Lexington, Kentucky - The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) Youth Committee is sponsoring a three-day long scavenger hunt for ASHA Youth during the World's Championship Horse Show (WCHS) at the 2009 Kentucky State Fair.

The scavenger hunt will begin at 9 AM on Tuesday, August 25, at the Junior Judging section of Freedom Hall, and all Junior Exhibitors 17 and under are encouraged to participate.

Participants must work in pairs, and will be given lots of items to keep as they search for them throughout the Kentucky State Fair grounds. Points will be awarded for each item or activity completed, and prizes will be given to the teams with the most points.

All scavenger hunt participants will be entered in a drawing for a flip video camera. The scavenger hunt will conclude at noon on Thursday, August 27, at the site of the ASHA Youth Auction, which will be held at the Crowne Plaza (formerly the Executive West).

For questions about the scavenger hunt or other ASHA Youth activities at the Kentucky State Fair, contact Germaine Johnson at auburntiger@insightbb.com , or Brenda Newell at b.newell@asha.net.

The ASHA Youth and Auction Committees will once again hold the Youth Auction at the Crowne Plaza during the World's Championship Horse Show at the 2009 Kentucky State Fair.

The silent auction will begin at 10 AM on Wednesday, August 26, at the Crowne Plaza (formerly the Executive West), in Crowne Room A. Bid numbers can be obtained at that time. Bidding in the Silent Auction will conclude for the day at 6 PM. Silent Auction bidding will resume at 10 AM on Thursday, August 27, and end with the conclusion of the Silent Auction at 3 PM.

The Live Auction will begin at 1:30 PM on Thursday, August 27, and will include such items as Kentucky Derby tickets, a Tommy Lovell Rocking Horse, Breeders’ Cup tickets, bound volumes of The Horseman dating back to 1891, and tickets to the sold out Taylor Swift Concert. As in the past, a free reception and cash bar will be offered beginning at noon on Thursday, along with a poster signing by WCHS winners from the previous year.

A $20,000 raffle drawing will also be held on Thursday, at 2:30 PM, as well as a $1,000 Grand giveaway, which will take place during the Silent Auction, for which a bid number is required, and participants must be at least 18 years of age and present to win.

The ASHA Auction and Youth Committees are currently in the process of gathering items for this annual event. The Auction is the sole fundraiser for ASHA Youth Scholarships and all ASHA Youth Programs (Junior Judging, Saddle Time Awards, Academy Awards, Showmanship at Halter Awards, and the ASHA Youth Award). If you would like to donate an item please contact Brenda Newell, ASHA Sr. Program Administrator, at b.newell@asha.net, Ron Merwin, ASHA Auction Chairman at rmerwin919@aol.com, or Germaine Johnson, ASHA Youth Chairperson at auburntiger@insightbb.com. All donations are tax deductible, as the ASHA is a 501(c)3 corporation. A donation form can be obtained from the ASHA website, here.