- March 31, 2025
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Laci Westbrook, 18, said she expects her final performance at the Flagler County Fair and Youth Show's 4-H and FFA Livestock show and sale will be bittersweet.
But it is not the trophies she'll miss the most, it's the community. Everyone who participates in the Flagler County Fair supports each other, she said.
"They want to see you succeed," Westbrook said. "They will sit there and support you 100% to watch you succeed and grow in this industry."
The Fair is a showcase of Florida agriculture, with local youth exhibiting their livestock: from rabbits and chickens to pigs to heifers and steers. The 2025 Fair is April 7-11.
Some participants are the second or third generation to participate in the show. Westbrook said her parents showed at the fair when they were young and the multi-generational culture of the Flagler County Fair makes for a lot friends and a close-knit group. Westbrook said she has known her best friend, Mackaylea Cody, their entire lives simply because their parents were friends from the Fair.
And competitors need that community, Westbrook said, because the competitions can be tough.
"You need to have a good support system," she said. "It's one of those things, if you can't cheer each other on, you're in the wrong sport."
For 10 years Westbrook has shown at the fair, starting with showing chickens at just 8 years old.
"I walked out in that arena that night, I had chicken poop all down me," Westbrook said. "I walked out and I told my mom, I said, I'm not doing chickens ever again and I went straight to [showing] hogs."
Westbrook said she's shown pigs every year since, but she found her passion when her best friend's father introduced her to showing large livestock several years ago, the heifers and steers. The larger livestock is a lot of work, she said.
It's one of those things, if you can't cheer each other on, you're in the wrong sport."
- LACI WESTBROOK, Flagler County Fair graduating senior
Westbrook said she is out with her steer everyday forming a bond, getting the animal desensitized to distractions and caring for it. Anyone working with the larger animals has to be careful, too, not to be kicked or knocked around- though Westbrook said that is going to happen to everyone at some point while training the animals.
"You're gonna get drug [through the dirt]," she said. "You're getting slammed against fences, slammed against gates."
Cody, whose final show was in 2024, was right beside her, both of them often showing animals in the same weight classes. It meant a lot for the two of them to share their experiences at the fair over the years, they said.
Cody said she's proud of Westbrook.
"[Laci] is one of the people I've seen with the best showmanship," she said. Cody said Westbrook is always encouraging the younger participants and lending a hand. "She's overall a great person, a great showman, a great friend. I wouldn't be where I am today without her."
A lot of participants are in it for the trophies, Westbrook said. She just loves the animals and encouraging the younger participants.
I definitely think livestock kids are a different breed, in my opinion, just because of the hard work they're putting in."
- LACI WESTBROOK, Flagler County Fair graduating senior
For her final turn at the fair, she is showing a 1,200-pound Brangus steer and a Hampshire pig weighing around 265 pounds. She said she doesn't care if she wins anything, she just intends to "walk in the arena and do as best as I can."
"I have confidence in myself," she said. "Buckles, a banner, a jacket - It don't mean nothing to me."
Like most graduating seniors, Westbrook said she isn't entirely settled on what she wants to do, whether that is going on to college and getting a degree in an agricultural field or finding a job in the field that doesn't require a college education. But she does know she wants to continue working with animals.
"I love working with animals, especially with larger livestock," she said.
Whatever she decides, Westbrook said she feels prepared for adulthood. Thanks to her experiences at the fair, she said she knows she's capable of taking care of herself. The fair taught her personal responsibility, budgeting and has instilled a sense of hard work into her, she said.
"I definitely think livestock kids are a different breed, in my opinion, just because of the hard work they're putting in." she said. "I know that if I was to go away to college this summer, or move out of my parents house when I graduate, that I can take care of myself."
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