ESCANABA — Livestock exhibitors and their family members were at the U.P. State Fairgrounds Thursday for the first day of the Lori Branstrom Memorial Livestock Expo. The event was to continue through Saturday.

“I think that it’s going very well — actually, probably better than expected,” Delta County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Vickie Micheau said.

Although the U.P. State Fair was officially postponed on June 30, an announcement stated planning was still moving forward on a livestock exhibition. These efforts ultimately resulted in the development of the livestock expo.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, Micheau said the livestock expo is following a COVID-19 roadmap created for the U.P. State Fair prior to its postponement. In keeping with these guidelines, temperatures are being checked at the gate, attendees must wear masks while inside buildings and signage promoting social distancing has been posted.

The livestock expo has also received support from Public Health, Delta and Menominee Counties.

“We’ve been able to place more hand-washing and sanitizing stations throughout the expo area,” Micheau said.

Micheau said students participating in the livestock expo have been grateful to have an opportunity to exhibit the animals they have raised.

“Probably the most important thing that is contributing to the success of the show is the attitude of the exhibitors,” she said.

She said the livestock expo is expected to be held as part of the U.P. State Fair once again next year.

“They’re looking forward to our fair being back to normal again in 2021,” Micheau said.

Holly Stapleton, a Garden resident entering her sophomore year of college, said she has been involved with livestock shows at the fair for the past decade.

“I’ve been showing here for 10 years now,” she said.

For 2020, Stapleton was exhibiting “Legend,” a 1,146-pound steer. She said the livestock expo has been unlike any event she had participated in before.

“This year has been completely different than every other year,” Stapleton said.

Still, Stapleton thanked the expo’s organizers for making the event possible.

“I’m really happy that we were able to show — we haven’t been able to show all year,” she said.

Austyn Buelteman of Stephenson, who will be going into fifth grade this year, brought a 228-pound pig named “Aurora” to the livestock expo. The animal is named after Aurora Health Care, where Buelteman’s mother works.

“I wanted to sort of sponsor her at the fair,” Buelteman said.

Buelteman said Aurora has been the best pig she’s raised so far.

“Her shoulders and her hindquarters … line up with each other,” she said.

Like Stapleton, Buelteman was glad to have an opportunity to show off what she has accomplished.

“Raising pigs is hard work … but once you get here, you’ll be happy and get all this off your chest,” she said.

Many family members of exhibitors were in attendance at the livestock expo Thursday. Among them was John Rappette of Cornell-area farm Rappette Family Farm, who was there to support his granddaughter Emma Verbeck as she showed a steer.

Rappette has been attending livestock expos at the fairgrounds since his daughters began exhibiting livestock there.

“We’ve probably been showing cattle here for about 20, 25 years,” he said.

He was also pleased with the safety measures put into place for the livestock expo.

“They’re doing a good job,” Rappette said.

Sue Wind of Escanaba was at the expo Thursday to support three of her grandsons — Quentin Johnsen, Keaton Bartoszek and Remington Steele, all of Perronville. They were there to exhibit two pigs and one steer.

“I think it’s wonderful they were able to have an event for the children, because they work so hard all year,” Wind said.

Wind also felt sufficient measures had been taken to protect the health of livestock expo attendees.

“I feel very safe here,” she said.

For more information on the livestock expo, visit www.deltami.org.