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Okay, probably respite it a better word, but it feels a bit like reprieve.
I have been operating under the assumption that Pony Club Camp starts today. The Fair ended
yesterday- in this I am correct. But, I have just been set right, and Pony Club Camp starts......tomorrow!!!!
AN ENTIRE DAY. Feels like reprieve. Not that PC Camp is a punishment-
just the opposite. The punishment part was in the ridiculously tight turn around time from one event
to the next. A whole day gives Middlest a time to create a superhero costume (for the painted pony contest),
clean her tack, clean the trailer, label everything. A whole day means I can clean the camper,
restock it for the week, go to the bank for a few dollars to pay for swimming at the public pool and
the craft day. It means clean sheets, time for a shower....it means a chance to put pictures on the
blog!!
The Fair- as it continued..... I have never attempted this many Fair days in one blog. But, it is now or never.....
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| Wednesday morning was a scramble for Youngest to get his Global Gourmet presentation together. He went home with Huz in the early morning to help with the barn chores and create sushi rice for charasi style sushi for judging. Also to finish his required binder with a page per activity in the book, the recipe file he made with all the recipes he typed from the 7 different countries whose cuisine he attempted to recreate and the place setting on which to serve the sushi. He received the grade of "A" on the project, but it was awfully complicated to get it all together after the wild day before (chicken, sheep, duck, sheep, goose, chicken ducksheepsheepchicken...see previous blog entry if this seems unfamiliar.) |
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| After his cooking project was judged, back to the hog barn to get Victor ready for the show. Violet was left to snooze contentedly in her pen, not having to get primped as she wasn't within the weight constraints and would not be shown. Victor was washed, scrubbed, and oiled to a fine shine. Plus, I think he liked it. |
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| The awards ceremony for the Foods and Nutrition Project Judging day was presided over by Eldest and Middlest in their capacity as Junior Fair Board members. They switched off on the microphone announcing the placings of all the projects and organizing the ribbons for the Fair Queen and her attendant to hand out. Here, Youngest receives second place in Global Gourmet from the Queen Attendant, while Eldest does the announcing and Middlest peeks out from behind the Queen. |
Let the Hog Show begin!!! The show featured 20 classes of hogs with approximately 12 hogs per class. they were divided by sex, and then further by weight for each class. Barrows (castrated male pigs) were the first to show, and Youngest had a 265 lb barrow, which put him in one of the heaviest classes, class 9.
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| The pair walk nicely across the ring. |
This year was a huge improvement for Youngest in his knowledge, his showmanship of the hog, and his placing. He placed 9th in his class, which is a bigger deal than it seems. I was very proud of him. Showing Hogs is a unique activity. Of all the animals, I think this is the most difficult one, most technical, and often least predictable. It seems to really take years, and layers upon layers of practice to become proficient at showing a hog. There are a LOT of rules, and you need to have a keen awareness of your body, your hog's every move and those also in the ring, all this while keeping your eyes on the judge at all times. It is fascinating to watch the elder, experienced showmen with their hogs. One of our own, Emily F. was amazing, and seamless and smooth, and easily- in my humble opinion- the best showman of the approximately 150 youths showing hogs. Youngest is no where near her level, but he showed great improvement, and that means potential. Unfortunately, starting to show hogs your very first year is the best way to become competitive, and that was not our path. Yet, with practice- abundant practice- he will be a fine showman.
Hog Showmanship is, well, a great challenge. I believe there were 3 heats of approximately 15 hogs and their handlers in Youngest's Intermediate Showman category alone. 4 heats of Senior Showman and 3 of Beginner Showman. Each of the categories places only10 youth in ribbons. Once again, Youngest did not place, but this year he did catch the judges eye and was considered. No easy task.
Thursday is the most relaxing day for the family. Although both Middlest and Eldest had Junior Fair Board duties during the day, and Eldest was squeezing in crash courses in showing all animals in preparation for the Showman of Showmen contest, as well as teaching the other selected Top Senior Showman about showing poultry. Thursday night is the Beef Show, starting with Dairy Beef Feeders (usually bull calves of dairy breeds- they are raised for their meat as they don't make babies; thus no milk) and ending with the Beef Showmanship. Our club had more than a third of all the competitors in the beef show, and had a wonderful showing, with a Reserve Grand Champion, the Breeding Grand Champion, many first place winners in the classes and the Grand Champion Pen of Four- which is when each club has the opportunity to present 4 cows to be judged for excellence. Saddle and Sirloin has been winning this one for years.
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| On the left is SJ, with her beautiful steer and the big fella is C. Foster, also one of "my kids". |
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| Our new camper was a real joy, with plenty of room for Youngest to strew things about. Also, room for trophies, plaques and ribbons a place to eat and room for Huz to stretch out for a minute. Plus... an aerie in the back for Eldest to nestle in and read trashy novels. |
Friday is another "miscellaneous" project judging day. Middlest showed her leadership project "Leadership Roadtrip" and friend, Emma J. showed "Club Teen Leadership". Both received "A"s.
Mr. Woodard, behind, did a photobombing in the previous shot. Nice one Mr. W.
