Winning takes a fair bit of showmanship
Special to the Record
Friday was the final day of Marion County Fair’s annual animal showcases, and as swine and meat goats were paraded around, some seemed to realize it might also be the final day of their lives.
As the animals strained their necks and oinked and bleated from the center of a mulch ring, young showmen stood alongside them, looking sometimes patiently, sometimes angrily, down at their beasts.
The showcases were just one aspect of the county fair, which takes over Hillsboro for a week each summer. The fair also included food trucks, a rodeo, a cornhole tournament, and a demolition derby.
But it is the showcases that best encapsulated the culture and essence of the farming community that makes up much of Marion County.
Members of 4-H clubs drove in from across the county to show off cows, sheep, pigs, and goats in pursuit of elusive first-place ribbons.
The swine and meat goat showcases Friday were judged by Taylor Frank, a Colorado native who has judged similar showcases for 12 years. Frank teaches animal science classes at Butler Community College in El Dorado.
He had picked out champions from dairy goat, dairy, cattle, sheep, calf, and beef categories before the final day of ceremonies. Only the swine and the meat goats were still to be judged.
The day started with swine. Four contestants in the “senior” (older than 14) showcase began the show, commencing a final brush of their pigs and trotting into the ring.
A formal dress code was in effect. The 2024 fair booklet states that “exhibitors are to wear nice jeans, a collared shirt with sleeves and close toed shoes.” Its effects were apparent from the beginning. Contestants donned cowboy hats and extremely clean jeans and tucked their shirts into high-waisted belts.
The hogs were not harnessed to their leaders in any way; the only tool with which they could be controlled was a small whip held by each contestant.
Pigs get distracted easily, but the showmen kept their animals focused with the positioning of their own bodies and frequent smacking to the pig’s face, hide, and rump.
Lane Smith took home first place after commanding a crossbred, multicolored pig coolly around the stage. Ava Vannocker, who led a Duroc pig, finished a close second, becoming a “reserve champion” at the conclusion of the showcases.
“That top pair who were champion and reserve, very competitive,” Frank said after the event.
Frank was featured prominently during each showcase, walking around almost as much as the pigs themselves while audibly offering advice and praise to each contestant.
The four “intermediate” (ages 11 to 13) showmen found their pigs more difficult to control.
“Don’t be afraid,” Frank said of smacking the animals with the whip.
After a long affair in which a few swine fought and were broken up by a safety crew, a pig checking in at 180 pounds and led by Josephine Wealand took home first place.
“The hogs were fighting them the hardest,” Frank said of the intermediate contestants. “That was the toughest to sort through because the pigs didn’t want to cooperate, and they probably were letting them get their way a little too much.”
The “junior” (ages 7 to 10) showcase was a quieter affair. A brown pig led by Arlie Erwin took home first, displaying sharp turns in a closely contested three-person contest.
“I thought all three of them did a really nice job. They weren’t easy to place,” Frank said.
After the three contests, Lane Smith was selected as grand champion, with Ava Vannocker elected reserve.
“There were a lot of good showmen out here today, especially the seniors,” Molly Broadfield, a spectator and friend of Vannocker, said. “They’ve been working at it for quite a long time.”
Another spectator, Callie Holland, remarked on the work the contestants had done to prepare for the showcases.
“It’s late nights and early mornings for these kids,” she said.
Some 4-H youth wake up early in the morning and are out until 9 p.m. taking care of their animals, Holland said.
But all that work can be for naught if one’s pig won’t cooperate during the showcase. The lack of control over animal movements makes swine showcases “challenging and fun at the same time,” Frank said.
Frank looks primarily at the uniqueness and reasonable behavior of each pig when judging.
“Blending those two things, uniqueness and fundamentals, can be challenging,” he said. “They’re market hogs, so we need them to have muscle and an appropriate weight to them.
But we also need them to move good, and look like a show pig.… Pigs can get really dry and scaly, so we want kids to work at home to keep their skin hydrated.”
Frank has noticed changes in show pigs’ behavior over the last few years.
“They’re the species that change quickest over time,” he said. “There are a lot of current things and trends that get chased, and when you push for a trend so quickly you can [get] some problems.”
Most of the competing hogs were born in January and February.
“This’ll be the end for them,” Frank said.
Soon after judging, most will be sold at auction, butchered, and sold as pork. One such auction took place on the fairground later in the day.
“Some of them are still a little too light,” Frank said. “They probably need to feed a bit longer. But most of those market hogs, we’re judging them as if today’s the end point.”
The meat goats, auctioned off and slaughtered alongside hogs, began their showcase at 10:30 a.m. with two senior entries.
Each contestant led a goat around the ring with a halter around its neck, frequently grabbing and pushing the animal’s head and body in different angles.
Frank walked around the creatures, again offering advice to the contestants and explanations to the audience.
Ashley Peters quickly was named winner, with Frank praising her goat’s footwork in particular.
The intermediate showcase saw five more contestants enter the ring. A slightly more chaotic procession ensued, as the contestants slapped their goats on the back and grabbed on necks and collars to yank the animals into position.
Frank declared Rylee Thomas the winner, complimenting her on getting her goat to keep eye contact and keep its head straight.
The junior showcase saw eight entries paraded around the ring. It was a tense affair. Nervous looks from contestants and goats alike could be seen in the ring.
While Frank would narrate his thoughts to the crowd during earlier, only an occasional bleat could be heard during the final showcase.
After almost 10 minutes of deliberation, Frank selected a winner in Jett Wolf, who displayed his goat well and “nailed getting set.”
Ashley Peters was selected as grand champion of the meat goat showcases, with Rylee Thomas followed as reserve champion.
Autumn Tracey, 15-year-old president of the Peabody Achievers 4-H club, spoke about her experience watching the showcase.
“It was really fun,” she said. “I’m really proud of how some of the little kids did. The peewee show is always the cutest.”
Autumn, who has competed in showcases for dairy goats and cows, commented on the strong turnout for this year’s showcases.
“I think this is the biggest fair we’ve had in four years,” she said.
Frank agreed.
“It was a fun county fair to judge,” he said. “It seems like the kids all get along really well.”
Fresh sausage gravy and pancakes with pork were available as food options in a building across the road.