Once again this year, the Poultry Festival will give attendees the chance to network, compete and enjoy some fresh Arkansas air by hosting a golf tournament and trap shoot. The wildly popular events fill up quickly and offer a nice departure from ordinary industry convention activities.
The off-site logistics and high participation related to the events lend an added layer of complexity for people working behind the scenes, but for festival veterans such as Kyle Avey of Huvepharma in Springdale, it’s all in a day’s work. Avey, who, with co-worker Cole Vardeman, is co-organizer for the trap shoot, has been volunteering in various capacities for years, and his connection to the festival itself goes back even farther.
Kyle Avey
“I grew up on a chicken farm,” he said. “My dad worked for Tyson Foods, so my parents were involved with the Poultry Festival even back when I was a small kid. Professionally, I started in the poultry industry out of college, and I’ve been helping out at the Poultry Festival for, gosh, probably at least six years, probably closer to 10 in some capacity.”
Avey said the sporting competitions are one big reason for the festival’s sustained popularity because it gives participants the chance to interact in ways other than a sales or work setting.
“Man, it’s a great time. It’s a competition. We keep score,” he said. “People can’t stack teams because we make it random teams, and we give out great prizes. There’s drawings for gift cards, as well as money prizes to the winning teams and the winning shooter. Between that and the number of door prizes that we draw for, just about everybody walks away with something.”
Avey, who was named The Poultry Federation’s Sales Representative of the Year-Live Production in 2024, said the same laid-back, fun-first attitude extends to the rest of the festival activities.
“To me, [the festival] is a celebration of the poultry industry,” he said. “Yeah, ultimately, it’s a fundraiser to help finance all of the other events that The Poultry Federation puts on through the year and to keep The Poultry Federation going, which is very important to our industry, but if I could sum it up, I’d say it’s a celebration that also supports a great cause because the funds raised in the auction go to scholarships for folks interested in poultry careers.
“It’s just a great time for fellowship and to see folks you may not see on a regular basis and celebrate the industry we’re all a part of.”
Schedule of Events
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Information Desk Open
Registration
Rogers Convention Center Main Entrance
FRIDAY, JUNE 12
7 a.m. to noon
Golf Tournament
Kingswood, 4 Kingsdale Lane, Bella Vista
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Information Desk Open
Rogers Convention Center Main Entrance
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Trap Shoot
Gunsmoke Sporting Clays,
17245 Wendell Jones Road, Garfield
Noon
Sporting events lunch/awards
At location of sporting events
1 to 5 p.m.
Silent/live items featured in scholarship
auction open for viewing
Ambassador Ballroom B-D,
Rogers Convention Center
4 to 9 p.m.
Yarnell’s Ice Cream and photo booth
North Rotunda, Rogers Convention Center
5:30 p.m.
Hors d’oeuvre and cocktail reception
Grand Ballroom, Rogers Convention Center
6:30 p.m.
Presentation of industry awards
Grand Ballroom, Rogers Convention Center
7 p.m.
Live auction
Grand Ballroom, Rogers Convention Center
SATURDAY, JUNE 13
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Information desk open
Rogers Convention Center Main Entrance
8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Chief cooks meeting
Ambassador Ballroom A
8 a.m. to noon
Auction items available for pickup
Information Desk
8 a.m. to noon
Arkansas State 4-H Cooking Contest
Rogers Convention Center Parking Lot
10 to 11 a.m.
Board of directors meeting
Ambassador Ballroom B,
Rogers Convention Center
10:30 a.m to 2 p.m.
30th Annual All Member Cooking Competition
Rogers Convention Center Parking Lot
Noon to 2 p.m.
30th Annual All Member Cooking Competition Booth Judging
Rogers Convention Center Parking Lot
Noon to 6:30 p.m.
Yarnell’s Ice Cream and photo booth
North Rotunda, Rogers Convention Center
5 to 6:30 p.m.
Dinner, presentation of All Member Cooking
Competition Awards, presentation of Arkansas
State 4-H Cooking Contest Awards
Grand Ballroom, Rogers Convention Center
6:30 p.m.
Festival concert gates open
Walmart AMP
7:30 p.m.
The Wilder Blue
8:30 p.m.
Diamond Rio
Source: thepoultryfederation.com
Schedule subject to change
Festival photos by Russell Bloodworth Photography
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