Kenzie Leigh, 15, participated in her goat show. The Valley Livestock 4-H member and Clark County Future Farmers of America (FFA) secretary tended to two goats throughout the week this year – Ansel, a calm Boer, and Mia, a stubborn Nigerian Dwarf. She didn’t take home honors this year, but her goat was Reserve Division Champion in the 2021 fair.
The Tecumseh High School student is busy throughout the school year with activities like track and recreational softball, but fair week has its own set of responsibilities. She’s at the fairgrounds for the entire week, where she cleans up her animals pens multiple times per day, feeding them and making sure they’re stocked up on water.
Leigh said she’s learned a lot about goats through her time as an exhibitor: to start, they’re smart animals that tend to feed off the energy of their handlers.
“If you’re calm, they’ll be calm. Probably,” Leigh said with a laugh.
She joined 4-H five years ago to spend time with a friend who also showed goats, an animal she has grown to love for its playful personality. Parting ways with her animals each year is a struggle for many 4-Hers and FFA members, and Leigh said the sadness often comes to her hours after the sale.
A younger exhibitor, Maggie Holloway, 10, is in her second year of showing pigs at the Clark County Fair. She got started with pigs because after hearing about them on TV, she believed they would be fun to show.
This year she is showing two pigs, a male (Daniel) and a female (Jane). She showed her pigs on Monday, and Jane placed in 3rd. Following all of the fair’s swine shows, Daniel and Jane will be auctioned off. The Jr. Fair Livestock auction is Friday morning.
Fair week is Alyssa Evans’ favorite time of year, she said. The Ohio Livestock Booster 4-H Club member brought 14 rabbits to the fair this year, with several winning honors in shows: best in show, second and third place recognition, and more.
Evans said she also loves teaching others about rabbits; she’s learned a lot about the small creatures, as she’s been showing them since she was 2 years old.
“The fair means so much to me, and I look forward to it every year” she said. “I’ve learned so much from it. And I just love animals.”
Friday at the Fair:
The Clark County Fair ends today, with multiple events scheduled throughout the day:
Sea Lion Show in the midway: 5, 7, 9 p.m.
Wood Carver in the midway: 1, 4, 6, 8 p.m.
Tropigal Revue in the midway: 4, 6, 8 p.m.
Jr. Fair Livestock auction at the cattle arena: 9 a.m.
Heritage Center Tractor Show in the big tent: 10 a.m.
Glen Parks Banjo Show at the CTC Shelter House: 11 a.m.
David Wayne Music Show at the CTC Shelter House: 2 p.m.
Deputy Matthew Yates Memorial Walk starting at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Command Post: 5 p.m.
Pig and Calf scrambles at the trach: 6 p.m.
Stranger Band at the big tent: 8 p.m.
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