The Grand Vision

20 years. 2 decades. 1,040 weeks. 7,300 days. Thousands of hours and millions of minutes of change. As is often the case, much has changed over these past 20 years. The one constant? The heart and vision behind the one event so near and dear to us all, the show-stopping and irreplicable act: the OYE Grand Drive.

Beginning as a horse-drawn carriage parading Oklahoma youth into the Jim Norick Arena on site of the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds, the Grand Drive was born out of dreams and ambition.

“Getting to where we are today was certainly no easy ride,” said OYE Vice Chairman, Jimmy Harrel. “When we took this over, we had lots of ideas but zero dollars. However, we kept telling ourselves, ‘let’s do more.’”

Enter Justin Whitefield, former Executive Director of OYE. The man of bold ideas and one of the main dream-curators, Whitefield “started something to be built upon,” Harrel said. He generated ideas and worked with others to make them better.

Justin Whitefield addresses the crowd at the 2005 Grand Drive

One January day in 2002, Whitefield was job shadowed by Oklahoma State University sophomore and now long-time Grand Drive Coordinator, Dusty Burchfield. After learning more about each other, Whitefield learned that Burchfield owned and operated a video production company that did image magnification. So, Whitefield asked the student if he’d be interested in creating a production to celebrate champions at the Oklahoma Youth Expo, and he said “yes.”

During his time at the Youth Expo, Whitefield was in charge of the swine show. He dreamed of a big stage for swine showmen, something to set them apart. So, he created a large, elevated showring under spotlights and with room for exhibitors to showcase their swine projects. This translates to “The Hill” in the Performance Arena we know today.

With the help of Burchfield, Whitefield and his team got a podium stand for the Grand Champion Market Hog trophy and placed a fog machine under it, creating an appealing and elite sight.

“Whitefield said to me, ‘this needs to be better than any championship because these kids work harder their entire lives for this,’” Burchfield said with a smile. “I knew then we needed to keep this thing going so we could make it as big and bad as possible.”

Across Barn Row, Harrel caught wind of Whitefield’s doings and set out to do something equally spectacular for his love – cattle and cattle showmen.

Harrel called on his wife, Marilyn, and then Leedey ag teacher, Bill Taylor, for help. In March 2003, they gathered some Express clydesdales, a strip of red carpet, a small fog machine, and began the first version of the Grand Drive we have today.

“Every time we would add a little more, the reactions would get better – the crowd would get a little bigger,” Burchfield said through a smile. ”By year four or five, there would be whispers around the barns asking what would happen that year in the Grand Drive.”

The Harrel’s and Taylor were pleased with their work to put exhibitors under the spotlights, but there was still a desire to do more for the show exhibitors. Therefore, they joined forces with Whitefield and Burchfield, as well as OYE Beef Superintendents Richie and Marylu Oakes, and began planning an even greater event.

As the time went by, the team changed the Grand Drive each year to keep exhibitors on their toes with anticipation. The clydesdales were traded for a ride in a stock trailer, more fog machines were added, a laser light show captivated the audience, and more.

As OYE gained more support and welcomed more sponsors, they kept testing the limits of reality.

One evening at the Dewey County Stock Show, Taylor engaged in a brainstorming conversation with Marilyn Harrel. “I said, ‘what if we grab a limo, roll it in, dim the lights, set off some fireworks, and make it a big deal,’” Taylor said. “I thought Marilyn and I would meet somewhere in the middle with our ideas, and next thing I know we are moving full speed ahead with these extravagant ideas.”

With that, a large limo was added into the mix, fireworks were set off, and the exhibitors were displayed on a larger, more special stage than ever before.

20 years later, and the OYE Grand Drive has continued to grow and prosper into “The Grand Drive of all grand drives,” Jimmy Harrel said.

“It is important we made it extravagant so people noticed, learned and realized how much these kids do,” Burchfield said. “It matters because it spreads the impact and awareness, and it gives us a platform to better communicate how important the ag way of life is.”

One reason such dedication has been put into this event is making all students feel celebrated, Jimmy Harrel said.

“Oklahoma is a very sport-intensive state, and we realize not all students fit in that category. So, this is for them,” Jimmy Harrel said. “This gives those kids the chance to excel when they may not otherwise have the opportunity, just like showing gave me that chance.”

Their passion for Oklahoma agricultural youth coupled with their brilliant dreams continues to drive the Harrel’s, and other supporters of OYE, forward in their pursuit to set exhibitors apart. This provides a common union and fulfills the hope of making OYE a show for everyone.

Today, the OYE Grand Drive is “a Super Bowl for kids,” Richie Oakes said. Complete with a laser light show and pyrotechnics, all breed champions of OYE ride into the event in the notorious white Hummer limo as Jim Norick Arena beats to the sound of “Thunderstruck” while trophies descend from the ceiling.

In previous years, a conservative crowd used to congregate when it was time for the celebration, Burchfield said. Now, thousands of people gather in “the Big House” to be a part of the OYE Grand Drive.

“To see the Youth Expo go from a barely-functional show and event to what we have done over the years is amazing,” Jimmy Harrel said. “It has kept evolving and improving, and that is something we want to continue taking to new heights.”

However, none of the improvements could have been made without the support from the Oklahoma governor and legislators, as well as the OYE volunteers and staff, Jimmy Harrel said.

“I want to thank the legislators and governors of Oklahoma for backing us and continuing to support our endeavors,” he said. “From the point it looked like things were impossible, they stepped in and helped us.”

Thanks to the help and belief of countless people along the way, OYE is an innovative event that is breaking records in the state. There are more species now than ever before, and each year there is representation from all 77 counties in Oklahoma. OYE currently offers more than $300,000 in scholarship funds and awards more than $1.25 million in the Sale of Champions annually.

OYE’s horizons have broadened with the adoption of programs like the Ag Mechanics Contest and the Skillathon, and OYE began empowering young collegiate agriculturalists through the Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Encounter program.

With continued support and dedication to the Junior Livestock Show program, the sky’s the limit with where OYE and its Grand Drive can continue to grow, Burchfield said.

“I am less concerned with the number of animals that show, the number of exhibitors each year – I just want there to be a high standard for how you act, how you exhibit yourself, how you treat others,” Burchfield said. “I know that standard is there currently, and it’s because of that I believe OYE will continue to thrive for years and years to come.”

For the next 20 years to come and beyond, the vision of OYE and the Grand Drive remains the same. The spotlight hasn’t shifted, and we will still strive to remain revolutionary, all for the deserving exhibitors of our state.

We believe all things are possible, and we have no intention of stopping our pursuit until we reach the next height, reaching our fullest potential and rewriting possibilities. This is the Grand Drive. This is the Grand Vision. This is the Oklahoma Youth Expo. – Written by Emile Mittelstaedt