Roots revisited: Junior livestock competitors return to Garrett Coliseum
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Nostalgia, intensity and grandeur filled the ring at the 2026 Junior Livestock Exposition (JLE) in Montgomery, March 16–18 as competitors stepped into new-to-them arenas to exhibit finely fitted animals.
Before rodeo athletes kicked up dust during the Southeastern Livestock Exposition (SLE), beef and dairy exhibitors entered the historic Garrett Coliseum for the first time in over a decade. Held in conjunction with SLE, the Alabama Farmers Federation and Alfa Insurance annually coordinate JLE, which includes beef, swine and dairy shows.
“I was kind of on the fence,” said Cullman County’s Caleb Elrod, whose son Easton was a participant in the junior beef shows. “We’ve kind of gotten used to showing in the other facility. But when we walked in, that nostalgic feeling of coming back in here and my son getting to do that was pretty exciting.”
Caleb’s career reached its pinnacle when he won the state steer show two decades before returning to the coliseum to watch his son compete.
“I thought showing in here was bigger and better,” Easton said. “It’s a bigger ring with more room to work. It’s been fun getting to learn from my dad and granddad because they were good at showing, and now I’m getting to learn from them.”
Family ties also connected Chambers County’s Jessi Maples to the coliseum’s history.
“Showing in the Garrett Coliseum is cool for me just thinking back like, ‘Oh, my parents showed here, and now I’m showing here,” said Jessi, who competed in the steer and heifer shows. “I like showing in the same place my parents did. It’s fun to have them teach me what they did when they were younger.”
For John Maples, watching his children follow in his footsteps is a callback to a simpler way of family life.
“This is a family project,” said John, who raises Jessi, Rylie, Boone and Rivers with wife Laura in Waverly. “Showing in Garrett was always a special thing when the rodeo was in town, and I was excited to hear we were coming back to the arena this year. Me and my wife showed, and now our children getting to come in here brings back a lot of memories.”
Swine exhibitors also welcomed a new show ring opportunity, moving into the Teague Arena with more space for friends and family to gather and watch.
Federation and Alfa President Jimmy Parnell said he was pleased to offer a historic venue for competitors.
“This is a real-life lesson,” Parnell said about raising show animals. “Sure, you learn about livestock and agriculture, but you also learn about taking care of things. The venue, you might say, is a little bit awe-inspiring to those young people when they walk in here. It’s a good learning experience.”
