Renfrew Fair Sheep Show

The Renfrew Fair happened on the weekend and we were there!

First up was the sheep show...

Lydia entered the peewee class...

Lovely children showing sheep....

Calm, beautiful sheep...

It can get a little monotonous....

Until this happened...

.

I need to get a closer look at this....

The look on Johanna's face....the look on Jack's face.....this is priceless.

That is the look of determination.  Her lamb decided to do some dancing and she wasn't going to allow any of that.  Johanna is the boss in that ring.  There is no way she would let go and then run around trying to catch that lamb.

I'm not sure what's going on here....

But the lamb finally settled down.

She was placed 2nd in the senior division for showmanship.

There is always a tie up display with the 4-H Sheep Show.  We've had fun other years with 'Sheep Dynasty' and 'Ewe are Beautiful' themes.  This year the kids had suggested "A Rainy Day" theme when they started thinking of ideas back in the spring....and then it turned out that it rained all summer!  

And sure enough the sun went in and it rained...it poured!  And they had to move the show inside....

Oh yes...and I made cupcakes....sheep cupcakes!  One of the members from the other club was celebrating her birthday!

Brenda

Sheep and Rabbits at the Cobden Fair

It hasn't been raining everyday!  It's starting to feel like summer....only the sun sets way too early and it's cold at night and the leaves are starting to change.

But we are finally getting the hay done....1st cut.

And it's fair time.

Haying and fairs usually don't happen at the same time.  Actually they never happen at the same time.

But whatever.

Sophie had her first experience showing sheep on the weekend....and she loved it!

We invited some of her friends and their families to join the 4-H Sheep Club and show our sheep this year.  That's the fun part of 4-H....you don't need to own the animal to show the animal.  We had 6 kids coming on a regular basis to work and train their lambs for the fair....plus the 4 lambs that our kids were showing too.

The night before the show they all came over to scrub their lambs and blow dry them off....a total spa treatment for the next day.

And then it was off to the Cobden Fair the next day....

Johanna had a very busy weekend as she also showed in the 4-H beef and dairy shows.

Grady had a pretty good day....

Lydia was thrilled when we found out that there was a peewee category....

She even got to speak with the judge....

Sophie also joined the 4-H Rabbit Club this year.  It was on the condition that we would not have to have a rabbit.  I don't want a rabbit. 

One of the leaders was happy to let Sophie borrow her rabbit "Cutie Pie" and we had been going to her place to train it to go thru the agility course all summer.  "Cutie Pie" was a pretty lazy bunny at the start...it had only ever been in rabbit showmanship at the fair...but Sophie was persistent with her and Cutie Pie was soon running thru all the tunnels and jumping over the bars. 

She even entered her in the high jump event on the last day of the fair and Cutie Pie cleared 4 bars!  Sophie was thrilled and is already talking about next year...

Brenda

Metcalfe Fair 2015

Grady worked so very hard all summer with his steer.  Actually....he had been working with it since last Christmas.

This wasn't a trained steer that we purchased.  This steer needed to be halter broken.

He was out washing it nearly every evening..... sometimes until dark.

And feeding it.  He purchased the feed himself.  SO. MUCH. FEED.

He also purchased a wash stand/chute.   And a fan....that got hit by lightning.  So he bought a second fan.  He even hired a guy to come and trim one of the hooves because it just wasn't perfect.

This was his 4-H animal for the year.  It was his show animal.  He showed it at the Cobden Fair

and the Renfrew Fair. 

Everyone would tell him how beautiful his steer was.

It was his market steer headed for the auction at the Metcalfe Fair. 

The Metcalfe Fair is Eastern Ontario's Regional Fair.  It was once the Ottawa Winter Fair.  It was the most important fair at one time for all the local 4-H kids in Renfrew County.  If your steer could make it to the Ottawa Winter Fair....that was pretty amazing.

Grady liked the idea of having his steer go to this fair....even though no one else in Renfrew County takes a steer there.  We were sort of the 'outsiders' when it came to the steer show.

We knew that there were only 10 steers in the sale.  Grady could handle a 10th place ribbon and a handshake.  We were all ready for anything....or so we thought.

But for some unknown reason they decided to split the steers into two 'classes'.  There would be a lighter class and a heavier class.  Ten steers is not a lot of steers.  A judge can easily handle placing ten steers.

Grady's steer weighed in at 1550 pounds.  It was the heaviest of them all.  He was placed in the heavier class....with three other steers.

The lighter class was judged first.  There were six of them....and four were chosen to return to the championship round.

The heavier class had two chosen to advance to the championship round.  Grady wasn't one of them.

That was fine.  We weren't there to win.

There were six steers in the championship round.  They were all placed and awarded ribbons.  They got handshakes.

Grady and the other three 4-H members didn't get to return to the ring.

They didn't get ribbons.  They didn't even get a handshake.

That's not what 4-H is about.

They didn't get anything.  No recognition for all of their hard work.

I believe that you don't build yourself up by putting someone else down.  I will not get into the politics of the Metcalfe Fair....but there were several questions I had that had no answers.

And I will not be returning.

Brenda

Saturday at the Fair

It poured rain on Saturday.

But the show went on.

The boys each have a steer for their 4-H project this year. 

They have been working with them all summer....washing, training and FEEDING them.

Jack's went into the steer show at this fair and Grady's will be at auction in about a month at another fair.

This was the steer show....

And then the 4-H Interclub Beef Competition was in the afternoon.

The evening sale was held in the barn this year because of the rain.

This is where all the top steers, lambs and pigs are auctioned off to the highest bidder.  These kids have worked hard all summer raising these animals and tonight is their night to shine.

These three gifted auctioneers make the whole thing into a great show....

I love this photo of Jack looking up at them...

We bought this pig!  Mmmmm....bacon!

The McHale's at Bromley Farm Supply in Douglas bought Jack's steer.

The large barn was filled to the back despite the cold and the rain.  I love our supportive, caring community.

Brenda