Calhoun County celebrates
Animals, kids rule Calhoun County ExpoBy BILL SHEA, Messenger staff writer
Article Photos
ROCKWELL CITY - When Will Schrad sat down to enjoy a sandwich at the Calhoun County Expo Friday, a pair of huge brown eyes intently watched his every move.
Those eyes belonged to the Lake City boy's Angus calf named Curley, which was tethered nearby.
Schrad, 14, wasn't too concerned about Curley making a move for the sandwich. For him, being close to livestock is what the annual county fair is all about.
''This is for having fun with your friends and getting to work with your cattle,'' he said.
When the sun sets over the fairgrounds, there are races and concerts. But the days belong to youngsters and their animals.
And those days start early. Schrad, who like many animal owners camps out at the fairgrounds, gets up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready.
Taking care of farm animals isn't all hard work and no play. Allie Berg and Raeann Hanlon demonstrated that when they gave a handful of sheep a bath and ended up getting pretty wet themselves. Since the temperature was pushing 90 degrees, they didn't mind.
Berg, who's10 and participating in the fair for the first time, enjoys raising sheep.
''They're always fun,'' the Somers resident said. ''You get to do a lot of stuff with them.''
''And you take a bath when you wash them,'' added Hanlon, 12, of Lohrville.
Winning a ribbon is the ultimate payoff for the hours spent working with livestock. On Thursday, a hog raised by Nicholas Collison, of Lake City, won the grand champion trophy.
The reserve champion award went to a 269-pound porker raised by Braden Holtorf, of Pomeroy.
Holtorf, 13, has been raising the 8-month-old pig since the beginning of the year. He said there's no real secret to raising a prize-winning hog. He said he just makes sure the animal has a clean pen and plenty to eat and drink.
He and all the other young people registered the animals that they are now showing at the fair back in March. Holtorf will be parting company with his hog next week, when it will be shipped off to a slaughterhouse. He accepts the loss of an animal he raised like a pet with a mere shrug. That's just part of the agricultural system, he said.
A few more exotic animals joined the traditional cows, pigs and sheep at the fair.
Sheep weren't the only animals Raeann Hanlon's family had on display. In a separate pen were Southern Belle, a Sicilian donkey, and her offspring, Stormy Knight.
Eugenia Hanlon, Raeann's mother, described the animals as ''very personable, very much like pets.''
''If you're in with them and you don't give them enough attention, they're the first to nudge you,'' she said.
The Hecht family of Lytton also had some miniature donkeys. They nibbled some of the grass near the barns.
''They're good lawn mowers,'' said Colleen Hecht.
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net
