The Southeastern Youth Fair held its Annual Market Goat Show on Friday, February 21, 2025, at 2:00 PM at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, located at 2232 NE Jacksonville Road in Ocala.
The Southeastern Youth Fair is Marion County’s premier not-for-profit, all-youth fair, held each February for 4-H and FFA students.
This year’s theme is Footloose at the Fair!
The fair began on Thursday, February 20, 2025, and runs through Saturday, March 1, 2025. The Southeastern Youth Fair (SEYF) has been held annually since 1941, originally starting as a steer show for adults. The youth fair, as it is known today, was established in 1978.
An Ocala landmark since 1945, the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion is recognized as Marion County’s premier agricultural showplace.
The Southeastern Youth Fair is the oldest all-youth fair in the country that continues to operate without a midway.
Mission Statement:
To recognize the outstanding youth of Marion County through the Southeastern Youth Fair as a showcase for competition, exhibition, enhanced educational opportunities, and the promotion of self-esteem, personal growth, and development. Additionally, the fair aims to educate the citizens of Marion County on the importance of agriculture and related industries in our community.
Guiding Principles:
• Maintaining a focus on a production show.
• Providing a unique experience where children act as producers, marketing their animals from start to finish.
• Ensuring the quality and integrity of each project—for the buyer’s confidence in a high-quality product, for the child’s protection of their initial investment, and the goal of maximizing their return.
• Creating valuable educational experiences for Marion County youth.
From left, Annabelle Holley, a 7th grader, and Adaline Edmondson, a 6th grader at Lake Weir Middle School, get set to present Vanilla to the judge at the Southeastern Youth Fair held at the Livestock Pavilion on Jacksonville Road in Ocala.
Lake Weir High School’s Rylee Duttlinger, 10th grade, gets prepared to present her Goat, Chevy, to the judges for the first time at the Southeastern Youth Fair.
Tinlee Lewis, 8 years old, is excited for her first time.
Will Love, 9 years old, with the Belleview Bald Eagles takes 2nd Place with his Goat in the Heavy Weight Division at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion in Ocala at the Southeastern Youth Fair on Friday, February 21, 2025
