KENTON, Ohio (WLIO) – In the show arenas, Hardin County Junior Fair participants are putting their hard work to the test and experiencing what it is like to compete at the fair.
The beef junior showmanship competition challenged participants to impress the judge and vie for the championship banner. This year’s grand champion, Landon Hall, credited the right steer and teamwork for helping him secure the top prize.
“I just have to have faith in my calf. Me and my breeder worked on it. It's just all the process,” said Landon Hall, a sixth grader and Grand Champion Junior Showmanship.
When it comes to showmanship, reserve grand champion Serenity Mathis said she knows what the judges are looking for.
“For you to make good eye to contact and set up your animals. We walk them in the lot and scratch them to get used to the show stick and stuff,” said Mathis, a sixth grader at USV and Reserve Champion Junior Showmanship.
From the largest livestock to the smallest, rabbit competitors also worked to impress the judges. But for Willow Kiper, the competition is just part of the fun.
“Rabbits are just so fun, and we're not super hard. They're definitely a little bit of a challenge. We have this really big community where, like, every year, you get to meet new people and like, all your friends go like, if you don't get to meet them all year round, or this is, like, the only time of the year you get to see them,” said Kiper, a sixth grader at Ridgemont who shows rabbits.
For Kahlan Bohm, the best part about showing rabbits is the animals themselves.
“You learn how to handle your rabbits. You learn a lot about the rabbit's personality. So some rabbits, they do really good with showing like being in front of people, things like that. And some, they're just better as pets. They like to just lay around and lay in your lap,” said Bohm, a sixth grader at Ridgemont who also shows rabbits.
The competitions will continue throughout the week, with the big Junior Fair livestock show scheduled for Saturday.
