LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) - When friends compete against friends in the ring at the Allen County Fair, there may be a second place, but everyone feels like a winner thanks to the support and fun they share.
“It's my first grand champion pig banner, and I can just keep adding them to the pig barn wall. It's like my second time showing pigs here. So, last year I didn't do too great, but this year, it's exciting,” said Beckett Winegardner, who won the grand champion Berkshire pig.
While Winegardner is relatively new to showing hogs, he has also shown cows in the past. He said each animal requires a unique set of skills.
“Because pigs kind of get to control themselves. And cows, you just hold on to them and you pull them, but the pigs kind of lead you. It's just fun. You get to take a ride with your pig and just experience,” Winegardner said.
Winegardener competed against his friend Ava Humphrey, who won reserve grand champion. She said she enjoys showing animals at the Allen County Fair.
“I like, obviously the banners, they're very fun to hang up. But also it just teaches you responsibility, because you have animals to take care of. But it also teaches you like, obviously your competitors are obviously some of your closest friends,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey also takes her hogs to larger competitions, where the stakes can feel different.
“The other ones are definitely more pressuring because they have higher end pigs, but these are more fun because all your friends are watching. So, you have more pressure on you, because you're like, what if I mess up and my friends are watching,” she said.
For Humphrey, competing at the fair is about more than ribbons and banners.
“Having my friends witness what I really try hard to do, because some of my city friends don't understand how I take care of my pigs, but once they see me out there and they see that smile on my face, they kind of understand,” Humphrey said.
