws exhibitors from all over the east coast. Seeing the show come together is the best part of their experience.

“Our favorite part is seeing everything come together, seeing the exhibitors enjoying the event, and most importantly, seeing some very high quality cattle arrive and compete at our event,” Lassnick said. “The members of the show committee are dedicated to the livestock industry.”

He said the most difficult part of running this event is developing new methods to attract exhibitors and making sure that all of their bases are covered leading up to the show.

“There are a lot of small details that could easily be overlooked,” he said.

Lassnick hopes the community will come out both for fun and to show support. The Greene County Fairgrounds are located on 107 Fairgrounds Road in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.