By ELSIE DENTON
News intern
August 1, 2007
It is opening day of fair at nine in the
morning. The Whites have already been up since six. Commotion
and organized chaos reign outside of the small animal barn.
Young 4-H’ers mill about: cleaning and
preening their Guinea pigs or wringing their hands nervously. It
is nearly time for showmanship.
For many this will be the first time they’ve
ever shown a Guinea pig — or cavy as they are known in 4-H
circles — but not for the Whites. Amy, 10, and Katie, 12, know
their cavies inside out and are veterans of the showmanship
ring. The girls seem calm as they trim and manicure their
cavies, paying attention to the smallest details.
Their confidence followed them into the ring.
The girls stood at perfect attention, their hands clasped behind
their back as they skillfully fielded questions from the judge:
What is a cavy’s gestation period? What diseases are they
susceptible to? How would you breed your cavy to improve its
offspring?
The cavies themselves weren’t always as well
behaved. Some stood like statues on their carpet squares while
others eagerly nosed about their surroundings and needed
constant repositioning. Sometimes resistance took a more active
form. In a fit of rebellion Amy’s orange Abyssinian cavy, Mo,
fought and kicked and refused to flash his sparkling teeth for
the judge.
That is just part of life in 4-H; sometimes
things go as you want, other times they don’t.
“4-H is a learning experience,” said Lorie
White, the girls’ mom.
The judges agreed. Even when the girls didn’t
place in the top of their class the judges would take them aside
and discuss ways to improve their animals or their skills for
next time.
Small animal judge Natalie Rook said that
showing an animal was not about winning; rather it is a “chance
to critique your animal and show your knowledge of animal
breeds.”
Of course, 4-H is also a chance to have fun.
Katie said that she was excited and looking forward to her
showing her goat, Flip, but what she really loved about Fair was
having a whole week to spend with her friends. “And riding the
rides,” she added.
Sometimes to keep cool Katie said that she
and her friends pull out squirt guns and have water fights or
escape into their trailers during the heat of the day.
“I just like it,” she said. “I like being
here.”
The fair is full of friend time for 4-H’ers.
Most families, the Whites included, just set up camp and stay
the whole time. They bring their animals to fair Tuesday morning
and don’t leave again until Sunday morning when everything is
broken down and the last of the animals are shipped away.
In the meantime there is a huge list of
chores and details that must be attended to so the animals stay
happy and healthy.
Amy said that on a typical day at fair she
gets up at six, eats breakfast and then cleans out the cages and
pens of all of her animals: two turkeys, two Guinea pigs, and a
pig. After the cleaning is done Amy prepares herself and her
animals for the days show: For her pig, Samantha, at least, that
means a quick bath and a shave around the ears and tail.
As the day wore on she would ride the
attractions, hang with her friends in the trailer and play with
Samantha. Inevitably she would also serve a shift in stall duty;
cleaning up the area in and around the barns with the rest of
her 4-H group.
Amy didn’t mind all of the work but she
wasn’t looking forward to auction when she will have to part
with Samantha for good, probably sending her off to slaughter.
“I don’t want to,” said Amy.
Amy had really been hoping that her pig would
win grand champion because her older brother, Tyler White, had
promised her that he would buy Samantha back and turn her into a
breeder if the pig won. Amy’s pig didn’t quite make it but she
still placed fourth in her division.
Overall the White girls had a strong showing
at fair. Some highlights of their achievements are as follows:
Both girls received champion ribbons for their display boards;
Amy was awarded a champion for her record book and is in the
running for the grand champion which will be awarded once
everyone closes out their record books after auction. Katie’s
cooking skills earned her a trip to the state fair, and Amy
earned reserved champion for showing her cavy, Mo.
