EVANSTON — Dedication, hard work and perseverance paid off in the show ring at market sale last week at the Uinta County Fair as thousands and thousands of dollars filtered through the ring from bidders to exhibitors.

The theme for the fair was “A Fair Vision in 2020.” Little did the fair board know, when they picked the theme and started making plans, a silent enemy, the coronavirus pandemic, would creep and then race across the world to steal and put a damper on Uinta County Fair activities.

The fair kicked off July 23 and ended last Saturday. The Fair grounds, due to restrictions because of budget cuts and the coronavirus statewide health restrictions due to the coronavirus, were basically empty. So were the exhibit halls.

On Friday, there were a handful of people enjoying fair food, but gone were the entertainment activities and the people milling, just having a good time.

Some fair board members were worried how the stock sale would go as they tried to devise a plan, which could be used with the health restrictions.

The small covered arena east of the main exhibit hall was too small to allow social distancing so the sale was moved to the rodeo arena, which provided a big space for parents, families, friends and buyers to have a seat with some breathing space. But on a hot, calm day, the sun was relentless and people in the stands sweltered as they waited.

The board had determined not all animals could make the trip to be shown in the stands, the four-legged porkers with their short legs would be at a great disadvantage. A couple of days before the sale, the board deemed a parade of champions was necessary so people could see the eye-candy provided by the animals exhibited at the fair. The pigs, got a ride back to the barn.

Other exhibitors, left without their animals to show, devised ways to draw attention to their exhibits. Some dressed in costumes, used a friend to monkey-walk into the arena, carried large pictures of their animals and more.

Although, the sale had to work around the restrictions, the sale proved profitable for exhibitors and the 4-H and FFA exhibitors were rewarded with big prices.

As for the market steers, both the grand champion and reserve champion were taken by Valley people. Katie Giorgis of Fort Bridger had a 1,356 pound market steer which brought a top bid of $6,000. The reserve champion was exhibited by Michael Newton. It was a Black Angus steer weighing 1,342 pounds and brought a bid of $5,000.