He sort of went along with the tugs on his rope by Shelby Bowden, 6, of Humboldt, and sort of got the idea when her sister, Emma Bowden, 3, pushed on Buddy’s rear.

Their dad, Nick Bowden, watched the walking practice with a smile on his face.

“They’ll have to take the bottle calf into the ring,” he said. “Then answer some basic questions.”

Bowden is proud of his daughter.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Shelby Bowden, 6, of Humboldt, at left, leads her bottle calf Buddy through the cow barn at the Humboldt County Fair with a little pushing help from her sister, Emma Bowden, 3, at right.

“The more revealing time is at home,” he said. “It’s when they want to spend time with their animal, play with them and feed them. We’ve never had to ask her to.”

Alexis Gatewood, of Eagle Grove, is way past the bottle calf years.

The 22 year-old member of the Clarion/Goldfield/ Dows FFA Chapter was spending part of her day in a comfortable chair as her full-size fully grown cattle contentedly stood in their stalls.

She had a thick book full of yellow highlighter marks, fine print and some very long words.

“I’m studying for my nursing boards,” she said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
The 2019 Humboldt County Fair Junior Miss, Makayla Stalpes, 10, of Livermore, at right, adjusts her tiara Thursday afternoon while handing out trophies and ribbons with Fair Queen Elizabeth Hildreth, 18, of Humboldt.

She said the barn was proving a fine place to study. She’s planning on combining her nursing career with some part-time farming.

“I’d like to do it on the side,” she said.

Michael Lash, of Gilmore City, was judging the goat show Thursday.

He was all smiles as Brielle Jensen, 10, of Humboldt and Rulee Miller, 6, of Otteson, showed their bottle goats Jasmine and Star, or tried to, as the two goats had their own strong opinions about when to walk, where to walk and how to stand.

He goes easy on them, after all, all four are only kids.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Ashlyn Buckley, 9, at left, Ike Fowler, 10, center and Kyra Place, 10, all of Humboldt, have some fun Thursday with the Humboldt County Fair picture board.

“Oh yes,” he said. “It’s the highlight for me. It’s about encouraging a new generation of showmen. I try to make it a fun experience.”

Makayla Stalpes, 10, of Livermore, is this year’s Junior Miss and a member of the Livermore Bulldogs 4-H Club.

She was enjoying helping out at the goat show.

“I like handing out trophies and ribbons and going to all the shows,” she said.

Her own projects this year include animals as well.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Alyson Nieland, 15, of Fort Dodge, gives her sheep River a bath Thursday at the Humboldt County Fair.

“I have horses, cows and dogs,” she said.

So far, she has not been in the awkward position of having to give herself a ribbon or trophy.

“No,” she replied by shaking her head.

Elizabeth Hildreth, 18, of Humboldt, a member of the Corinth Red Stars 4-H Club, is this year’s Fair Queen.

“I love talking to everyone and handing out trophies,” she said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Abe Bormann, 4, of Humboldt, spends some time petting his brother, Marshall Borman’s calf at the Humboldt County Fair Thursday.

This year, she’s limiting herself to photography.

“In the past I’ve had horses, goats, rabbits,” she said. “You name it.”

Marshall Borman, of Humboldt, had a calf at the fair.

It’s the calf with no name.

“He doesn’t have a name,” Borman said. “We’re going to eat him.”

The animals the 4-H participants show at the fair are, after all, not pets. The goal is to raise the animal and eventually, see it off to market and eventually, the dinner table.

Borman has accepted that.

“I’m OK with that,” he said. “It supplies families with food.”

Sheep at the fair can often be seen in bright colorful suits made of stretchy sheer fabric or outfits that look a bit like a raincoat for sheep.

Alexis Peterson, 14, and her brother, Blake Peterson, 16, both of Callender and members of the Gowrie Groundbreakers 4-H Club, were busy Thursday getting their sheep “No Name” into her suit and cover.

“We put the Spandex suit on to keep the hide tight,” he said. “The other one is to keep them clean.”

The pair do have a time investment to protect. The siblings said that depending on the sheep’s level of cooperation, it takes between a half hour to an hour to get each one cleaned up and ready.

Outside, Alyson Nieland, 15, of Fort Dodge, a member of the Washington Winners 4-H Club, was giving her sheep, River, a bath.

“It’s the fourth of fifth one this year,” Nieland said.

River was not helping.

“The hardest part is him moving around while I’m trying to wash him,” she said.

River would prefer not to return to the barn for the suit or cover. She said he’s got another thing on his mind.

“His reaction is more ‘I’m going to go roll in the dirt,” she said.

Dalton Mozak, 9, of Plainview, Nebraska, was visiting the fair. He was watching the goat show with Parker Spaulding, 7, also of Plainview and Shiliah Stein, of Clare.

His take on the Humboldt County Fair as opposed to fairs in Nebraska?

“The animals are different,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
A pair of hogs watch the activity outside the pig barn Thursday at the Humboldt County Fair. The duo were watching a sheep get a bath.

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