In every way, the 2010 fair was a success
Any way you look at it, the 2010 Holmes County Fair was a success.Kerry Taylor, president of the fair board, said he was pleased that the attendance of 31,841 was about 500 better than last year. However, Taylor said Saturday's early evening downpour reduced the expected attendance on the fair's last day by about 2,000.
"Otherwise," Taylor said, "we may have approached or broken the record of about 34,000 set in 2008." Taylor also said Friday's daytime attendance was way down due to the excessive heat. But once the evening cooled, attendance swelled.
Taylor credited fair veterinarian Dr. Eric Shaver with staying on top of caring for and treating the animals for any heat related issues. "Dr. Shaver and his staff did an incredible job," Taylor said.
"The only other cloud over the fairgrounds this year was the incident involving a juvenile kicking a llama," Taylor said. The baby llama died a couple of days after being kicked, but Dr. Shaver reported it would be hard to say if the kicking directly lead to the animal's death. The llama was on display and not a 4-H project, according to Taylor.
"This was a very isolated incident," Taylor said in a news release. The case is under investigation by the Holmes County Sheriff's Office.
Taylor was especially pleased with the livestock sale results, the best since 2007. He said the sale was a high for him, especially since the sales were up when there actually were fewer animals shown this year.
"That speaks well of our buyers and the kids," Taylor said. He praised the local businesses and individuals who return year after year to purchase livestock. He also had good words for the 4-Hers that cared so well for their animals.
Taylor said the livestock sale wouldn't happen as efficiently, and maybe not at all, if it weren't for those who volunteer behind the scenes. He particularly cited the dedicated work of Trevor and Amanda Berger, Johnstown, and Marcia Calhoun, a CPA with Rea and Associates in Millersburg.
The trio said they spend more than 100 hours each during fair week to ensure the livestock sale runs smoothly. They prepared 14 different show programs and the sale bills, and kept track of each sale as it occurred.
"We do the IT (information technology) end," Amanda Berger put it simply.
Taylor also recognized the hundreds of other volunteers who worked to make the fair happen. Taylor said this year's fair had very few glitches.
"Preparation is the key to a successful fair," Taylor said. "Volunteers and a small staff of mostly retired people were here three weeks prior to the fair readying the grounds."
And there were the volunteer judges, parents, businesses and the coordination with the Ohio State University extension staff that also each added their own part to make the fair successful, according to Taylor.
"Dozens and dozens of people helped at the book judging," Taylor said. "An that took place at West Holmes High School in July."
Taylor said the safety of the kids is paramount at the fair.
"We have a code to lockdown the fair if a child is determined to be missing," Taylor said. "Every year we get reports of missing children." He said most are quickly found. However, one six-year old was declared missing and the gates were closed for 15 minutes until the child was found safe and sound, Taylor said.
Livestock Auctioneer Coordinator Steve Andrews had high praise for the youngsters, the condition of their animals, and the support from the buyers.
"It's nice to see the animals so well groomed and cared for," Andrews said. "The buyers appreciate that hard work and they reward the kids for it by purchasing animals above market prices."
Carter Smith of Holmes County Hoof-N-Hide club had the Grand Champion market steer, and was Grand Champion Junior Showman. Denco Marketing, Millersburg, purchased the steer for $5,985 or $4.50 per pound.
Tyler Schonauer of Udder Ends club had the Grand Champion dairy steer. Cline Plumbing and Heating, Millersburg Electric and Rodhe's IGA Market Place teamed up to buy the steer for $3,394 or $2.10 per pound.
Other livestock Grand Champions by category were: Justin Lorentz, Lakeville Country Farmers, dairy feeder; Amanda Cottrell, Classy Critters, market rabbit; Paydon Gingrich, Barnyard Buddies, pen of two broilers, and Matthew Keim, Backyard Buddies, market turkey.