How Did the Viola Horse and Colt Show Get Started?
In 1931 the Viola Horse & Colt show was conceived by two local men with great interest in promoting horses and agricultural education. They were S.A. (Spar) Simmons who owned the Simmons Farm north of Viola and bred Purebred Percheron horses and Mr. Harrison Eckley, a long time instructor of agriculture at Viola High School. The object of the show was to get the colts sired by the two beautiful stallions owned by Mr. Simmons in front of the public for advertising purposes and to give students in agriculture an opportunity to judge both a class of colts and adult horses in preparation for judging at the state judging contest in Madison. The first show was held at the old fair ground one mile east of Viola where the park and campground is today. They invited Professor James Fuller who was the animal husbandry instructor in charge of the horse breeding program at the University of Wisconsin to come and give a short talk on horse breeding and to judge the different classes of horse and col
