What have I been missing out on?!
Stumbling out of bed at 8 a.m., quick shower, and the tiniest layer of make-up on, I rumbled to Hamilton, Ohio to see what the fuss was all about.
Ah. The fair. The mere mention of the word brings to mind the sensations of the glaring sun of a warm summer morning, the bright colors of the ferris wheel and the buzzing anticipation in the air of animals knowing their importance this week. The whole county seems to be busy! Phone calls are answered amongst the sounds of baaaah and moos and the ever, "Let me get back to you when I finish loading my cows."
And so, as I arrived to the gate of the Butler County Fairgrounds in the wee hours of the morning to a quiet, yet vibrant ticket stand for the 2011 county fair, I was greeted by the fresh smell of excitement speckled with a bit of drowziness of the people who had decided to camp at the fairgrounds for the week.
I absolutely loved the gaudy colors of the county fair, its colors reminding me of something between carnivals and amusement parks.
The fair was still empty, with a few stalls open to serve the folks that needed breakfast, but approaching the Sheep Barn was a whole different story. You see, the 4-H sheep showing was going on this morning.
Before I segue into the Junior Sheep Show, let me babble a little about 4-H. Prior to Oxford, Ohio, 4-H was non-existent in my life. My school had Mu Alpha Theta (a math club), the French Club, Band, Future Business leaders of America, etc. We did not have a "Corn growing Club" or a "Tomato Club" (supposedly this was what the first 4-H clubs were called). Please. Of course, Ohio being the agricultural state that it is, gave birth to 4-H in the little town of Clarke, Ohio. Since then, it's grown to a giant youth leadership program that emphasizes youth growth and development with a healthy dose of a pro-agriculture agenda. Think of it as a boy/girl scout where instead of learning to tie knots and start camp fires, you learn how to grow grain, breed horses, and collect honey(also make robots, learn quilting, and make a business plan). It's pretty kick-bumbum as far as I'm concerned and I regret not having known of its existence before now.
For folks like me who've never stepped into a county fair, it's quite the experience of a lifetime. Imagine a ten-year old girl, clad with a sparkling fuschia hair band, leading an animal twice her weight around a small enclosed space covered in mulch, animal manure, and pee. Like I said, an experience of a lifetime.
You'd be hard pressed to find a suburban soccer mom encouraging her precious child to walk around a barn with a lamb head in her arm, never mind cattle weighing hundreds of pounds.
This event was intense! And the youth, aged anywhere from 8 to 18, experts in moving and positioning their animals for the judge.
I have to say, I sure am glad I'm not the lamb standing there while the judge feels my ribs and leg to judge how yummy I would be once slaughtered....
And you can really tell how much these kids have bonded with their animals. It's very heart warming to see with how much care and pride these youngsters guide and lead the livestock.
For me, the most exciting moment was watching the breeding ewe class. By far the most competitive class of all (16 entrants!), the winner was one of the lamb ewes from the Colegate Sheep Farm in Hamilton Ohio (the place where Paul and I get our freezer lamb!).
Boy was Carol Colegate excited!
After the competitions, Paul and I got a chance to walk around the fairgrounds and visit with all of the animals. It was the best $6 I ever spent.
The sheep lied down on fresh fluffy straw covered in little garments to protect their newly washed fleece.
I laughed and laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. Paul was pretty "meh" about it.
There were some breeds that looked so sweet
and other that looked just silly.
One baaaaaahed for its life as it was held by a mechanical arm
And others just got held down the old fashioned way.
The alpacas looked quite angry and annoyed. A sign warned me, "We spit!"
Look at that guy's evil eye.. haha.
And if one wonders if sheep were the only thing being shown that way... have you ever seen a chicken show?
A dog show?
I really envy these kids.. can you ever imagine my lazy dog ever being able to do something so dignified?
I heard the cattle show was supposed to be the next day and so kids took advantage of a slow summer afternoon to practice leading their cows around.
The other livestock exhibited in the various barns were in tip top shape. No factory farmed chickens here!
This man had no idea what kind of chicken he was raising until one of the 4-H told him he had a tufted arucauna of sorts (I already forgot the breed name.. heh). Man, these kids know everything!
Other furries included bunniesss!!!!
Watch out, this winner bites!
By far though, the most popular animals were the goats. Really, there were goats EVERYWHERE.
Seeing these cute little pygmies made me want to get one for my own one day :)
I especially loved the hand made signs a lot of these animals had. How modern.
My goodness were they friendly!
Paul and I didn't stick around for the demolition derby (maybe next year!) but we still had plenty of fun. All in all, a great first experience at the county fair.
I can't wait for the fair to come again next year! Thanks Butler County!
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