(8/19) The Glade Valley Community Show is going on its 78th Year. This year’s show will be held September 26 through September 28, at the Walkers Overlook.
In past years most have known the show to be in the gymnasium of Walkersville High School, with the growing community in Walkersville the show was unable to return this year to the high school due to the increased number of athletic classes and sports.
The Glade Valley Community Show was started in 1945 by the Glade Valley Grange. The show started at the old Walkersville Elementary/High School which is now FCPS Staff Development Center. The show was then held in the old firehall upstairs which is now Walkersville Town Hall and at the activities/bingo building at the Walkersville carnival grounds. It was moved to the new high school in 1978 or 1979. The grange partnered with the Walkersville FFA Alumni and the Walkersville FFA Chapter in 1971. The Glade Valley Grange dissolved in 2022.
The Glade Valley Community show gained 4 new partners in 2023. It is now a collaborative effort between the Walkersville FFA Alumni, Walkersville FFA Chapter, Glade Valley Lions Club, Johnsville Ruritan Club, Mt. Pleasant Ruritan Club, and the Walkersville Business Professional Association, all non-profit organizations which have all united in a common cause to educate, support, and promote agriculture and agriculture education in the Glade Valley Community.
The show provides the opportunity for all residents in the Walkersville High School feeder school area as well as members of sponsoring organizations to put on display their best home-grown produce, yummy baked goods, and finest selection of handiwork within the last year. Handiwork ranges from crafts and food preservation to photography and artwork.
Every year the show hosts a cake auction, the cakes, pies, cookies, and breads entered by exhibitors. This cake auction is a huge part of the Glade Valley Community show. In 2022, the auction brought in $18,000. The funds raised from the cake auction are used to help off-set expenses associated with putting on the show, but more importantly are used by the partner organizations for use in providing scholarships and helping with travel for the Walkersville FFA members to attend conventions, contest, and leadership events.
"We are grateful for the generosity extended to the show by Mark Lynch, owner of the Overlook, in providing the use of this beautiful facility again and in upcoming years." said Brittany Sanders, Community Show Chair in announcing the return to Walker’s Overlook, "His generosity has allowed us to continue a tradition for the community."
The community show is a non-profit charitable organization. Financial support can be tax deductible. Premium funding is provided by the Maryland Agriculture Fair Board through a grant. Community Show Books are always available at local businesses throughout the Glade Valley Community. The show’s premium book has a full listing of classes to enter items as well as exhibiting rules and regulations. For more information visit the community show website at www.gladevalleycommunityshow.com.
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