County Fair Re-Cap

What a nice day we had today – long but lots of fun.

Julia started the day with a great smile, all ready to go.

She competed early in the morning in “Market Class” which is where the judge (in the ball cap) ranks the animals by the quality of their physical structure. Julia and Leo did well, placing 3rd out of eight animals.

Competition was followed by the “Breakfast of Champions” which is an annual event at fair. Yum – corn dogs!!

We watched some 4-H kids practicing showing their steers and I just loved the phrase on this guy’s shirt. His 4-H group all wore these shirts and it made me happy to see – they must have a great leader.

The breeder that Julia works with had a new litter of piglets just a few weeks ago. He brought the mama and her eight piggies to the fair to people could see these little guys. The mama looked exhausted and why wouldn’t she be with constantly nursing eight hungry babies. Mama pig weighed 500 pounds – she was huge.

My dad joined us for lunch and to watch Julia compete in the afternoon. We loved having him hang out with us – Thanks for coming, Papa! Isn’t this a cute picture of the both of them?

The day ended on a somewhat sour note. During the showmanship competition, Leo decided he wasn’t in the mood to cooperate and literally went to the corner of the ring and refused to leave. Try as she might, Julia couldn’t get him to perform, walk, or get out of the corner. It was crazy ridiculous since Leo has been such a great animal and they have been walking our property every morning for weeks and weeks. But if the animal has never been in a ring with eight other pigs, you can’t truly be sure how it will respond. Leo wasn’t in the mood I suppose. Julia tried and tried and finally realized she wasn’t going to be successful. Oh well, life lessons, right? I was proud of her in that she kept her cool and did her absolute best.

They are still buddies even if Leo really doesn’t dig the show ring too much. Raising an animal is a great experience that instills patience and responsibility in a person. But as with humans, animals have their own personalities, likes and dislikes. This guy is not a performer which was disappointing and surprising to Julia. She handled it well though and that is what counts.

11 thoughts on “County Fair Re-Cap

  1. Katherine

    Wonderful picture! Love that big mama pig! Wow!
    Good job anyway Julia! It takes courage to do what you are doing. 🙂👍
    Love that pic of Julia and your dad. I’m sure he enjoyed being with y’all. ❤️
    Léo turned out to be one handsome fellow. 😉

    Reply
  2. Carole

    Sounds like Julia is a really great gal, learning that things don’t always go your way and handling it well. Oh, yeah, corn dogs!!

    Reply
  3. Kathleen Scargle McCormick

    In spite of Leo’s stubbornness, it looks like it was a lovely day. I am sure she did well managing the trouble due to her mother’s good example/teaching. Leo is a beauty and she has done a marvelous job.

    Reply
  4. Wendy

    Poor Leo, getting stage fright or stubborn, or whatever. I’m sure Julia handled it well; she’s a remarkable young lady! Glad you enjoyed the fair and the weather was good. Corn dogs – yum!

    Reply
  5. Lori Smanski

    Congrats to Julia. She looks fabulous with her pig. I was in 4-H. I had a shorthorn cow, Burgandy, a pig, Squeak and a horse, Goldie. Burgandy was not so hot in the ring either, she was what we would call people shy. But she won a trophy for CA AZ NV I could sit next to her and lean against her and she would not move until I did. At the fair I fell asleep on her and my three brothers told these reporters all about Burgandy and myself. That picture was in the newspaper. So Cool Squeak was such a ham, oh my goodness, he loved the ring and showing off in front of people.He seemed to love to make people smile. I saved Squeak when he was born. He was the runt of 10 babies and dad was going to get rid of him. Thank goodness I was there. Mom was on my side and I got to raise Squeak stating in the house. He would squeak his nose on the sliding glass door to want outside or to come in, hence his name. He eventually became a 600 lb. boar that sired many a great piglets. And Goldie was a palomino that I did barrel racing with. I think she loved speed as much as I did. She was so sweet and willing. I learned all about riding on her and she was so patient with me. When I fell off, she would just stop and stand by me. I had her until the end. I loved being in 4-H, I learned so much. Glad that your daughter can do the same.

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      What a sweet story – so many memories. I think it is a fun way to raise kids – though of my four kids, only two were interested in doing this. But Julia has enjoyed herself for sure. Thanks for the note!

      Reply
  6. Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting

    Sounds like a fun day at the county fair! Great job, Julia, keeping her cool with Leo’s acting up. Love the photo of your dad and daughter!!! Our county fair is on right now, also. We’ve been there once and will go again Sunday afternoon. I might borrow your title, if it’s okay with you!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Of course you can! Today is auction so that will be interesting to see how Julia fares. I will also (finally) go check out the quilting exhibit. I haven’t had time to get over there yet. Enjoy your fair time!

      Reply

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