DARKE COUNTY — For Apollo Perez, the Great Darke County Fair is about much more than livestock, ribbons and competition. It is an opportunity to invest in young people and help them develop lessons that can last long after they leave the show arena.
Perez has been a familiar face around the cattle barns and show arena for many years, sharing his knowledge with young exhibitors who seek his advice. More recently, he has expanded his service as a member of the Darke County Agricultural Society Board of Directors, bringing years of experience and a passion for helping youth to the organization responsible for the fair.
Perez said his desire to work with young people stems in part from opportunities he did not have while growing up.
“I didn’t get to do it during my childhood,” Perez said. “It’s a passion that I have for kids. I believe I planted a seed in them, and they come looking for me to show them how to groom cattle, or just whenever they need help. It’s like kids are little magnets. They look at you, and they want to learn.”
For the soft-spoken Perez, being able to pass along his knowledge is its own reward.
“I just love helping the kids,” he said.
Perez also believes the young people involved in the fair offer a positive example that is sometimes overlooked amid negative perceptions of today’s youth.
“We have wonderful kids. We have great kids in Darke County and the surrounding area,” Perez said.
He sees evidence of their character every time he walks through the livestock barns.
“The kids today that are in the livestock, whether it’s hogs, cattle, horses, sheep, goats, rabbits — those are awesome kids,” Perez said. “You find them in the barn, forking manure, working with their animals, taking care of them. You’ll see those kids right there in the barns where they’re supposed to be, and I think they grow up to be productive adults.”
The responsibilities that come with raising and exhibiting livestock can teach young people about hard work, patience, commitment and caring for something beyond themselves. Perez has watched generations of exhibitors learn those lessons at the fair, and he takes pride in playing a small part in their development.
His position on the agricultural society board has also allowed him to see the Great Darke County Fair from a broader perspective.
“Serving on the board helps me to understand the whole fair as a whole, not just the cattle department, the sheep department,” Perez said. “It helps me understand the whole process, and to see what areas need to be upgraded.”
Perez considers serving on the board an honor and another way to give back to a community that has become home.
That commitment to service traces back decades to when Perez became a U.S. citizen. He remembers advice he received from Judge Rice in Dayton during the citizenship process in the 1980s.
“It’s a privilege always to serve on the board,” Perez said. “When I came into the United States and I went to see Judge Rice in Dayton to become an American citizen back in the ’80s, he always told me, ‘Don’t be a burden to your community. Help in any way that you can. Volunteer your services,’ and I learned from him to do that.”
Perez has continued following that advice.
At the Great Darke County Fair, that service can be seen in the cattle barn, around the show arena and in the countless moments when a young exhibitor approaches Perez with a question.
For Perez, helping a child learn how to groom an animal or simply offering encouragement is more than preparing someone for the show ring. It is about planting seeds of responsibility, confidence, and service that he hopes will continue growing for years to come.