Friday is a tough day for Youngest. He went home with Huz again to get ready for the judging of his Vet Science 2 project, and to avoid the hog barn, where they were loading up the hogs that weren't being auctioned off on sale day, to go to the butcher. Violet was in this group, and so we all avoided the early morning fairgrounds. But he was somber and sad all day. He mustered a smile for the "A" on his Vet Science project, then we did some diversionary activities.
Like, shoot stuff.
By three o'clock, we were into final prep for the Showman of Showmen contest. This is one of my favorite things at the fair each year, and even more so this one, with our very own Eldest to root for. We also had a dark horse in the contest in Kati W., who won for Rabbit Showman, but had never handled anything bigger than a bunny.
Our friend, and club Showmanship Advisor, Steve J., had shifted into high gear getting things ready for our Showmen, including assessing quickly on Wednesday that Eldest did not own an appropriate "show shirt", or jeans, or belt. The shirt is all important- it can catch a judge's eye and make you stand apart. It should be a flattering color, and it must be pressed, or as they call it here, "Texas starched". The jeans were to be dark, and it so happened that Emma J. had the perfect pair to borrow. Another friend offered up her "bling belt", but the shirt......
So, while Eldest worked her Junior Fair Board tasks, Steve and Emma J. went shopping. Back they came to the fairgrounds with a dozen or so choices for Eldest to try on, selecting the above shirt in orchid pink and then taking it to Porter's Dry Cleaning for a Texas starching. Check our those crisp lines. Their shopping trip also yielded the makings for the turquoise head band, embellished with a sequined feather- perfect for the Poultry Showman of Pickaway County.
And the contest begins! 10 showmen vying for the title of Showman of Showmen!
It began with Bunnies. So the Rabbit Showman -our own Kati W. sat this one out and they read her impressive bio to the crowd.
Eldest was very competent with her rabbit. Easily placing in the top three of the group.
Poultry was next, so Eldest sat it out, only entering the arena for her, equally impressive bio to be read. There are some Smarties in the Saddle and Sirloin- and in the Showman of Showmen!
Sheep were a positive for Eldest, having shown them before, and she once again was in the top of the class.
Hog showing was also very well done, with only one error noticed by my estimation- she didn't brush her hog after the judge touched it. Still, she kept the hog working back and forth about 15 feet from the judge the whole time. She penned him properly, and un-penned him just right.
The goat was a bit more of a challenge. He was pretty keen on going back to his pen, and not very keen on walking beside Eldest. He was NOT going to tolerate her touching his legs to be "set up" and he was NOT going to be braced. Mostly she just stayed patient and waited for the goat show to be over.
She was smart in her choice of horse, and got a very "made" showmanship horse. Plus she rocked the pattern, and the judge told her she had the best pattern of all the showmen. On the other hand, the judge asked knowledge questions, and she only could think of 4 breeds- the judge requested 5, and on anatomy, she missed the heartgirth. But, she was one of two that got the rest of the parts correct.
For the llama show, she got an alpaca, but they are both shown the same way, and she did well in this one.
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| In the dairy show, she was smooth and slow, and set her cow up well. At this point, she is definitely in the top three of the showmen. (Again, my opinion. They do not let the crown know the placings.) Kati W. got a dairy heifer that was done with showing and more interested in pulling Kati around the arena. I was very impressed with her patience and poise. Not to mention the grit it took to manhandle the heifer. This out of someone who two days previously was pretty leery of anything larger than 5 lbs. |
The contest finished with steers. And, my Eldest looked like a pro.
Right after this photo, my battery went dead in my camera. And I thought "By Golly, if she wins, I won't even have a photo.
So, I pulled out my phone.
And got a picture of her doing the public speaking portion of the contest.
And, wearing her Poultry Showman of Showmen medal.
And a photo of the Dairy Showman, Macy C. earning the highest Showmanship award of all. Congratulations, Macy! Eldest, and Kati W. , you represented your club and your community well. I am so proud of you!!!!
Sale Day.
Youngest and Middlest were both sad and quiet. With periodic tears throughout the morning. Youngest packed up some of Victor's favorite treats; an apple and ripe strawberries, and went for a cuddle. Later, he went back with Apple Jacks.
Middlest sold first. She took him with heavy heart to the sale arena. Gandalf has been her buddy since the minute he was born. This is a tough task for anyone, and breaks a tender heart.
What I remind them, and myself, is; though short, life was sweet.
She did a fine job in the auction, and friend, Emma J. met her on the other side of the ring, taking Gandalf to the truck so Middlest didn't have to. That is friendship.
One of our biggest supporters in 4-H and life, the Johnson Family Farm purchased Middlest's lamb. She delivered a Thank You basket and a watery smile.
The Hog's turn came too soon, and Youngest went to collect Victor from his pen and deliver him for auction. He got a generous price from a new friend, Kelli R., who purchased the Hog for the mixed martial arts gym- Ronin Training Center in Grandview.
And, held back the tears until he had delivered a basket of treats to say Thank You.
We then shifted into Moving Out. The camper went back to Cowfeathers, then back to the Fair with the trailer to collect the poultry and sheep, the wheel barrows, sheep stand, tack boxes and muck equipment. As dusk approached, back to the Fair once more to the campsite to join our camping pals for one last Meat Fest. Pork chops, smoked chickens, brisket, all the fixin's..... and .....
For Middlest.....
Bacon!
My camera was focused, it was me who was bleary eyed.
Another Fair in the Books!
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